The Dover Demon
The Story:
Named by Cryptozoologist Loren Coleman, the Dover Demon was only ever sighted 3 times. It was in 1977, between April 21 and April 22, in the town of Dover, Massachusetts. After the sightings, the investigative team consisted of Mr. Coleman himself, along with Joseph Nyman, Ed Fogg, and Walter Webb. The story of the sightings is as follows:
On the night of April 21st, 1977, Bill Bartlett and two friends were driving on Farm St. in Dover when they saw a creature walking along a stone wall. At first dismissing it as one of your more run of the mill creatures, they soon realized that it wasn't. Mr. Bartlett "reported it to have a disproportionately large, watermelon-shaped head and illuminated orange eyes, like glass marbles. It had long, thin arms and legs with slender fingers, which it used to grasp onto the pavement. It was hairless and had rough, flesh-toned skin, described as tan and sandpaper-like. The creature's appearance was very plain, with no nose or ears, and no mouth was seen. The witness drawings portray its head as having a skull shape, forming the contour of a circle on top with a more elliptical ending projecting down to include where the nose and mouth would be."
An hour later, two more young men (John Baxter and Pete Mitchell) were walking down a road when they too spotted the creature. According to them, it walked on two legs and ran when it was them approaching.
The final sighting was the next day. A young woman named Abby Brabham and her friend Will Traintor were driving down another road when they saw the creature. Ms. Brabham gave a similar description as the first two, the only difference of her version being that the creature's eyes glowed green, rather than orange.
On the night of April 21st, 1977, Bill Bartlett and two friends were driving on Farm St. in Dover when they saw a creature walking along a stone wall. At first dismissing it as one of your more run of the mill creatures, they soon realized that it wasn't. Mr. Bartlett "reported it to have a disproportionately large, watermelon-shaped head and illuminated orange eyes, like glass marbles. It had long, thin arms and legs with slender fingers, which it used to grasp onto the pavement. It was hairless and had rough, flesh-toned skin, described as tan and sandpaper-like. The creature's appearance was very plain, with no nose or ears, and no mouth was seen. The witness drawings portray its head as having a skull shape, forming the contour of a circle on top with a more elliptical ending projecting down to include where the nose and mouth would be."
An hour later, two more young men (John Baxter and Pete Mitchell) were walking down a road when they too spotted the creature. According to them, it walked on two legs and ran when it was them approaching.
The final sighting was the next day. A young woman named Abby Brabham and her friend Will Traintor were driving down another road when they saw the creature. Ms. Brabham gave a similar description as the first two, the only difference of her version being that the creature's eyes glowed green, rather than orange.
Hoax Probability?
Although the Dover Demon is my personal favorite Cryptid, I am going to give this story 4/5 skulls for hoax probability. Just the fact that it was only ever seen 3 times in a short period by people in a small town makes it seem fishy.
Horror Inc. Experiences
I, myself have been to Dover and driven along the very road that the Dover Demon was first spotted on. It certainly gave me the chills, but that was about it. I'd like to go back there at night sometime and search for the creature myself, even though the last sighting was over 30 years ago. If anyone here has had any experiences with this cryptid, please let me know and I will post them here.
Closing Thoughts
If nothing more, the Dover Demon is an intriguing figure that, to me, proves that there's more mystery to the world than meets the eye.
