A Haunted Railroad Trestle In Kentucky Has A Thrilling Tale Of Folklore And Eerie Legend

Kentucky is home to popular attractions like picturesque towns along the Bourbon Trail and natural phenomena like the Mammoth Cave and Daniel Boone National Forest. However, the Bluegrass State also has its notorieties, like the infamous Kentucky Kingdom, one of America's most dangerous amusement parks, and the ominous Twisted Tree in Louisville, where the local witch coven gathered in the 19th century. Adding to this list is a rusty trestle in the unassuming greenery of the Parklands of Floyds Fork in Fisherville, where an alleged monster lurks and lures people to their deaths.

An ancient bridge, located 20 miles east of Louisville, appears out of commission, yet it has attracted young people to cross the elevated railroad track or scale up the trestle in search of the mystical "Pope Lick Monster." This reckless behavior is known as "legend tripping," a practice of exploring a site believed to be haunted or mystical and interacting with the folklore by reenacting the story, spooking their friends, or making graffiti. However, while the 90-foot-tall, 772-foot-long trestle was initially constructed in the late 19th century, it is still an active railroad track managed by Norfolk Southern Railway, which operates freight trains over the bridge multiple times daily. 

After tragic incidents in which young people were hit by a train or plunged to their deaths, Norfolk Southern Railway has tried to stop legend trippers from accessing the bridge by putting up fencing and "danger" and "no trespassing" signs. Alas, this has been to no avail, as people still risk their lives by committing a federal offense to seek out the legendary Pope Lick Monster.

According to urban lore, the monster lived under the railroad trestle over Pope Lick Creek and thus became known as the Pope Lick Monster. Also known as the Goat Man, he had the body of a man with the lower torso of a goat and horns protruding from his forehead. He supposedly used hypnosis or a siren voice to entice unsuspecting victims to the train tracks, where they were either mowed down by the train or forced to plummet to their doom.

There are several rumors about where the monster came from. Some claimed that in 1909, a derailment on the trestle caused one of the cars to tumble to the ground below, releasing the monster, which was part of a circus. Others maintained that the creature was a farmer who sacrificed goats to gain satanic powers. The ritual went haywire, turning the farmer into the Pope Lick Monster. The Goat Man was also associated with Charles "Ches" McCartney, a preacher and nomad from Georgia who traversed the country with a wagon pulled by 15 goats. He was a master storyteller known to camp around Pope Lick Creek. Though he looked strange and often smelled awful, he was friendly and happy to share a sermon when people came around. 

To prevent children from playing around the trestle, mothers created the urban legend about the scary "Goat Man" who lived under the bridge and would catch them if they played near it. Regardless of the origin, the Goat Man became the local boogeyman and the source of many pursuits that ended in tragedy.

To add to the Goat Man's notoriety, Germantown Films produced a short film, "The Legend of Pope Lick Monster," in 1988. Officials from Norfolk Southern Railway were displeased, especially by one scene in which the protagonist escaped the speeding train by hanging from the trestle for over 5 minutes, which was highly improbable and gave a false impression that it was possible to dodge a racing train on the trestle. The notorious bridge claimed the lives of two teenagers in two separate incidents before the film was even released. 

Almost 20 years later, in 2016, a pair of young people, Roquel Bain and her boyfriend from Dayton, Ohio, walked on the railway after deciding that the rickety track was out of service. They were on the railroad track when a train rumbled through. Roquel was hit and killed instantly, while her boyfriend was able to hang on to the trestle, like the hero of the short film, and miraculously survived. The most recent fatality was in 2019 when 15-year-old Savanna Bright crossed the bridge and was killed, adding another name to the already overcrowded cemetery of legend trippers.

If you haven't had your fill of ghost stories in Louisville, go on a guided tour in the dark at the Waverly Hills Sanatorium (pictured above) , a former tuberculosis asylum housed in a gorgeous Tudor Gothic building known for paranormal activities and hauntings. Alternatively, you can check out Camp Taylor, a former military camp in southeast Louisville haunted by its former residents and a Victorian woman. There are plenty more scary ghost tours across America — book one if you dare.