Maryland's infamous Goatman allegedly does all the things you would expect a deranged half-goat/half man to do: kill teenagers, eat dogs, scream like a goat, etc. But the most terrifying aspect is just how deep the lore goes. The USDA was even forced, at one point, to publicly deny accidentally creating the beast in their Beltsville agricultural research center. Another tale revolves around a goat farmer who, after realizing a group of rowdy teens had killed his tribe, went totally crazy and turned into a teen-slaying goat monster. Though the lore had been around for a while, the first recorded media mentions of the Goatman occurred in 1971, courtesy of writer Karen Hosler of the Prince George's County News. The first was a deep dive into Maryland folklore, followed by an actual news item about a family blaming the brutal decapitation of their puppy on the Goatman... which they may or may not have just heard about via the County News. One month later The Washington Post ran a national feature detailing the legend of the Goatman. Ultimately, the Goatman has become one of America's most persistent and well-known urban legends, with claimed sightings still occurring with regularity and cheesy fictionalizations still creepin' out the Old Line State.
