The Grafton Monster or Beast of Grafton was a cryptid from Taylor County, West Virginia sighted in 1964.
Description[]
The Grafton Monster is described as being seven to nine feet tall, four feet wide and having white seal-like skin. The monster also possesses no discernible head, The Grafton Monsters head was rested in the middle of his chest. The Grafton Monster has a very deep bellow, being heard for miles. [1][2]
Sightings[]
On June 16, 1964, Robert Cockrell got off work at local newspaper publication Grafton Sentinel (now known as the Mountain Statesman) at 11 pm and journeyed home. He drove down Yates Avenue along the western banks of the Tygart River. He turned a curve in the road and encountered the Grafton Monster, describing it as a “huge white obstruction” with slick white skin and no head. He rushed home terrified and called his friends Jerry Morse and Jim Mouser to accompany him for further investigation at the scene. There was no sight of the monster but the grass was trampled where it once stood and a low whistling sound followed them as they investigated.[2]
The next day at work, Cockrell said nothing to his co-workers about the monster. However, upon hearing of other sightings he decided to speak up. More than 20 calls came in from people who allegedly sighted the monster. Robert Cockrell wrote an article on the Grafton Monster which was published in the Sentinel on June 18th.[1][2]
Following these sightings, groups of teenagers went in search of the Grafton Monster dubbing it "monster hunting". Several of them even reportedly sighted the monster. More sightings followed but no physical evidence was ever found.[1][3]
In the Tygart Valley a farmer called Terry captured a video of the Grafton Monster.
Explanation[]
One teenager interviewed suggested the Grafton Monster may have been an escaped polar bear. However, he gave no suggestions as to where it could have escaped from. On June 19th, 1964, the Grafton Sentinel published an article claiming the sightings of the Grafton Monster were the "personification of active imaginations." It claimed the monster may have resulted from an "individual pushing a handcart loaded high with boxes, walking along Riverside Drive on Tuesday night". In the late evening half light, the person and the handcart took on a weird shape.[3]
Robert Cockrell would later contact paranormal author Gray Barker, who popularized tales of the Mothman. In a letter written to Cockrell, Barker suggested the Grafton Monster could possibly be "an alien visitor from another planet". Others have also suggested that it could have been an "interdimensional traveller."[1]
In Popular Media[]
- The Grafton Monster is featured in multiple episodes of Mountain Monsters - S1 ep8, S6 ep1/ep2.
- The Grafton Monster is featured in the Bethesda video game Fallout 76.
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