Let me be honest, this blog was a hard one to write. The reason why is because there is a lot of real tragic death surrounding this story; and I do not, in any way, want to offend or disrespect the dead, or their families. If anything, I want to stress even more to please stay away from train tracks and especially train trestles. They are extremely dangerous and people have died. Not even just from this specific bridge, but many of them all over the world.

Pope Lick Park

Across the United States, there are several legends of a goatman, or a bi-pedal goat-legged entity around bridges. The one we will be discussing today is the Pope Lick Monster in Louisville, KY. Louisville, Kentucky is home to a beautiful 4000 acre public park system called The Parklands of Floyds Park. There are 4 major parks with hiking trails and tons of amenities to explore. One of the parks inside the Parklands is Pope Lick Park, which is where this story takes place.

When you enter Pope Lick Park, you will see a massive metal structure, a train trestle in the tree line near the entrance, across the street. Even to a normal person, this 90+ foot tall train bridge looks very ominous. This bridge is assumed to be home to a terrifying creature known as the Goatman of Pope Lick.

*The actual Pope Lick Train Trestle in Pope Lick Creek Park taken by Kay Cole*

Who is the Goatman?

The myth behind goat-men go as far back as Greek mythology, where they were called satyrs. The most famous satyr was Pan, who had the legs, horns and ears of a goat. He was the God of the Wilds, woodlands and shepherds. (Yes Hellier fans, that same Pan, and no I will not go down a possible Kentucky Goatman/Hellier rabbit hole in this blog. Let’s save that for another time.)

Pan was also known to create uninhibited fear in people who explore the woods at night. Actually, the term ‘panic’ comes directly from the god Pan, as he was known to cause maddening fear in people as the mischievous, impish being that he was. I find this information extremely interesting because the people who have survived tragic Pope Lick Train Trestle events, have claimed to be frozen in terror, as if some invisible force is beckoning them to walk across the bridge, and then stand there as a train heads towards them. I personally think that the fear people feel when they are up on the bridge could be related to Gephyrophobia (fear of bridges) or Acrophobia (fear of heights) or even a mix of both. Symptoms of these phobias include increased heart rate, trembling, nausea and dizziness as well as vertigo and intrusive thoughts. Whether it is a Goatman controlling their minds, or something far more logical, the story of the Goatman is forever linked to the Pope Lick Creek Bridge.

The Pope Lick Monster, or Goatman, is presumed to be a part-man, part-goat, part-sheep hybrid. He is rumored to live under a train trestle bridge that goes over Pope Lick Creek in the Fischerville neighborhood of Louisville Kentucky. The question as to where the legend of this creature came from is not clear. Some say this monster is a repercussion of a farmer who sacrificed a lot of goats to gain demonic powers. Others say that this monster was some kind of human-goat hybrid that escaped from a derailed circus train and is seeking revenge on people for making fun of him. Others claim that most of these Goatman stories didn't start until after a 15 minute short film called “The Legend of the Pope Lick Monster” was released in 1988 in the area. The film was made by Ron Schildknecht, who was a resident artist at the Louisville Visual Arts Association, and he wanted to create a film about all the recent deaths that occurred on the Pope Lick Train Trestle from 1984-1987. Although some say the Goatman existed long before the film was created, some say the film started it all.

The argument that the film “The Legend of the Pope Lick Monster” is causing more interest in the area is inevitable. As claimed by Schildknecht in a newspaper article, The legend of the Pope Lick Monster was a shared legend among the people living in the area for over 3 generations, and the film just solidified the legend, but also pointed out the issues with how the police and railroad companies are doing nothing to protect the kids. He claimed the film was made to warn parents and other adults of the dangers this bridge causes on the teenagers living in the area.

*The Goatman of Pope Lick Statue inside of Pope Lick Creek Park taken by Kay Cole*

Danger: Do Not Enter!

Regardless of when or how this legend started, there is one thing that people must remember. Stay off the train tracks. So many people have lost their lives in this very small area. Since the 80s, families of victims have sued the railroad and city for not taking any safety measures to keep people away from the tracks.

*The fence and signs under the Pope Lick Creek Train Bridge taken by Kay Cole*

Many people assume that the train trestle is abandoned, so they climb up and then get stuck when a train comes at them. Although there has been a fence and signs put up, people still continued to climb onto the train bridge and risk their lives. When we were down there for the Legend of Pope Lick Festival, we had a chance to walk over to the bridge and check out the area (see pictures). There was a memorial up of the most recent victim of the train trestle, a massive fence and a ton of signs stating the train tracks were still active and not to trespass.

*A memorial for victim Savanna Bright directly under the Pope Lick Bridge taken by Kay Cole*

Fact or Fiction?

I have done a lot of research, and looked through countless newspaper articles on the area, all the way back to the 1800s. The only train crash I can find that was nearby was in 1912. The article was in the Anderson Newspaper out of Lawrenceburg, KY on December 5, 1912 and the article claimed a train was wrecked about a mile past the high bridge in Pope Lick. It was caused by a broken flange and it caused 13 train cars to derail. Most of the train cars were only carrying materials, but the coal car was carrying a man by the name of John Mayberry. This was the only train accident I can find that has happened close to this area and the bridge.

In searching for a Circus Train crash, the only ones I could find happened outside Detroit, and another outside of Gary, Indiana. Neither of which are even remotely in the same area.

To the Curious Minds

This train trestle has a very tragic history of curious kids, as well as adults, exploring places they should not. It is becoming more clear that the fan base is growing in the cryptid community. We are seeing more and more people at the conventions, and people are getting more intrigued by the legends that we have all known and loved for a long time. But with that, we must make sure the newer members to the community stay safe and educated on the dangers of this bridge.

I personally love to see the growing fan base in cryptids, as it means more support to all the people who have spent their lives creating beautiful art that involves cryptids. I will always push for everyone to support small businesses all year long. If you are looking for more great cryptid things, please check out our Connections page to find any and all vendors you would like!

We went down to Louisville to explore the Legend of Pope Lick Goatman Festival in October, and it was a blast. I highly recommend you check this one out if you are in the area, or willing to make the drive for a great weekend. Below are a few pictures I took from the festival!