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By Hannah Cease
One of my favorite places in Louisville is Pope Lick Park which is part of the Parklands of
Floyds Fork. It is a gorgeous park with open prairie, old growth forest, kayaking, hiking, biking,
and running trails. It especially shines in the fall, but I think my favorite thing about Pope Lick is
the legend associated with it. The Pope Lick monster may be my favorite Kentucky urban
legend, but it's just one of many. Here are a few of my favorite Kentucky Urban legends.
Photo: Louisville Tourism [Facebook Page]
Pope Lick Monster
The Pope Lick monster, also known as the goatman, is a half man half goat creature said to live under the pope lick train trestle. He is said to lure its victims to jump off the bridge using voice mimicry or hypnosis. The train trestle is the site of several real deaths and a large fence has been put up to keep interested parties out and off the bridge. A local of the Fisherville area, Cierra Chavez, claimed to see a goat-like figure near the bridge once in the early morning before a bike ride. There he lurks waiting to call down to another victim. If you’d like to check it out for yourself, the Goatman Festival is October 11-12.
Photo: Paranormal Roadtripper
Little Green Men
On the night of August 21, 1955, the Suttons came rushing into the Hopkinsville police station in Christian County, Kentucky. They lived on a farm in rural Kentucky and were described by the police chief at the time as “[not] the kind of people who normally run to the police for help,” yet they arrived at that police station seeking it. They recounted their story, seeing a UFO land and small alien creatures appear. The aliens were described as small men with large heads and eyes that shimmered in the moonlight. The Suttons were not the only family to recount seeing these creatures though, all throughout the region many reported seeing an alien craft or even strange alien-like creatures. Due to the number of witnesses and the detailed stories they told this story quickly spread and the “little green men” even made national news. The news spread across the world and was said to inspire E. T. and there is even a pokemon modeled after these supposed aliens.
Photo: Kentucky Monthly
Sleepy Hollow
Sleepy Hollow road in Oldham County, Ky is a 2 mile stretch of curvy road with deep lore. The road itself is full of sharp twists and turns where each curve is a completely blind turn. One curve is the site of a 30 foot drop off into the hollow below. There is said to be a hearse that barrels down the roads and forces cars off the road and into the hollow. There is a bridge near the hollow known as cry baby bridge which now stands as a solid concrete bridge but was at one time an old covered bridge. According to legend, mothers would throw unwanted children into the water below to be washed out to the Ohio. It is also said that you can hear children crying and the sound of the hearse while driving down this road.
Hannah Cease is a McConnell Scholar in the class of 2026. She is studying biology on the ecology track and political science.