In the early 1900s, reports of animals - primarily dogs - being killed by an unknown creature around Suffolk and Norfolk were attributed to a nebulous Great Dismal Swamp Monster. The first wave took place in 1902, with stories originating in Suffolk.
The Times printed a story that ran one day earlier in the local paper of a strange creature that has been attacking people and dogs around Nansemond in February of 1902:
The Strange Monster That Eats Dogs in Nansemond. (Special Dispatch to The Times.) The strange Dismal Swamp monster, which one day this week killed seven of Ed. Smith's dogs, ate two of them, and later attacked Mr. Smith, himself, has been seen again. Mr. Smith lives about twelve miles from Suffolk. Last night L. Frank Ames, a merchant, who lives near Bennett's Creek, saw the same thing and suffered from its ravages. Hearing a strange noise, Mr. Ames went out with a pistol. He thought at first it was a strange dog. When he learned it was the much-sought monster Mr. Ames shot several times, but without effect. The thing growled savagely. Being sent after it, six dogs refused to have a conflict and fled in terror. They could not be induced to make an attack. The unknown animal escaped without being harmed. Afterward it appeared at the home of Henry Jordan, colored, and sat defiantly on a covered well. The description is like the one furnished by Mr. Smith— a large, gaunt form, long yellow hair and vicious eyes.
A reprinting of the original tale made it to Minnesota by March of 1902, clarifying that the creature was unharmed because Edward Smith's pistol was corroded and would not fire. Given the description in the paper of Driver and Bennett's Creek near Nansemond, it seems like the creature may have been traveling north along the creek, perhaps passing through the area now known as Wonderland Forest, which is adjacent to the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge - prime territory for a large predator to roam unseen, especially over 100 years ago when the area was even less developed.
The Richmond Dispatch, February 18, 1902 reprints a similar story, with another note that "This monster may be the same that followed the Norfolk boat to this city [Alexandria], and which has caused no little apprehension among many of the colored population." The article goes on to recount a similar tale of a creature dubbed the Hanover lion, which turned out to be a mastiff, with the reports of its devastation likely exaggerated. We note the tongue in cheek way this writer suggests a reporter should go track down this monster to get the the bottom of the mystery - except, of course, reporters are "valuable" people (hence too good to risk on a possible werewolf).
Unlike many of these tales that provide no resolution, the creature from 1902 was killed, but the papers did not bring the tale to a fully satisfying conclusion with an official autopsy as it did for the Hanover lion. The report from the Times, April 13, 1902 states:
The Dismal Swamp monster, which, for a time kept the superstitious population in a state of nightly terror, which was hunted and fired at by numerous parties, which ate dogs and other small animals to the consternation of many farmers, whose eyes at night shone with a phosphorescent glow that gave birth to stories which made people afraid to go home at night, was killed to-day near Deans,Va. The animal was shot dead by a huntsman while it was in the act of devouring a dog just killed. The description is similar to that given of the beast beforehand. It looks more like a wolf than anything else. Crowds of people went to the scene and inspected the monster, whose body was left near the station where it died.
Unfortunately, no other researchers have been able to turn up more history on this wolf-like creature killed in 1902. Denver Michaels found the same stories I did, linking this creature to the Hanover lion. Could it have been a large dog, a solitary wolf, a mutant coyote, or perhaps a hybrid canine that had been living in the swamp? A wolf hybrid could account for there being only one of the creature, as well as the reported taste it had for consuming dogs. The timing of the sightings in the late winter points to a lack of food driving it out into inhabited areas for easier feeding.
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| The American Wolf, detail, ca. 1870, E. S. M. Haines, photographer. Courtesy the Library of Congress. |
A dispatch from Norfolk says: Investigators believe that the mysterious monster reported to have killed and partly eaten numerous dogs, pigs and other animals in the vicinity of Churchland, Huntersville and West Norfolk, and spread terror among the inhabitants, is of the genus cynophagotherinus, a distant relative of the alligator thought to have been long extinct in temperate climates. The investigators who have appointed a committee to hunt down the strange creature, are hiding their identities under a cloak of anonymity. In a written report to the Virginian Pilot, they declare that, in their opinion, the curious beast ventured from its supposed haunts in the Great Dismal Swamp in search of a change of diet. Reports of the animal’s activities in West Norfolk could not he confirmed.
The genus given here does not seem to match any living or extinct alligator genus, or any other recognized scientific genus for that matter. Whatever this creature may have been, it seems it was never confirmed, captured, or killed - just another creature in the long line of mysterious happenings linked to the Great Dismal Swamp and the tributaries emptying into the James River.
More recently, the Dismal Swamp monster has taken on the familiar form of a skunk ape or Sasquatch-type of creature. An article interviewing a park ranger in 1981 has brought the creature in line with the times - possibly vegetarian, ruining corn crops, and a UFO connection as the "next step" mentioned in the supernatural sightings. While the article seems to have been done in a bit of the lighthearted vein, you have to admit the prospect of supernatural tourism can draw in visitors, and Dizzy, the mascot of the Chesapeake Public Library, has taken the unknown from terrifying to adorable.
If you plan to visit the Great Dismal Swamp in search of any of these unknown creatures, the refuge is open year-round, sunrise to sunset, for boating and hiking the trails. Be sure to stay safe, do not interact with the wildlife, and remember camping is not permitted here. However, it is a fantastic place to observe birds, with blinds suitable for wildlife photography - and maybe even something else, if you're (un)lucky!
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