Where is eerie swamp

They can be viewed from outside, and the public can typically also peek inside to see the rustic interiors — check the NPS alerts page for updates. It wasn't gold that had people rushing to this former mining town towards the end of the s, it was cinnabar — a kind of mercury ore. But by the time the Second World War began, the mines were losing money and residents were draining from the town.

Today, evidence of the site's glory days can still be seen, from crumbling stone walls and huts to car shells. Beyond the ruins, there's still a community here who are used to tourists passing through — double check local advisories if you plan to visit.

The rugged red peaks of Zion National Park watch over this ghost town. Once one of a large string of nearby villages, it was established by Mormon settlers from around — though the site we see today was built up in after a flood devastated the original town.

It was inhabited until the early s, when most residents moved west in search of a new life. The fascinating deserted homes, the atmospheric cemetery and the sheer natural beauty typically draw visitors to the site. Compared to the many fading ghost towns in the USA's west, Vermont has few abandoned buildings, but a dinky stone chapel can be found in the wooded grounds of the Trapp Family Lodge in the pretty town of Stowe.

The Austrian-style lodge is still owned and operated by the von Trapp family, who moved to Stowe in the s and opened this property to guests in A hike through the grounds leads to the picturesque chapel, reportedly built as a tribute to Second World War soldiers. This stunning Italianate mansion retains much of its majesty even after years of abandonment. It dates back to , when railroad heavyweight James Dooley decided to build this marble confection for his wife Sally May.

The house has passed through many hands over the years, suffering periods of neglect and falling into disrepair. But despite some peeling paint and untamed areas of the garden, it's still a sight to behold today. The house currently remains open for private guided tours. Darkened tunnels and eerie passageways make up Fort Worden, a defensive structure built between and It's the best preserved of three military batteries that once guarded the Washington coast, together known as the Triangle of Fire.

Today the deserted remains — including pillboxes and creepy bunkers — make up part of the acre Fort Worden Historical State Park. Lake Shawnee, an abandoned amusement park in southern West Virginia, was once a loud, proud attraction. Built in the s, it was filled with swings and slides, as well as a speakeasy and a dance hall — but the park has suffered a checkered past, and eventually closed in the s after a string of chilling deaths on the site.

A Ferris wheel and groaning swing ride remain today and there are regular ghost tours , plus other spooky events. Tower Hill State Park looks like any other scenic state park, with its forested hiking trails, campsites and abundant birdlife. But it also hides the remains of Helena, a little town that built up around the s and 30s after the discovery of lead in the area. The town was all but deserted by the end of the s, but some fascinating remnants still exist today — visitors can see the abandoned tunnels used to transport lead shot during the manufacturing process.

Built up in the s after gold ore was discovered, South Pass City flourished while the mining industry boomed, but it was abandoned by the s, following serious financial strains. Today, the town's historic deserted buildings are impressively preserved and open to visitors at select times — highlights include the Exchange saloon and card room, the blacksmith shop and the Sweetwater County Jail.

Now check out rooms with a boo: the most haunted hotel in every state. A German woman was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the death of a Yazidi girl in what's believed to be the first trial of an ISIS member for crimes against the minority group. Ad Microsoft. Full screen. America's most intriguing deserted places The USA is crammed full of museums designed to be a window into times gone by — but, sometimes, the country's fascinating abandoned buildings do a better job of bringing the past into focus.

Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article. Slideshow continues on the next slide. Arkansas: Peppersauce, Calico Rock This intriguing ghost town exists within the limits of Calico Rock, a small city in northern Arkansas. Colorado: Crystal Mill, Crystal Resembling something between a witch's cottage and an enchanted treehouse, this curious structure could be plucked straight from a fairy tale.

Delaware: Gibraltar Mansion, Wilmington Gibraltar mansion in Wilmington's Marian Coffin Gardens has all the trappings of a typical haunted house: cracked and shuttered windows, a tangle of ivy creeping across the stonework and a perpetually locked door. Old Club Med had its glittering heyday in the Sixties and Seventies, but today all that's left is a series of weather-beaten walls and foundations shrouded by greenery.

It's accessible via the verdant Old Club Med Trail. Idaho: Old Idaho State Penitentiary, Boise The creepy corridors and creaking cell blocks of the Old Idaho State Penitentiary were built in the early s and, during the prison's century in operation, some of the state's most formidable criminals were incarcerated here.

Illinois: Old Joliet Prison, Joliet Gothic Joliet Prison was opened in , having been built in part by a group of inmates themselves. Indiana: Rose Island Amusement Park, Charlestown Rose Island was once a kitsch amusement park beloved by locals, but it was all but washed away by the Ohio River flood of Iowa: Buckhorn, Jackson County Very little remains of this teeny ghost town in Iowa's Jackson County, a mysterious scattering of buildings off the area's Highway Kansas: Elk Falls, Elk County Dubbed a living ghost town, this curious spot in southeastern Kansas still has a small community of around people.

Louisiana: General Laundry Building, New Orleans While there's no doubt it's seen better days, this s Art Deco building is still a sight to behold. More than just a laundry facility, during its heyday the building also held monthly fashion shows, and its Aztec-style patterns and intricate carvings still draw admirers today. It's been threatened with the wrecking ball more than a few times in its long history, but local preservation groups have managed to save it for now.

Maine: Perkins Township, Swan Island Alongside its abundant birdlife and biking and hiking trails, Swan Island , in the Kennebec River, is home to the ghostly remains of the former Perkins Township, settled in the s. Maryland: Daniels, Baltimore County and Howard County Now left tattered and forgotten among dense woodland, Daniels was once a thriving industrial town.

Massachusetts: Rutland Prison Camp, Rutland Many who stumble across this graffiti-scribbled stonework will have no idea of its significance — but hidden away in Rutland State Park are the remains of a former prison camp. Minnesota: Tanner's Hospital, Ely Despite the boarded windows and grubby brickwork, this former hospital, nicknamed the Castle, remains an impressive sight.

Mississippi: Rodney, Jefferson County A cluster of haunting, abandoned buildings are all that remain of this once-thriving, riverside town. Nebraska: St. New Mexico: Shakespeare, Hidalgo County This former mining town was first christened Shakespeare in , after silver ore was found nearby in the early s. North Dakota: Arena, Burleigh County North Dakota has plenty of ghost towns, but this spot in the center of the state is one of the eeriest and the most enchanting.

Oklahoma: Texola, Beckham County A quirky little ghost town right on the border with Texas, Texola still has a teeny-tiny community as well as a plethora of atmospheric abandoned buildings and rusted out cars. Oregon: Golden, Josephine County Now a National Heritage Site, the aptly named Golden ghost town was home to a community of around people, drawn in by the promise of gold.

Pennsylvania: Eastern State Penitentiary, Philadelphia Typically one of America's most visited abandoned places, this deserted prison bills itself "the world's first true 'penitentiary'". So basically, in the most simple of terms, you have a somewhat flooded area with smaller greenery in the middle that grows larger as the area dries out when moving away from the center.

Swamp talk now done! For those of you who made it through the swamp talk, I thank you for humoring me and taking the time to read it. For those of you who jumped ahead to get to the monster talk, your wait is over, it is about to begin. But, there is still a possibility that the Whatsit may travel between the two classifications, and we will explain why in a minute. As many who read the articles written here at the PBI know, it goes without saying that Wisconsin residents have a long and storied history of seeing strange creatures within the many wetland areas of the state.

And to tell you the truth, that happens a lot in this field. Did you or someone in your city spot some weird hairy thing in the woods?

It may have just been wrongly categorized and nobody every addressed the error. Forest Service Employee referred to it by a name he made up but also states that others were more than likely calling it something different each time. We ourselves have taken to calling it the Whatsit because as you will soon see, nobody can agree on what it is! So this means that if someone down the road possibly attempts to go looking for information on this supposed creature, they may come across absolutely nothing because they are unaware of what name the encounters were recorded under.

This may then lead to one believing that there is absolutely no basis in truth to this beast and cause them to write the entire thing off as either a hoax or wrongfully categorized Fortean event. What adds to this confusion and difficulty in research is that in classic monster fashion, the Kidrick Swamp Whatsit appears to look different to anyone and everyone who sees it within the swampy wetland.

Some woodsmen who have claimed to see the thing report that it looked somewhat like a llama or an alpaca, but with much more reddish colored fur and a head that just looks odd. It moves around quickly on four legs, stopping to stand tall in the spongy wet dirt below and long grass surrounding it before taking off into the tall trees that make up the border of the swamp.

Other witnesses to the Whatsit claim it appears to resemble a creature that is a cross between a possum and an alligator. It moves around on for small feet close to the ground and slinks between the shrubbery and fallen trees dotting the swamp. It is yet again said to be covered in red fur but this time, it appears to possesses some horns on its head.

Finally, there is the most bizarre description of the Whatsit yet, and that says a lot about a creature that has already been described in two bizarre ways. Imagine a full sized hippo slowly lumbering along through a forest, now imagine a large musk ox walking along in the opposite direction towards the hippo.

When the two giants meet head to head in the middle of the swamp, merge them together into one large abomination. What you have just created in your mind is what one witness of the Whatsit claimed it looked like. Now, I can typically jump on board many cryptid creature descriptions to a point, but even I have a difficult time accepting that a giant hippo-ox is lumbering around a 4,acre swamp in northern Wisconsin.

So if this woodsmen truly did see what he thought he saw, the creature had to have been absolutely massive and utterly terrifying. Alright, so those are what some individuals believe they saw when encountering the Whatsit while in Kidrick Swamp. Basically this thing was created by reaching into a grab bag of random creature parts, pulling out the weirdest looking ones, and smashing them together in whatever order you want.

But what about the witness who was interviewed for the book, what did he see? Well, the description he gave is pretty much in line with what everyone else said, he saw something weird. But the difference between what the witness said to Boyer and all the other individuals who have claimed to see this thing, is that his encounter is the only one fully recorded in written form that we have been able to find.

Payton no last name is given , the U. Forest Service employee who spoke with Dennis Boyer for his book, stated that he had been personally collecting stories about this strange creature for upwards of twenty plus years. Get more stories delivered right to your email.

Your e-mail: Sign Up. Share on Facebook Pin it on Pinterest. Jackie Ann. Louisiana native. Lover of all things comedy, photography, and travel related. Eerie Florida. The dark side of the Sunshine State Most know Florida as the land of endless sunny beaches, but the state is home to numerous eerie legends and mysterious creatures. Freaky Florida. Creepy Florida Available Now!