Exploring American Monsters: Connecticut
Posted by: Craig Woolheater on June 24th, 2015
From Mysterious Universe:
One of the first thirteen British colonies in North America, Connecticut revels in American patriotism, demonstrated by its nickname the “Constitution State.” Heck, its state song is “Yankee Doodle.” Although it’s the third smallest of the United States by area (110 miles long and 70 miles wide), it’s the fourth most densely populated, and, with 1.9 million acres of forestland, Connecticut can still hide plenty of monsters. Like this doggie:
The Black Dog of Hanging Hills
Just north of the downtown of Meriden in southern Connecticut are the Hanging Hills, which run through Hubbard Park, a 1,800-acre mountainous area on the National Register of Historic Places. Covered in a forest broken by cliffs, and rocky outcroppings, this land is the romping place of the Black Dog.
The first reported sighting of the Black Dog by someone other than a local, was in the late 1890s when a geologist visited the Hanging Hills, and discovered a medium sized black dog followed him. The dog remained with the geologist the entire day, neither barking, nor whining, and when the scientist started to leave, the dog, which he was happy to have along on his day of hiking, vanished.
Locals, he later discovered, knew of the Black Dog, and although its first and second visits were pleasant, the third sighting of the dog was anything but.
On a second trip three years later, the geologist saw the dog again. A companion, however, had been to the area before, and for him this was the third. Legend has it the third time seeing the Black Dog means a death knell. The geologist’s companion soon after fell off a cliff to his death.
Read about the other monsters from Connecticut like the Melon Heads and sea monsters here.
See also:
Exploring American Monsters: Colorado
Exploring American Monsters: California
Exploring American Monsters: Arkansas
Exploring American Monsters: Arizona
Exploring American Monsters: Alaska
Exploring American Monsters: Alabama
Co-founder of Cryptomundo in 2005.
I have appeared in or contributed to the following TV programs, documentaries and films:
OLN's Mysterious Encounters: "Caddo Critter", Southern Fried Bigfoot, Travel Channel's Weird Travels: "Bigfoot", History Channel's MonsterQuest: "Swamp Stalker", The Wild Man of the Navidad, Destination America's Monsters and Mysteries in America: Texas Terror - Lake Worth Monster, Animal Planet's Finding Bigfoot: Return to Boggy Creek and Beast of the Bayou.
Newtown, Cheshire? The biggest monsters in Connecticut are among the people.