Paranormal Florida

A Guide To The Dark & Mysterious

PARANORMAL

INTRODUCTION

Florida is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico; Alabama to the northwest; Georgia to the north; the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean to the east; and the Straits of Florida and Cuba to the south. Various Native American groups have inhabited Florida for at least 14,000 years.

In 1513, Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León became the first known European to make landfall, calling the region La Florida for its lush greenery and the Easter season. Since the mid-20th century, Florida has experienced rapid demographic and economic growth.

TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction

Table of Contents

Locations

Capitol Theater

The Devil’s Tree

Biltmore Hotel

Devil’s Chair

Greenwood Cemetary

Ghost Towns

St. Augustine

Pensecola

Sand Key

Amelia Island

Ponce De Leon Inlet

Cryptids

Robert The Doll

Skunk Ape

Wampus Cat

Muck Monster

Puckwudgies

LOCATIONS

CAPITOL THEATRE

A historic theater that first opened in 1921 with the silent film Dinty (a precursor of the popular “Our Gang” series), the Capitol Theatre is not only one of the oldest operating theaters in the Sunshine State of Florida, but also allegedly one of the most haunted.

In February, 1981, the theater became known as the Royalty Theater when the company signed leases with the Taylor family. During the renovations, the murdered body of Bill Neville was found in the balcony. The theater reamined in the Taylor family estate until 1996 when it was sold. In July 2008, the building went into foreclosure and the City of Clearwater and Ruth Eckerd Hall joined forces to purchase the theater (renamed Capitol Theater) in January 2009, as well as the neighboring Pat Lokey building.

The theater is believed to be haunted and paranormal events have occurred here, including orbs being captured on film, alarms that go off unexpectedly, the chandelier swinging for no reason and three ghosts that are known to reside here. They include an old man with a goatee, who is known as “The Captain.” He is known to walk the halls wearing a blue coat and fisherman’s hat. The second is a ghost named “Bill” who was supposedly killed by tourists in the balcony. The last ghost is that of a young girl around the age of 10 who playfully watches over the theatre. Bill enjoyed the theater and considered it to be a familiar and comfortable place. He supposedly was badly beaten and left to die alone in the theater. He returned, or chose to stay, but as a spirit. Patrons say he still appreciates the theater and the arts. In one instance he saved the life of a worker who nearly fell to his certain death while working close to the balcony edge of the theater.

The spirit of the captain has a knack for inappropriately touching ladies that visit the theater. He is also obnoxious and loud. He is very good at being bothersome when he wants to cause trouble. The small girl seems to be a kind and playful spirit. Join us in Clearwater, Florida and experience the hauntings!

THE DEVIL’S TREE

A large and mysterious oak tree lies down a dirt nature trail in the corner of Oak Hammock Park in Port St. Lucie. Known as “The Devil’s Tree,” it was the site of a series of gruesome murders in the early 1970s and today believed to be possessed by evil spirits.

There are actually two Devil trees in the Oak Hammock Neighborhood Park in Port St. Lucie. One is more widely known and believed to be tied to one of Florida’s first serial killers in the 1970s. His name? Gerard John Schaefer, a former Martin County Sheriff’s Deputy. Schaefer’s actions, how many women he killed, how he killed them, what his motives were, are the sort of lies and blurry area serial killers often build around themselves after they are caught. It is no wonder then, all these years later, that the spot of one of one of his crimes should take on a life of its own and unfold as one of the most notoriously haunted locations in Florida.

The second tree is located deeper in the woods. This tree has a knot, shaped in the form of a goat’s head with horns, in the tree trunk about 10 feet off the ground. The tree acts as a sort of touchstone for the darkness that is said to lurk in the area. Black figures have been spotted near the tree at night, and the rumors and folklore say they are not all human. According to legend, several failed attempts have been made to cut down the tree over the years and some visitors to the park at night have reported seeing figures in dark hooded capes performing satanic rituals near the tree. According to news articles published, several times the tree has been slated for destruction and people have been unable to complete the task. Saws used to try and cut it down have broken. The tree has been set on fire several times, but instead of catching and burning down, odd marks, like monsters and demons, have formed in the wood instead. One of the most persistent legends about the tree is that if you take a piece of the bark, bad things will happen to you. A local priest even allegedly attempted to perform an exorcism here back in the early 1990s. Other park visitors claim to have viewed ghosts hanging from the branches of The Devil’s Tree.

In addition to its infamous oak tree, Oak Hammock Park, which was established in 2000, features a boat and canoe launch, two fishing piers, three miles of hiking trails, pavilion, butterfly garden and playground.

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BILTMORE HOTEL

The Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables wasn’t always a hotel. It was built in 1926 by a young developer named George Merrick, who’s known as the founder of Coral Gables. The hotel became a place to host glamorous fashion shows, galas, golf tournaments and water shows in what was then the largest pool in the world. At a loud party on the 13th floor of the hotel in 1929, a gangster named Thomas “Fatty” Walsh was shot and killed by another gangster. That murder yielded a lot of ghost rumors over the years.

Then World War II happened and the federal government transformed the Biltmore into a military hospital. Once the war was over, it continued being a hospital for veterans. In 1952, the University of Miami made the Biltmore its first home.When the hospital closed in 1968, the Biltmore became an abandoned shell. That’s when neighborhood kids started sneaking in. “All the kids would always talk about how there must be ghosts in there,” says Betsy Skipp, who grew up in Coral Gables and would sneak into the Biltmore with her friends. “You’d sneak out of the house and we all had flashlights.”

People have reportedly seen Fatty galivanting around his room. Others, particularly ladies with certain assets – Fatty had an eye for legs – have gotten on the elevator and found their ride stopping unexpectedly on the 13th… the elevator doors refusing to shut close and that them to their destination. Other folks have claimed that lights have a bad habit of blinking on and off in Fatty’s floor. Former president Bill Clinton has stated that Fatty didn’t allow him to watch football on his television when he stayed in the Biltmore. It seems that kindred spirits – with a taste for the ladies –gravitate towards each other.

“The best stories of the Biltmore are from when it was closed after World War II. High school kids used to sneak in and would see people walking around with their feet floating above the ground. Or they’d get tapped on the shoulder and see men in army uniforms.” Linda Spitzer, Palm Beach County resident and the Biltmore’s official storyteller. And not just soldiers and army nurses, dozens of other specters seem to run rampant in the Biltmore. Tales of babies crying through walls, noises from a party that wasn’t happening, guests coming up to the front desk and then vanishing as the clerk comes to their aid.In recent times, the biggest phantom seems to be a red-dressed woman who looks at the bar’s piano player with a mile-long stare only to vanish the very second the musician stops his ivory fandango.

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THE DEVIL’S CHAIR

Nestled just off Interstate 4 between DeLand and Deltona, the charming community of Cassadaga is known for its haunted history especially the so-called “Devil’s Chair,” an allegedly haunted Florida landmark Lake Helen-Cassadaga Cemetery.

According to legend, if you sit in the huge brick chair at midnight, the Devil himself will make an appearance and if you leave a can of beer on the Devil’s Chair, opened or unopened, it will reportedly be empty the next morning! A much less interesting story about the origins of the Devil’s Chair is that it was simply constructed as a “mourning chair” so visitors to the cemetery could sit & pay respects to their dearly departed loved ones. Cassadaga is said to sit on a vortex, a point of concentrated psychic energy. The vortex is natural, but other vortices in the area are man-made, created by the psychic activity that the town is known for. Other vortices are said to exist at sites like Stonehenge and the location of the Pyramids at Giza. It is within this vortex that the cemetery lies. The gravestones at the Cassadaga Cemetery date back to the 1800s, though vandals have tipped over many headstones. The cemetery mainly consists of those who were residents of Lake Helen and Cassadaga. George P. Colby is among those who are buried here. And, of course, within this vortex sits the large, menacing red brick bench known as the Devil’s Chair.

There is a tale about a young man who was dared to sit in the chair at midnight on All Hallow’s Eve. His friends watched him walking into the cemetery, winding his way between the headstones, and making his way to the Devil’s Chair before he faded into the darkness of the night. That was the last he was ever seen. It seems he found his way to the chair and had a seat as the clock struck midnight. After that, he simply disappeared. Some say Satan himself appeared and dragged the young man kicking and screaming to Hell. Others say he was a victim of the vortex, swallowed up by the forces of the Earth. The truth may lie somewhere in the middle, but that somewhere is terrifying to comprehend.

The Devil’s Chair sits ever within the cemetery, a hulking silent ornament awaiting someone to have a seat. Like a siren, it calls. Do you dare listen?

GREENWOOD CEMETERY

Greenwood Cemetery in Florida is a historic cemetery that was established back in 1880. Greenwood Cemetery in Orlando has a few different claims to fame - it’s the oldest cemetery in the city, as well as the largest cemetery, too!

Originally dubbed the Orlando Cemetery, this 100-acre plot of land is known for having a few paranormal encounters as well. Before Greenwood was established, Orlando did not have a formal burying ground, and the city was also lacking in proper record-keeping for the dead, leading to an issue with lost graves. Regardless of its spooky reputation, Greenwood Cemetery is a quiet and peaceful place, dotted with large trees with hanging Spanish moss, and a neighbor to the Greenwood Urban Wetlands, where cypress trees and Florida wildlife thrive.

An especially creepy section of the Greenwood cemetery is known as Babyland. Babyland is the final resting place for children under the age of five. Many of these children died in the infamous Sunland hospital, once a place for patients of tuberculosis and later a behavioral center for mentally challenged youth. Many visitors reported seeing children playing and laughing near the tombstones. Greenwood also houses the graves of Orlando area veterans who fought in many wars past. The cemetery contains a military section, which is the final resting place for veterans of World War I & II, the Spanish-American War, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Visitors to the cemetery do make mention of apparitions clad in military garb wandering the cemetery, only to disappear once they are spotted.

The Fred Weeks mausoleum is said to be one of the most haunted spots of all - as Fred Weeks’ ghost is said to occasionally make an appearance. Fred Weeks was a northern businessman, arriving in the area to buy land near the cemetery as an investment property. Upon his arrival, he realized that the land was nothing but a worthless swamp. He was furious, having been ripped off by the three English attorneys who had sold him the land, he attempted to get his money back, but to no avail. It is said that Fred Weeks never let go of the scam, even in death. Many still see the ghost of Fred Weeks, usually standing in front of the mausoleum.

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ST. AUGUSTINE

On the coast of Florida, where the Tolomato and Matanzas Rivers spill out into the unforgiving waters of the Atlantic, stands one of America’s oldest and most haunted structures: the St. Augustine Lighthouse.

Standing 164 feet tall, nestled on the northern edge of Anastasia Island since the mid 1500s, this lone sentry has seen its fair share of history— for better or for worse. From the colonization of the Americas, to the Hundred Years’ War, to the birth of a nation and its subsequent divide, the St. Augustine Lighthouse has stood watch, year after year, through plagues and power struggles, as a beacon of hope in the darkness.

Like all hauntings, the spirits that roam the grounds of the St. Augustine Lighthouse didn’t just appear from nothing. Over the hundreds of years that the structure has stood, many people have come and gone, lived and died, and a few have even remained. The sightings that have been recorded on Anastasia Island have roots that go deep into the history of the lighthouse, much of which is now known to us. For instance, it may be tempting to disregard the lingering odor of cigars, even despite the site being smoke-free. But for anyone who has ever smelled it, or has even seen the too-tall, shadowy figure that often accompanies it, they will tell you that the sense of fear and foreboding in the air lingers long after the cigar has faded away.

Locals and lighthouse employees refer to this spectre as “The Man,” and he is often seen dressed in a blue jacket and mariner’s cap, walking his route up and down the spiral staircase or looking down from the catwalk above. Because of his tall, thin frame, some believe he is the ghost of William Russel, a protective and dutiful lighthouse keeper from the 1850s. While others point to Joseph Andreu, who fell from the top of a scaffolding in 1859 while putting on a fresh coat of paint. And who can forget the children’s laughter that bubbles up from thin air and moves across the grounds, from the caretaker’s home to the top of the lighthouse itself, as if it has a life of its own. While children weren’t uncommon on Anastasia Island, especially in more recent years, there are only so many children who have had a reason to stay. Come tour our historically haunted lighthouse today!

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PENSACOLA

For 160 years, the Pensacola Lighthouse has sat at the entrance to Pensacola Bay and thousands of visitors have come every year to explore its history but paranormal investigators say the property has six permanent residents.

We don’t say that we’re haunted, Night Tour Coordinator Rob Boothe said. “We say that we’re occupied by six people who really like it here and chose to stay with us.” Boothe took News 5 on a tour and it started in the adjacent museum in Ellen Mueller’s bedroom. Mueller grew up here and got married at the lighthouse. She died giving birth more than 100 years ago. “Ellen died of complications…and she bled to death in this room in 1911,” Boothe said. There are about 20 ghost hunters and they use two different devices that pick up on electromagnetic energy to communicate with ghosts. Boothe used the GhostMeter Pro get ask yes and no questions. “They respond by dancing the meter once for yes..and bouncing it twice for no..when the meter turns red, it means they’re in a real close proximity to you,” Boothe said. The tour continued in the basement where our group took K2 meters which Boothe said the ghosts can light up different colors. “Can you light this one up for me?” Boothe asked aloud in the basement. “Can you make it change colors?” About three seconds later, the lights on the device flickered. In the basement is where Boothe said they often find Thomas and Raymond who were runaway slaves hanged and buried on the property. The tower stands about 15 stories high and is 177 steps. In the stairwell and on top of the tower, many people have seen or felt a man named Sam Lawrence who became head keeper in 1877. Boothe said others show up here too. “Is this Raymond?” Boothe asked the GhostMeter Pro at the bottom of the stairs. “Yep.” Boothe said they communicate a lot with two children, Lizzy and Joey, who died from Yellow Fever in 1922. He says they wander all over the lighthouse property and will travel through visitors causing a fright. “People will stand in the doorways downstairs and the kids will run through the house and run through them and we watch people get the willies and we kinda snicker because we know what’s happening,” Boothe said. Ten years ago, the Pensacola lighthouse was labeled the most haunted lighthouse in the United States.

KEY WEST

Key West is known for its outstanding views and one building with the best view is the Key West Lighthouse. It is now a museum, but when it was a fully functional lighthouse, it held some dark secrets. The lighthouse was built in 1825 and it was there to help guide ships to the shore and help them to avoid hitting the dangerous reef that was in the area. It has 88 iron steps that visitors can climb to get the full, scenic view of the sea.

It was very unusual for a woman to ever maintain a lighthouse, but in the 19th century, the Key West Lighthouse was. Her name was Barbara Marbrity and she took on the job of lighthouse keeper after her husband died. He was maintaining the lighthouse when he died very suddenly. She took on the duties of lighthouse keeper for over 32 years. She was the keeper through three hurricanes and still kept the lighthouse light burning and helping sailors get to the shore. There was one hurricane that nearly destroyed the entire lighthouse though.

The Great Havana Hurricane of 1846 caused quite a lot of damage and death to Key West. In fact, Key West was almost wiped clean because of the devastating damage the hurricane had on the city. The USS Morris was completely wrecked during the storm and the crew remembers seeing the beach and the lighthouse. No one knows exactly how, but Mabrity survived this terrible storm. There were many people who needed to find shelter at that time, so they came to the lighthouse where they thought they could remain safe. They were not so lucky though. There were fourteen people that ran into the lighthouse during this hurricane. They all died and taken off to sea with the storm. Six of these were Mabrity’s children. The lighthouse was almost completely destroyed too. There were a lot of renovations that had to be done to it to bring it back to its historic look. In 1848, the new lighthouse was finished and Mabrity wanted to continue to be the keeper. As the keeper of the lighthouse, Mabrity would climb 88 steps each and every day that she worked there. She was 82 years old when she died and she died as the lighthouse keeper. It seemed that her life’s purpose was to pick up her husband’s job when he died and she never slacked on her work that she did there. The Coast Guard had the Key West Lighthouse decommissioned in 1969.

AMELIA ISLAND

When the sun goes down the bright and cheery beach front of Amelia Island fades away into the darkness of the night and all the creatures that lurk within.

The Amelia Island Lighthouse is considered the oldest structure on the island. First constructed in 1820 on Georgia’s Cumberland Island, it was dismantled and moved in 1938 and reconstructed on Amelia Island. Construction was completed in 1839. In the early days, oil lamps along with reflectors provided the light, but the lights have been powered by electricity since 1933. The lighthouse still works today and can be seen up to 19 miles out to sea. The Amelia Island Lighthouse is operated by the U.S. Coast Guard, but because it is located in a residential area, it is not open to the public.

This museum, now a part of the lighthouse site, was once an old jail and is believed to be haunted by Luc Simone Aury. Aury was a criminal wanted for rape, murder, robbery, and perhaps even more charges. He was sentenced to hanging on the gallows in the back. He attempted to slit his own throat on the night before his execution to save himself the humiliation. But he was caught and stitched up by a surgeon to keep him alive. When he was hung the next day, his stitches popped open, making blood spew out into the crowd of people. It caused a riot of trampling, screaming and women fainting. Aury’s ghost has been heard moaning in the building, and his apparition has been seen with a bloody gash in his neck.

Not far from the lighthouse lies the Bosque Bello Cemetery. “In Bosque Bello, you will discover the graves of 19th century Spanish residents, Amelia Island Lighthouse keepers, gun runners, politicians, boat captains, magicians, law enforcement officers, victims of both yellow and typhoid fever epidemics, nuns, and veterans of many wars – from the American Revolution to the present day.” Throughout the years, visitors have reported hearing disembodied voices and laughter amongst the graves, especially once the sun sets on the cemetery. Ghosts in the form of children have been seen wandering throughout the grounds, some even sitting high in the treetops watching your every move.

PONCE DE LEON

Daytona Beach, Florida usually brings to mind sunny days on sandy white beaches, turquoise waters and palm trees. It’s known for its racetrack, where the famous Daytona 500 is held each year and, of course, for being the go-to spring break destination for college students from across the country every spring. But rarely does it conjure scenes of ghostly apparitions.

As unlikely a place for hauntings as it may seem, Daytona Beach actually has quite a few haunted locations to explore. Folks did a little research and found some locations that fans of the supernatural can enjoy exploring. Are they really haunted? Some say they’re just stories while others swear they are true. Let’s say…why not do a little investigating of your own?

One of Daytona Beach’s most famous haunted places is the Ponce de Leon Lighthouse. It attracts ghost hunters and curious visitors all year round. This lighthouse is, as urban legend has it, haunted from spirits from the 20th century. The story is that the lighthouse keeper, Joseph Davis suffered a heart attack and died as he was making his way up the lighthouse stairs. The story goes that he was carrying a jug of kerosene at the time and to this day, the lighthouse still has a distinct smell of kerosene…visitors have also reported hearing mysterious footsteps there. Is it Joseph Davis, still carrying out his lighthouse keeper duties even in the afterlife? The unexplained waft of kerosene sometimes detected here is attributed to his ghost. Kerosene has not been used in the lighthouse since 1933. Another haunt who resides here is believed to be a former lightkeeper’s son, who died after being kicked by a horse. His ghost plays pranks and opens and closes doors. Orbs also are said to appear around the grounds. Some janitors and employees of the Pnce De Leon Lighthouse often hear footsteps, doors slamming, and even full body apparitions. The apparition seen is typically a small child, is it possible the lightkeepers son still roams the grounds?

CRYPTIDS

ROBERT THE DOLL

We’ve all experienced it: That eerie feeling that something or someone was watching us; that an inanimate object had, in actuality, come alive. In Key West, many have not only experienced that feeling, but have also witnessed it when viewing the famous toy – Robert The Doll.

The story of Robert the Doll dates back to the early 1900’s when a young boy named Eugene Robert Otto was given a one-of-a-kind handmade doll by a servant that worked for his parents in his home. Eugene, who everyone called Gene, named the doll Robert and quickly became attached to his new friend. While he seemed like an ordinary cloth doll, it wasn’t long before Robert was involved in strange and somewhat terrifying events. The first hint that something out of the ordinary was happening was one night when Gene, who was only ten years old, awoke to find Robert the Doll sitting at the end of his bed staring at him. Moments later his mother was awakened by his screams for help and the sounds of furniture being overturned in her son’s bedroom. Gene cried for help, begging his mother to rescue him. When she finally was able to wrench the locked door open, she saw poor Gene curled up in fear on his bed, his room in shambles and Robert The Doll sitting at the foot of the bed. Gene’s parents would often hear their son upstairs talking to the doll and getting a response back in a totally different voice. They reported seeing the doll speak and witnessing his expression change. Giggling and sightings of Robert running up the steps or staring out the upstairs window were also reported.

Many believe that the origin of Robert’s evil lies in the one who originally gave him to Gene Otto – the servant who worked for Gene’s parents. This woman was supposedly mistreated by her bosses and to punish them it is believed that she cursed the doll with Voodoo and Black Magic. That might explain the many mysterious and frightening experiences people have had with Robert the Doll; but if so, wouldn’t the haunting end when the owners died? No one really knows for sure. Robert The Doll continues to taunt and scare those who come to view him in the museum today. Still terrorizing the living.

SKUNK APE

The skunk ape is a large and hairy human-like mythical creature purported to inhabit the forests and swamps in the southeastern United States, most notably in Florida. It is often compared to Bigfoot, a prominent subject within North American popular culture.

The skunk ape is commonly described as a bipedal human or ape-like creature, approximately 1.5–2.1 m (5–7 feet) tall, and covered in mottled reddish-brown hair. The skunk ape is often reported to be smaller in stature compared to traditional descriptions of Bigfoot from the northern United States and Canada. It is named for its foul odor, often described as being similar to a skunk.

In 1929, an alleged sighting occurred at the famous and then recently constructed Perky Bat Tower at the Florida Keys. Witnesses reported that an unknown ape-like creature was drawn to the construction site. After inspecting the bat tower shortly after it had been stocked with bats, the creature shook the tower, driving off the bats before running off into the woods. In the small community of Bardin, in Putnam County, Florida, beginning in the 1940s, there were a number of alleged sightings of a creature that came to be known as the Bardin Booger. Reports of the Skunk ape were particularly common in the 1950s through the 1970s. The Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization has archived hundreds of alleged sightings across almost every county of Florida, beginning in 1955 into the present. Most anecdotal reports and alleged visual evidence are deemed to be fabrication or hoaxes. Skeptical investigator Joe Nickell has written that some of the reports may represent sightings of the American black bear, possibly some suffering from mange, and it is likely that other sightings are hoaxes or general misidentification of wildlife. The United States National Park Service considers the skunk ape to be a hoax.

The skunk ape has been widely adopted across Florida as an unofficial mascot for wilderness and rural culture, including appearing in roadside businesses and attractions, television commercials, and on signs.

WAMPUS CAT

The Wampus Cat is a cat-like cryptid in Appalachian and Native American folklore that varies in appearance, ranging from scary to silly, depending on the region. If you see one of these cats outside, book it in the other direction.

In Cherokee folklore, there are a few explanations for the fearsome cat. One details a woman who wanted to take down the evil spirit Ew’ah, known as the Spirit of Madness. She ended up defeating the spirit while equipped with the spirit of the mountain cat, then becoming the tribe’s SpiritTalker and Home-Protector. Another legend claims it came as a punishment for a woman who spied on a sacred ceremony by hiding beneath the pelt of a mountain lion. Similarly in Florida, the legend of the Wampus Cat is portrayed as the “catlike embodiment of a cursed woman who was punished for her disobedience or involvement in witchcraft.” Eyewitnesses describe the Wampus cat as a large and fearsome creature with a bobcat’s face, often portrayed as a cross between a cat and a human, with sharp, elongated claws and fangs.

The Wampus cat allegedly has several supernatural abilities, one of the most notable being its ability to emit spine-chilling screams. These vocalizations are believed to be a method of attracting prey or warding off potential threats. The half-cat creature is also thought to possess exceptional speed, agility and stealth, allowing it to navigate the densest of forests and remain undetected. Legends suggest that it can shape-shift or become invisible, making it even more challenging to track or capture. These extraordinary abilities have both fascinated and frightened those who have delved into the beast’s mythology.

The enigmatic creature has not only woven itself into the rich tapestry of folklore but has also left its mark on popular culture. You can read about its haunting presence in Cormac McCarthy’s novel “The Orchard Keeper,” while its formidable image pops up in fantasy role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons.

MUCK MONSTER

This mysterious serpentine creature was captured by shocked eyewitnesses on videotape as it slithered just beneath the surface of Florida’s Lake Worth Lagoon. Once this strange footage was unleashed, it created on of the most intense “monster frenzies” in U.S. history.

In late August of 2009, Greg Reynolds and Dan Serrano — representatives of “Lagoon Keepers,” a nonprofit organization that maintains and cleans Palm Beach County’s waterways — were sent to recover what they believed to be a log from the Lake Worth Lagoon, but when they arrived on the site they realized that what was actually in the water was something infinitely more bizarre… not to mention alive. Reynolds said he and Serrano tried to catch up to it, but that every time they would get within10-feet of the creature it dove, resulting in the nickname “the elusive muck monster.”

To try and understand what this creature may be one must look at the history of the lagoon. The body of water that is now known as the Lake Worth Lagoon was — In the mid-1800s — a fresh water lake, which derived all of its run by ground seepage from the Everglades (one of the reputed homes of the SKUNK APE.) In 1866, a settler named Lang allegedly dug a channel between the lake and the ocean, and by 1877 the lake had been transformed into a saltwater lagoon. Is it possible that a SEA SERPENT or other anomalous marine animal made it’s way in through one of the lagoons channels to find itself at home in it’s brackish, fish filled waters?

Reynolds says “we spend a lot of time out here on the water and seen a lot of different creatures out here and this is the first time in three and half years that i’ve ever seen anything out here that didn’t know what it was… this water is teeming with life. who knows what’s in there?”

Thomas Reinert, a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Marine Biologist, said “This appers to be one animal moving in this direction... Nothing’s breaking the surface. Typically, dolphins break the surface, sea turtles, manatee, a large school of fish- if it were a shark at that level you would see a fin... I can’t definitely say what it is.”

PUKWUDGIES

A Pukwudgie is a 2-to-3-foot-tall (61 to 91 cm) being from the Wampanoag folklore. Pukwudgies’ features resemble those of a human, but with enlarged noses, fingers and ears. Their skin is described as being a smooth grey, and at times has been known to glow.

Native Americans believed that Pukwudgies were best left alone.

When you see a Pukwudgie you are not supposed to mess with them, or they will repay you by playing nasty tricks on you, or by following you and causing trouble. They were once friendly to humans, but then turned against them. They are known to kidnap people, push them off cliffs, attack their victims with short knives and spears, and to use sand to blind their victims. “Legends of the Pukwudgie began in connection to ‘Maushop’, a creation giant believed by the Wampanoag to have created most of Cape Cod. He was beloved by the people, and the Pukwudgies were jealous of the affection the Natives had for him. They tried to help the Wampanoag, but their efforts always backfired, until they eventually decided to torment them instead.

Christopher Balvano, a folklorist and Florida high school teacher, said some time ago, three people told him a story of a potential Puckwudgie encounter. “All three were in the woods when they came across this little creature that they described as kind of looking like a troll, but with a more dog-like nose,” he said. “The creature returned to them, kind of like on the people’s turf. One of them peered at the foot of their bed, the other one was looking into a second story window and the third (one) was in a parking lot.” The message was likely one of intimidation, he said. However, such intimidation could be thwarted with peanut butter cookies. Morgan said she’s heard from some Native Americans that peanut butter cookies act as a kind of offering to ensure a peaceful passage. Morgan said stories of Puckwudgies began with the Wampanoag tribe from the New York area and had been picked up by the Miami, which inhabited Indiana.