Ohio monsters, that is!
With the last of the known Ohio Crybaby Bridges being added to the site as we speak, I needed a new non-ghostly thing to catalogue. Why? Not sure. But I guess since ghosts are in my blood, I sometimes need a break from the dead to focus on something that’s supposed to be living!
I’d always been fascinated with cryptids and so-called “monsters” from a very early age. Rumor has it that somewhere out there is a first grade homework assignment from yours truly, stating that when I grew up I wanted “to be a scientist so I could catch the Loch Ness Monster”. Years later, when I moved to Ohio, I became intrigued with the idea that while Ohio certainly has its share of “common” cryptids (Bigfoot, etc.), it also seemed to have an overabundance of creatures that were unique to Ohio. Loveland Frog, anyone?
For the past several years, one of my most popular presentations (after the ghost ones, of course) has been Monsters In Ohio. During that presentation, I share stories, newspaper articles, and photos of my favorite Ohio monsters. It was during these presentations that I started to notice some audience members had never heard of many of the creatures I was talking about. It was then I realized that some of the stories and legends associated with these Ohio monsters were in danger of being lost to time. I couldn’t let that happen!
–via the 8/27/78 edition of the Akron Beacon Journal, page 1
And so, the Ohio Monsters database was born. I’m going to attempt a database that includes as many monster sightings in Ohio that I’m aware of—or you guys make me aware of! So from Bigfoot, Orange Eyes, and the Loveland Frog to South Bay Bessie, the Defiance Werewolf, and even a couple of Melonheads, if it was rumored to have been lurking somewhere in the Buckeye State at one time or another, I’m going to try and catalog it here for you!
–Via the 9/21/90 edition of the Akron Beacon Journal, page 15
Obviously, to try to include every one-off “I saw a weird creature last night” sighting would be an endless battle. So I’m going to start with all the major creatures and go from there. Each creature will have its own page, complete with date and location of the first sighting, a description of the creature itself, subsequent sightings, and whether or not the creature is still seen today. Whenever possible, I’ll post newspaper articles and links to additional sources. My hope is that this database becomes a reference point for everyone interested in Ohio monsters. More importantly, that it helps to keep these stories alive!
And that’s where you can help! As with the Ohio Crybaby Bridge Project, you have the power to help resurrect long-lost stories and literally bring them back to life. So if you have a creature sighting you’d like to share, please feel free to send it to me. It can be anonymous if you’d like, and we don’t even need to post it on my site. But having even basic information about a sighting (date, time, location) will allow me to cross-reference it with my files to see if anyone else saw something similar to what you did. Who knows? We just might be able to solve a mystery together.
Stay tuned. Big things coming soon!
