Creatures, Cryptids, and Legends of the States

Everyone knows of the various legends and creatures that haunt all over the world, stories turned into urban legends to delight residents and visitors, and bring in tourists. While every country has its myth to share, every state in the United States has one or more of these to share. Time to look at the various states and their unique, strange, ridiculous, and possibly very fake urban legends.

Huggin' Mary

Alabama's most famous creature is Huggin' Molly. She is said to be a ghostly witch; she stands at seven feet tall, as big as a bale of cotton, and wears all black clothing and a long brimmed hat. Legend says she lost her child young and dealt with the loss by hugging children, even after her death.

This creature was created by the parents of Abbeville to scare their children into returning home at night, and not staying out too late. They would tell them that she would find them in the darkness and hug them tight, screaming in their ears. While no report of this has happened, some claim that if she catches you, she will hug you to death.

This is a fake creature, but encounters with her are still shared to this day. Back in 1917, a boy named Mack Gregory was walking home from work late at night when he realized someone was following him. When he turned, he saw a tall, black-robed figure behind him. As he moved quicker, so did the figure. It followed him all the way home but made it inside safe with no further issues. Everyone that grows up in Abbeville knows of this story, and a restaurant was even created with the menu and dishes named after her likeness.

The Metal Man

While alien encounters aren't rare, even for today's standards, this one from Falkville was a documented encounter witnessed by several people, and never caught: which means it could still be out there somewhere.

In 1973, Chief of Police Jeff Greenhaw received an emergency call from a hysterical woman. She claimed that she saw a UFO land in a field not far from her house. Greenhaw and several officers arrived on site, yet they saw no craft. As they walked the area to check for abnormalities, they came across the alien.

It appeared to be just a human from 75 feet away, but as they got closer they saw it was no human. It was large, the head and neck melded into one, and appeared to be made completely of metal from head to toe. It had an antenna sticking out of the top of its head, and mechanical movements. It started to run and Greenhaw got into the car, chasing it, hoping to get a better look at it. Despite this, the creature easily outran him and disappeared into the night, not to be seen again.

Before Greenhaw left, he brought a Polaroid camera with him in case he did see something to note. Because of this reason, many thought of it as a hoax set up by him for fame. But there are many more that believe it was an alien scout that just happened to stumble across some humans.

Hell's Gate Bridge

Oxford, Alabama is home to one of the most haunted bridges in the state: the Hell's Gate Bridge. In the 1950's, a young couple drove over that bridge when their car unexpectedly drove off the bridge into the water below, killing them both. More accidents like this happened before the bridge was officially closed off from cars with two large cinderblocks.

Residents say paranormal activity is prone on this bridge, specifically one that involves the young couple. Legend has it that if you were to stop your car on the bridge and turn everything off, even the lights, a ghostly member would climb into the car and take a seat. Once you drove off, a wet spot will remain where they sat.

This bridge got its name by the residents, as they said if you stopped on the bridge and looked behind you, the road and structure of the bridge resembled the fiery gates of Hell. It's not the most convincing or exciting story behind the name, but many see this as one of the more haunted locations in Alabama.