If you’re curious about the creepiest legends from Arkansas, look no further. Arkansas is one of those places that is full of spooky urban legends, ghost stories, and creature sightings. It’s rich with dark history, small towns, and heavily wooded, making it the ideal environment for all things creepy.
The Boggy Creek monster originated here, as did the famous White River Monster. Arkansas and Texas share the town of Texarkana, which became known for the Texarkana Moonlight Murders. “The Town That Dreaded Sundown” was a film based on the real-life horrors committed by the Phantom Killer. Collected here, are some of the scariest things that go bump in the night throughout Arkansas.
“The Hook” Urban Legend Traces Back To The Moonlight Murders
The most famous campfire tale is “The Hook”. There are variations of this tale but it always starts with a young couple parked in an isolated area. The radio announces an escaped killer or mental patient with a hook for a hand, is loose in the area. In some versions, the girl insists they leave. Upon returning home a bloody hook is discovered in the car door.
Some versions say they stay and the guy leaves to pee in the woods and never comes back. The girl hears scraping on the roof. She exits the car and finds her date butchered – hanging upside down from a tree. It’s his fingers that are scraping the roof! This campfire tale traces back to 1950 and is believed to have originated from the “Moonlight Murders” that plagued Texarkana in 1946.
The mysterious Moonlight Murders literally had the town of Texarkana dreading sundown. Strict curfews were instituted. Arkansas and Texas police spent sleepless nights hunting the “Phantom Killer”. They had no idea what he looked like even though the first two victims survived the attack. He wore a bag over his head with the eyes cut out and killed young couples parked in their cars at night. The true identity of the phantom Killer remains unknown today.
‘Whitey’ The River Monster
Newport, Arkansas was booming with monster sightings along the White River from 1915 until about 1924. This snake-like creature locals call “Whitey,” was allegedly about 30 feet long with a spiny backbone. It had a tendency to hang out for 10 minutes and make bellowing sounds before returning to the depths. Whitey took a hiatus in 1924, with the exception of a few random sighting, he didn’t really resurface until 1937. This resurgence prompted locals to try capturing him. They even went out on scuba diving missions but failed to capture this creature of legend.
Their hunt only made Whitey take off again, there wasn’t another sighting until 1971. One grainy, black and white photo (with no discernible monster in sight) taken by Cloyce Warren, is the only “hard evidence”. Arkansas State legislators took the photo as proof enough. Senator Robert Harvey created the White River Monster Refuge, which extends along the White River in the area running adjacent to the Jacksonport State Park. In 1973, they actually passed a law making it illegal to: molest, kill, trample, or harm the White River Monster while he’s in the retreat.
Gurdon Ghost Light
The Gurdon Ghost Light is probably one of the creepiest legends from Arkansas. This ongoing phenomenon has photographs and real, documented history to back it up! In 1994, It was even featured on an episode of Unsolved Mysteries. The light certainly exists, the question is, what is it? There’s several theories told by locals, the most popular is that it’s the ghost of a railway worker. The light actually moves the way a railway worker carrying a lantern would move. There’s also a little bit of true crime history backing this up.
In 1931, a Missouri-Pacific railway foreman named William McClain fired Louie McBryde for causing a train derailment. McBride didn’t take this very well and viciously beat his former boss before killing him with a pick-ax. He left his body alongside the tracks. McBride later confessed to the murder and was executed. Right after the murder is when the mysterious “Gurdon Light” began appearing to people. Many believe it’s Will McClain haunting the tracks.
The Hitchhiking Ghost of Little Rock, Arkansas
Just about every town has their own version of this urban legend – each swearing theirs is true. In the case of Little Rock, Arkansas, just south of the town on highway 365 there is the ghost of a young woman that hitchhikes every year around prom night. Sightings occur along the highway south of Little Rock all the way through the towns of Woodson, Redfield and Pine Bluff. Witnesses have noted that she’s bruised and bloodied up, others simply report she was in a white, tattered prom dress.
No matter how she appears to them the result is always the same: she tells drivers that stop for her that she’s been in an accident and needs a lift home. Once they get to her house she vanishes. Usually the person claims to have knocked on the door only to find grieving parents who lost a teenage daughter on prom night. Another variation claims she leaves a coat in the car. When the driver goes to return it, they’re greeted by parents who break down at the mere sight of it and identify it as belonging to their deceased daughter.
The Legend of “Dog Boy”
One of the creepiest legends from Arkansas was born in the town of Quitman. Gerald Bettis was nicknamed “Dog Boy”, for his disturbing habit of torturing neighborhood animals. He was a vicious and cruel kid, as he aged he became increasingly aggressive towards his parents – his elderly mother had to be put into adult protective services. Many believe Gerald killed his own father, who died from a broken neck after an “accidental” tumble down the stairs. Based on his mother’s testimony for the abuse inflicted on her, Gerald was sent to prison. He died of a drug overdose in the mid-90s.
Gerald’s spirit is now the source of poltergeist activity at 65 Mulberry – his former home. An extension of the house (where Gerald kept the animals he tortured and killed) is where he is often seen. Witnesses have claimed the six-foot-four, 300-pound man is now taking on animal-like features in death. He’s still huge but shaggy with cat-like eyes. His ghost has also been seen glaring out of the front windows at people.
A “Lady in Black” Haunts Henderson State University
Henderson State University sits in Arkadelphia, Arkansas and its legend of the lady in black is rooted in an old rivalry with neighboring school Ouachita Baptist University. According to legend, a Ouachita football player named Joshua, committed a faux pas by dating a freshman girl named Jane who went to Henderson. The star-crossed lovers were crazy about each other at first but apparently Josh couldn’t handle all the ridicule from his teammates for dating a Henderson girl. He left Jane and found himself a “socially acceptable” girl to move on with.
Things weren’t that simple for Jane – she was devastated. She went up to her dorm, put on a black dress and veil, and jumped to her death from a cliff over the Ouachita River and jumped to her death. Jane’s spirit can now be seen wandering the campus each year around Homecoming. Some say she wants revenge against the woman Josh moved on with, others say she’s out to get the football players that convinced Josh to leave her.
This urban legend is told to the incoming freshman class at orientation each year. The university put their own spin on the story. First, stating a former student, Nell Page, made it up back in 1912. Now, it’s Nell’s ghost that wanders the halls in the story. So, it’s widely believed the university is haunted, the only discrepancy seems to be with the ghost’s identity.
The Boggy Creek Monster May As Well Be The Official Arkansas Mascot
According to folks in Fouke, Arkansas, theirs was the first town the 300-pound beast was spotted. First described as a hairy, wild man running loose in Arkansas. The Boggy Creek Monster stands eight-feet-tall, is bipedal, covered in thick hair and has man-like features. It was first spotted in 1834 and sightings continued to increase all throughout the 1900s. Over 40 sightings occurred in 1997 alone. In 2000, there was a sighting in broad daylight even though the creature is nocturnal.
At least four films were inspired by the legend of the Boggy Creek Monster. The film released in 1973 was based on a real-life report from Bobby and Elizabeth Ford in 1971. They claimed that the Boggy Creek Monster attacked their home one night, and actually reached through the screen of one of their windows. Bobby and his brother Dan thought they chased the beast off, but it came right back just after midnight and attacked Bobby, throwing him to the ground before running off. Bobby was rushed to St. Michael Hospital in Texarkana with large gashes across his back and was suffering from shock.
Allegedly newspapers were covering the sightings at the time and one reported an investigation of the home revealed scratches on the porch, significant damage to the window and the side of the house. Three-toed footprints were In the yard.
The Moss Mountain Farm Massacre Victims Still Roam The Land
Moss Mountain Farm, just west of Little Rock, is the place to be for a paranormal encounter on Halloween night. According to legend, murderous ghosts and ghouls creep up from the river and terrorize the living. Englishman and naturalist Thomas Nuttall and his crew settled on Moss Mountain in 1819. They set up camp on Beaver Island and in the wee hours of Halloween night, all but five men were viciously slaughtered. It looked like animals attacked them but Thomas Nuttall swore he saw multiple human forms tearing his men apart as he and four others barely escaped the massacre.
Now each year on the anniversary of the attack, people go tour the property, jumping at every noise they hear and swearing they feel the “strong presence” of the murdered men lurking in the dark.
The Old Arsenal Tower Building is Notoriously Haunted
The Old Arsenal Tower Building is widely known for its hauntings. There has been everything from sightings of both, misty and full-bodied apparitions, disembodied voices and laughter, phantom music and a few too many shadows dancing along its walls. It goes beyond that feeling of being watched, many people get the vibe they’re not wanted on the property. It’s a very dominating presence.
The second floor of the tower used to serve as a theater and an employee reported a man in a dark uniform lounging across the chairs around closing time. She went to get someone else to help rouse and remove the unwanted guest. When the two returned, her co-worker gently touched the man and they both watched in horror as he completely disintegrated in front of them. There is also a semi-transparent man that hangs out on the staircase that likes to randomly throw things at people. He’s never actually hit anyone directly. He likes to make objects wiz by, just missing them–probably getting a kick out of how freaked out they get but not really wanting to hurt them.
The Empress of Little Rock Bed and Breakfast Has A Ghost For All Occasions
This ornate Victorian was constructed in 1888. It came into the ownership of Robert and Sharon Welch-Blair in December of 1993. They restored it and opened it as the bed and breakfast it is today. The owners report witnessing paranormal activity as early as January of 1994, when they began working on the house. Robert was contemplating decor when he first saw the man in elegant, old fashion attire complete with homburg hat and ethereal eyes watching him. Robert and Sharon both have seen this man multiple times.
After opening, guests have reported seeing many different spirits all throughout the mansion. Many have seen the specter of a military captain. Some have witnessed the apparition of a young black maid folding laundry. Door handles will jiggle and then slowly open when no one is there. Guests also reported odd smells, the sound of a cane hitting the floor, children arguing when there are no children there, and boots pounding on the floor in the empty hall. One woman claimed to have the distinct sensation that someone was staring at her all night – from directly over her bed.
A Violent Spirit Stalks The Powhatan Historic Courthouse
The Powhatan Historic State Park in Lawrence County, is one of the most haunted places in all of northeast Arkansas and is home to the aggressive spirit of an executed man. Within the walls of the old Powhatan courthouse has seen its fair share of hangings and one particular spirit is taking out his death sentence on the women that enter the building.
According to Kristyn Watts, the superintendent at Powhatan Historic State Park, Andrew Springer was traveling through the area in 1887 when he raped a woman. While he was in jail, a lynch mob, allegedly formed by the woman’s family, broke in before the trial and stung him up. Before his death he vowed to haunt the grounds and get his vengeance and it appears he made good on his word. His spirit wanders the grounds terrifying and women in his path. One woman braved a visit to the attic, then emerged frantically crying that she was being choked by invisible hands.
The Famous Mama Lou The Wolf Bayou Bridge
The original bridge was replaced in 2005, but Mama Lou’s spirit still haunts the waters of Faulkner Lake in Pulaski County. According to legend, the woman drove her car off the bridge with her newborn in the car and they both died.
Rumor has it, if you go there at night and call out to the spirit “Mama Lou, I’ve got your baby!” three times, she’ll appear to you and what happens next may vary. The original story says she’ll grab you by the leg and pull you down into the water with her– but there are no reports of this actually happening. What some people have claimed to experience is seeing her body floating up from the water. Many have also reported mysteriously having car problems after calling out to her.
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