Monster that ate Tin Bridge

The Southern Appalachians have a long history of ghosts and other spectral creatures being sighted. Nearly every hollow in the region has a story of various "boogers."

 It seems like a special favorite in the region are black dogs. I have no idea why. I suppose because it is very difficult to see a black dog in the dark or near dark. In Smyth County, the story of the "black dog" is well known and often repeated. There is a hollow in the Rich Valley area known as Black Dog Hollow allegedly because of a black dog ghost seen on more than one occasion there. However, it is not the only place said to be visited by a paranormal pooch.

Tin Bridge Hollow lies in Washington County, just outside the Smyth County line. It extends about half-way from Glade Spring to the property upon which the former United States Gypsum plant that produced wall board for many, many years was located. From shortly after one enters the hollow to its connection with state Route 745, it is somewhat narrow. The steep ridges bordering it seem to close in upon the road as one drives through the area. A creek created from the outflow of seven mountain springs and joined along the way by a few more trickles through the hollow.

Yes, in dimmer light, the area has a rather eerie appearance, especially as it narrows near its end. It’s almost enough to be frightening. But its looks are not the only frightening aspect. Just ask some area residents. My friend, the Rev. Samuel "Sammy" Johnson, a Tin Bridge Hollow resident for many years, told me of once being scared mightily there.
Tin Bridge is also the site of one of the better known "monster" sightings in the area. It came to mind recently when my buddy Mike "Bristol" Arnold and I were talking. Recently a documentary about various Bigfoot sightings aired. I don't remember the day, time or even channel. I had expected part of the segment to be on our area as some folks who have been researching Bigfoot visited the region to check out a reported sighting said to have taken place on Flat Top Mountain or thereabouts. Naturally, it was not part of the program. But it had both Bristol and I thinking about various paranormal sightings in our area.

For example, there was the ghostly sighting by my grandmother Bessie Smith that I mentioned in a column a few weeks back. Also, like most battlefields, there have been reports occasionally about some paranormal activities at various times in the area where the first Civil War battle over control of the Confederate Salt Works in Saltville took place. I believe one of the sightings took place at the old Sanders home in the Buckeye Hollow area. Then there have been several folks in the past who reportedly saw the "black dog" at various points between Saltville and Broadford.

But one of the most notorious, at least in Bristol and my opinion, was the Monster of Tin Bridge. Neither of us could remember the exact date. Both of us remember our fathers taking us to Tin Bridge Hollow to show us there was no monster.

"I remember Dad (Louis "Whitey" Arnold) taking me up there one night, and there were people everywhere with flashlights running around looking for the monster that my Dad told me did not exist," Bristol said.

My experience was about the same. Dad took me and possibly my brother Rusty there and drove from one end to the other and back and telling us there was no such thing as the monster as reported. Now I trusted him implicitly but it is a dark, scary place at night so I still had a tiny bit of doubt in my mind.

Neither of us could remember the exact year so I started asking around. Like Bristol and me, almost everyone remembered the event but no one remembered the date or many details. The general consensus appeared to be that supposedly the beast had jumped off the bank of the road at one of its more narrow points. The victims (alleged to have been some young guys who had perhaps had a beer or two) said it stood on its hind legs that had hooves and had horns on its head, looking very much like how they considered the devil would appear, and looked in the window at them. They were reported to have nearly wrecked and the beast leapt away and disappeared back into the dark wooded area. (However, further research shows this information or most of it to be totally incorrect.)

Finally, my friends Harry Haynes and Charles "Corky" Tuggle, of the Museum of the Middle Appalachians (in Saltville), suggested a source that might just remember the history of the event, none other than my friend and distant relative Don Smith. Don, a retired teacher, is an excellent source of local history. I should have thought of him at first myself. Sure enough, he came through.

Don replied to my query, "Ha! I wondered when you were going to do something on that thing with all the talk about this Bigfoot deal. Remember it well. It was the fall of 1958. Three of us were sitting in the bowling alley killing time one night. It was me, Billy Joe Nunn and Carlis Allison. We missed nothing that happened then because hanging there was an every night thing. Somebody came up those steps all excited, blabbering about something that had been seen in Tin Bridge Hollow. Don't remember who it was or if he was the one it had happened to. He said an ape-like creature had climbed down off the bank out of the woods and had gotten in the headlights of the car. The thing supposedly ran alongside the driver's side looking in at the driver who was mortified. The description fit an orangutan.” Don continued, “The location was... coming from the Glade direction... on the left just before you started down into the hollow toward where Nance Hammonds, then, and Shirley Rexrode lives now. (Even today, when I drive by there coming from Glade, I'll look up into those woods that come down to the edge of the road. I'll tell Benita...’that's where the thing came down out of the woods back in '58.’ And she'll groan again.)We immediately left the bowling alley and headed for Tin Bridge Hollow. Drove up and down the hollow looking for that thing. No luck, of course. We went up there every night... as did others... for about a week and nobody ever saw anything. It was the talk of the bowling alley crew and town for quite awhile and then faded away. There are still folks around who remember the excitement caused by this thing. I heard a young fellow not long ago telling about something his dad...or maybe granddad...had told him about an ape-like creature that someone had seen years ago up in that area. This was when the Bigfoot filming was going on last fall. I just smiled."

Rev. Johnson did not remember many details but did remember it happening. He worked for U.S. Gypsum. He said a few days after the event supposedly happened he was walking to work and as he neared the trestle where the road narrows, he heard something that "sounded like an elephant coming through that brush beside me and I took off running. I didn't bother to look back to see what it was. It was probably a cow or something. I just don't know, but I have lived here for many years and I have never seen anything like what those boys described. Or anything else for that matter."

As far as I know, no monster or other booger, critter or devil-like beast has been seen there since 1958 (and I seriously doubt any was seen then). That amounts to 54 monster-free years. It is possible the monster passed away. Or maybe it retired from its haunting job and headed to Florida. But my best guess would be that Dad and Whitey Arnold were right all along, there was nothing there except maybe a runaway goat from a local farm or some such. (And maybe a beer or two too many played a part as well.)

A couple of quick notes. Thanks to everyone who helped with the research of the Monster That Ate Tin Bridge (in particular Bristol who brought it all to mind and especially Don Smith for his information). Also the Rev. Johnson and his wife will soon celebrate 60 years of marriage, so congratulations and best wishes to them. And last, but certainly not least, next Tuesday, Jan. 31, my sister, Lynn, will celebrate her birthday (yes, two days before mine) so I want to wish her a wonderful Happy Birthday.  

A freelance journalist, Robert “Rocky” Cahill writes regularly for the News & Messenger. His Possum Philosophy column appears in each Saturday edition.