Exploring the Haunted Goatman’s Bridge in Denton County
Old Alton Bridge aka “Goatman’s Bridge” sits graffiti’d along a trail in Argyle, Texas, right outside of my beloved city of Denton. I had heard tales of this (reportedly) haunted location for years, but I’d never seen it for myself. That is, until recently when I made the drive out there.
People would often talk about ghosts who would push you when you walked across it’s weathered, wooden base. Or more famously, there are tales of a demonic figure that is shaped like a man and bears the head of a goat. Some tell of a ghost hanging from the bottom of the bridge from a noose, which is really what spawns the horrors of this historic site. The only movement I saw were people kayaking and teenagers smoking pot.
The History
Old Alton Bridge took two years to build by the King Bridge Company and opened to traffic in 1884. The bridge was meant to connect the cities of Denton and Copper Canyon. The bridge remained usable for vehicles all the way up to 2001 when Denton County decided to build a safer concrete/steel bridge right next to it. In that time span, the structure saw cattle, horses, foot traffic, and cars cross over it. Alton Bridge was included in the National Register of Historic Places in July of 1988.
The bridge has had a lot of time to accumulate strange stories and sightings to its historic repertoire. The most famous of these tales comes in the form of a popular folklore character, The Goatman. There are many states with this same creature haunting certain areas or entire countrysides such as the legendary ax-wielding half-goat half-man creature of Maryland. The U.S. state of Kentucky has their own demonic Goatman stories. As the goat head has been popularized in satanic worship and symbolism, it’s no wonder that the superstitious would conjure this image in their minds. Our local Alton Bridge has its own origin story for the Goatman which is why it’s also referred to as “Goatman’s Bridge”.
“The bridge got its nickname from a popular local ghost story. The legend concerns a successful African American goat farmer who, in 1938, is said to have been murdered on the bridge at the hands of local members of the Ku Klux Klan. It’s said that the Klansmen lynched the goat farmer, hanging him with a noose over the side of the bridge, but when they went down below to confirm the goat farmer was dead, his body had disappeared.
Alternate versions of the ghost story have also circulated, including one that suggests the bridge is actually haunted by the Goatman’s wife. Another story blames the work of Satanists. Most versions of the tale tend to include a warning that knocking three times on the trusses of the bridge runs the risk of bringing out the Goatman.”
As with many ghost stories, the accounts from those who have seen the creature differ from person to person. Some say they see a man hanging and then disappear, while others claim to have seen glowing eyes and the Goatman itself waiting for them at the other side of the bridge after they knock 3 times.
My Visit
As I said previously, I didn’t experience anything supernatural though I did stumble upon a wonderful hiking trail and some really cool graffiti under the new bridge. I was also greeted with a million mosquitoes and a distinct breeze of weed smoke. Granted, I didn’t visit this site at night like most do so maybe that’s why I didn’t have the pleasure of meeting the Goatman. Below, I’ve posted what the area looks like as of June 2020 when I walked this area as well the time Buzzfeed did a show on this place. I hope to go back soon and hike the entire trail, (when the mosquitoes have died out).
