Familiar: No
Spirit Animal: No
Spirit Guide: No
Totem: No
Mythical: No
Supernatural: No
Cryptid: Yes
Urban Legend: Yes
Creepypasta:No
Recently, the land surrounding Pope Lick Trestle has been acquired by The Parklands of Floyds Fork and now features a walking path that goes under the trestle, connecting Pope Lick Park to other parks and areas along the loop. The site is also home to Legend at Pope Lick, a haunted hike through a trail which we highly recommend.
The Bluegrass State is big on history, with plenty of local lore and legends mixed in for good measure. One of the most infamous and chilling legends in Kentucky that’s been passed down in hushed whispers around campfires is that of the Pope Lick Monster. The Pope Lick Monster is a legendary part-man, part-goat and part-sheep creature reported to live beneath a railroad trestle bridge over Pope Lick Creek, in the Fisherville neighborhood of Louisville, Kentucky, United States, a location that’s seen more than its fair share of tragedy and sorrow throughout the years. The reports began pre 1980s and continue until present day.
In most accounts, the Pope Lick Monster (named after the Pope Lick Creek below the Pope Lick Train Trestle) appears as a human-goat hybrid with a grotesquely deformed body of a man. It has powerful, fur-covered goat legs, an alabaster-skinned face with an aquiline nose and wide set eyes. Short, sharp horns protrude from the forehead, nestled in long greasy hair that matched the color of the fur on the legs.
Its identity has shifted throughout generations, and the birth of the Internet caused a revival of this particular tale over the past 20 years. Part man, part goat, and part sheep, or a hybrid that is also headless, rumors of a hideous beast roaming around the Pope Lick Trestle have been swirling for quite some time.
Numerous urban legends exist about the creature’s origins and the methods it employs to claim its victims. According to some accounts, the creature uses either hypnosis or voice mimicry to lure trespassers onto the trestle to meet their death before an oncoming train.
Other stories claim the monster jumps down from the trestle onto the roofs of cars passing beneath it. Yet other legends tell that it attacks its victims with a blood-stained axe and that the very sight of the creature is so unsettling that those who see it while walking across the high trestle are driven to leap off the 100-foot trestle… to their deaths.
Other legends hold that the monster is a human-goat hybrid, and that it was a circus freak who vowed revenge after being mistreated. In one version, it is said the monster escaped after a train derailed on the trestle which actually links the Pope Lick Monster to the legend of the “Ghost Train” which is also sighted on the trestle. Another version commonly told by locals of the area claims that the monster is really the twisted reincarnated form of a farmer who sacrificed goats in exchange for Satanic powers. He is also known to be a Native American skinwalker seeking vengeance against new settlers in the region
The Pope Lick Monster, having no actual reported sightings, most likely exists only in the realm of myth and legend. The infamous Pope Lick Train Trestle has become a favorite spot for kids, especially ones conducting lighthearted “bravery tests”, daring someone to climb the trestle. This has not always been fun-and-games, however. There have been a number of deaths and accidents at the trestle since its construction, despite the presence of an 8-foot fence to keep thrill-seekers out.
There is a common misconception that the trestle is abandoned and no longer used; in reality, the bridge carries a major rail artery into Louisville. Heavy freight trains cross the bridge several times daily, so it is easy for someone to get caught atop it while an oncoming train barrels down on them. Norfolk Southern Railway urged intrepid citizens not to climb the trestle, saying if caught they would be arrested.
The deadly-ness of the Pope Lick Trestle is no myth. Since its construction in the late 1800s, the trestle has been responsible for dozens of deaths and countless injuries, and has been a source of trauma for many victims, families, and railroad employees. Several people have died on or near the train trestle at Pope Creek specifically in pursuit of the Pope Lick Monster legend.
Many people are fooled by the rusty and rickety appearance of the trestle, and think that the tracks are out of service. This has proved a deadly assumption for many, as the tracks are still very active and carry a major rail artery into Louisville. As many as twenty five heavy freight trains cross the bridge daily. The surrounding hills and woodland dampen light and sound from oncoming trains, and it could be too late to escape once you become aware. The wooden tracks are spaced in a way that make it impossible to run over, and few people possess the strength and endurance to hang on to the side for the five to seven minutes it would take the train to pass, all the while generating vibrations strong enough to shake the entire ground one hundred feet below.
A Small List of Deaths and Injuries at Pope Lick Trestle:
- Sean Fleischman (20) – 1984 – survived injuries sustained from a fall from the span of elevated track.
- John K. List – 1985 – John K. List was killed on June 1, 1985, when he was struck by a Southern Railroad Company train. List was on the trestle with friend, Randall Graves, and had been on the trestle shooting crows. Graves was able to hang on a cross tie while the train passed, saving his life, List was within 30 feet of the end of the trestle when he was struck and killed.
- David Wayne Bryant (19) – 1986 – sustained injuries in 1986 when he jumped from the trestle to dodge an oncoming train, passed away from those injuries in May 1987.
- Jack “J.C.” Charles Bahm II (17) – 1987 – struck and killed by a train February 18, 1987 while crossing the trestle.
- Grady (19) – 1992 – Grady, a student at Miami University, was on the trestle at about 1:45 am when he saw a train coming. He held onto a railroad tie but lost his grip, falling about 100 feet
- Christina Butts (19) – 1993 – Christina along with two other young women and three young men were almost across the trestle when they saw the light from the oncoming train. All managed to survive with minor injuries by climbing down onto the metal parts of the trestle. Christina, too frightened to move, was rescued by firefighters, the ladder almost not being tall enough to reach.
- Michael Wells (14) – 1994 – managed to tuck his body under the track to avoid being hit by an oncoming train.
- James Ratterman (35) – 1994 man trapped underneath an overturned ATV stuck on the trestle died after being struck by train.
- Nicholas Jewell (19) – 2000 – 19 year old falls to death after encountering train.
- Roquel Bain (26) – 2016 – tourist, Roquel Bain, from Ohio died after being hit by a train while searching for the monster. Her boyfriend survived by hanging on the side of the trestle.
- Savanna Bright (15) – 2019 – Savanna was pronounced dead at the scene after she and another teenage girl were on the train tracks near the Pope Lick trestle. Bright’s unidentified companion was taken to University of Louisville Hospital.
These are just a few examples of the very real tragedies that have taken place at the Pope Lick Trestle.
The monster was the subject of a 1988 film by Louisville filmmaker Ron Schildknecht called The Legend of the Pope Lick Monster. The 16-minute, $6,000 film premiered on December 29, 1988 at the Uptown Theater. Most of the film was shot at the Pope Lick Trestle, but scenes showing the characters up on the trestle were shot at another, safer location.
Norfolk Southern Railway officials were very upset about the film, as they thought it would encourage teenagers to visit the trestles. They found one scene in particular dangerously misleading. In the scene, the main character, a high school student, narrowly escapes an approaching train by hanging off the side of the trestle. In reality, few people would have the strength to hang on for the 5 to 7 minutes it takes for a long train to clear the 772-foot trestle; in addition, the vibrations from the train are so strong that the ground beneath the trestle shakes as the train passes.
Because railroad officials were worried that the film would add to the death toll, Norfolk Southern issued a statement, read at the premiere, which warned of the trestle’s dangers and informed the audience again that anyone caught on the trestle would be prosecuted for trespassing.
At one point, there were platforms along either side of the bridge. However, at some point they were removed by the railway company to dissuade people from attempting to cross the tracks. Residents are questioning if this is still a valid solution. Should the railroad company be responsible for re-installing platforms to potentially save lives, or would this just be promoting more people to trespass and put even more lives in danger?
While it’s fascinating to talk about, we absolutely do not recommend putting yourself in danger to see for yourself if this legend is true
and remember – resist the monster’s telepathic powers and
STAY OFF THE TRESTLE!
Danger Level: Treacherous
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