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I’ve always said that when it comes to weird legends and creatures, we have it all here in Clinton County. Crytopzoologists and paranormal investigators would find this area a perfect fit if they settled here and pulled out their equipment. This area has every example of any kind of creature and scary story you can name.
Ghosts? Sure, we have them. Half the city has credible reports of haunted places. UFOs? Why not? They’ve been seen in Farrandsville and the Leidy area. Monsters? Oh, sure, we’ve got them, too. In addition to Clinton County’s official monster, the Giwoggle, Bigfoot has been sighted in Sugar Valley and a water monster was seen in the northern Susquehanna in 1890.
Out of all the weird, unknown monsters in America, though, the big one would have to be the Jersey Devil.
If you’re into the paranormal like I am, the Jersey Devil is basically the boss fight. Described as a sort of kangaroo-like mammal with bat wings and claws, this thing has been spotted all over New Jersey for the past 300 years, if you believe the legends. Supposedly the offspring of the devil and a local witch, it began in the Pine Barrens of southern Jersey and sort of spread from there. These days, I defy you to find a corner of New Jersey that hasn’t experienced sightings of the Jersey Devil.
In January 1909, the Jersey Devil was reported so often that a panic ensued, with people locking their doors and staying home from work. Which is a great excuse; I think I’ll try that.
“Hi, Sue? It’s Lou. Tell Diane I won’t be in today – I’m going after the Jersey Devil.”
“Again?”
So at this point, would it surprise you if I said that the Jersey Devil had visited Lock Haven?
The first article ran in the Express on Jan. 30, 1909: “Jersey Terror In Town; Night Watchman Saw It.” It was seen near the paper mill, hovering over the southern part of town.
Hey! That’s my neighborhood!
The night watchman was E.W. Rogers, who looked up and saw the creature flying over the office building of the paper mill just after midnight. It had previously been reported in Williamsport and Jersey Shore, which suggests that the Jersey Devil is like every other traveler, and not immune to the confusion that comes from finding Jersey Shore in the middle of Pennsylvania.
Rogers told the other employees, describing the beast as “having a long neck, large head with fiery eyes; has two legs about three feet in length and a forked tail about five feet long. It appears to be about 10 feet tall from its head to the tip of its tail and is an unsightly creature that would frighten almost any person.”
A few days later, there were more sightings and another article: “Jersey Terror Again Appears In This Section.”
Charles Poorman, who was living at 316 N. Grove St., reported seeing the Jersey Devil sitting on the roof of his home on a Saturday morning. The papers admitted that some people would be skeptical about this, however they insisted that several people had come forward with reports that “caused thousands to smile and also has sent terror into the hearts of the timid.”
Skeptical or not, people flocked to Poorman’s house in the hopes of catching a glimpse of the Jersey Devil, or at least seeing the footprints it left on his roof. They were described as “nearly round and made by the hoof of some strange creature.” Sort of like a horse, I guess, though I’m hard-pressed to explain how a horse got up on the roof, too.
The people who hoped to see the creature on Poorman’s roof were disappointed, however, as it had moved on to Mill Hall by then. Henry Stricker, night watchman at the Clinton Fire Brick Company, reported seeing the Jersey Devil at about 3 a.m., flying over one of the buildings. He described it as “having the appearance of a huge bird, with legs like that of an ostrich and hooves resembling that of a pony.”
After that, things calmed down for a while. The Jersey Devil left the area and wasn’t seen again. No definitive conclusions were drawn, except for maybe the fact that even the Jersey Devil prefers Lock Haven to New Jersey every once in a while.
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Lou Bernard is a Lock Haven resident with a keen interest in the history of this area. He is adult services coordinator at Ross Library and may be reached at ross13@rosslibrary.org or 570-748-3321.