The Legends and Myths of Kentucky

What Lurks in The Bluegrass State?

Map Credits

Map Credits

Author Credits and Data Sources

This map and webpage were made for MAP673-201's (Spring 2026) final project. Sources for the Kentucky legends dataset are included below. Not all legends mentioned in the sources were used, only those that are the most common and/or most intruiging according to me.

Read the documentation of my process here: Kentucky's Legends.

Find more about my work and other projects on my GitHub linked in the footer!

  • 1. Mythical Encyclopedia
    • Pope Lick Monster
    • The Kentucky Goblins (Kelly-Hopkinsville)
    • The Wampus Cat
    • The Beast of Land Between the Lakes
    • The Tailypo
    • The Herrington Lake Monster
    • Green River Mermaids
    • The Hillbilly Beast
    • Ghost Horses of Mammoth Cave
    • Tommyknockers of the Mines
    • The Witch of Cedar Grove
    • Specters of the Cumberland
    • The Black Shuck (likely referring to Hellhound of Pike County)
    • Black Mountain Lion (likely referring to Panther of Pine Mountain)
  • 2. Folk Bestiary
    • Kelly-Hopkinsville Goblins
    • Pope Lick Monster
    • Hellhound of Pike County
    • Bearilla
    • Panther of Pine Mountain
  • 3. Fox56 News
    • The Herrington Lake Monster
    • The Pope Lick Monster
    • Kelly Little Green Men (Goblins)
    • Bigfoot
  • 4. Hangar 1 Publishing
    • Bigfoot
    • The Pope Lick Monster
    • The Mothman
    • Bearilla
    • Sheepsquatch
    • The Kelly Green Men (Hopkinsville Goblins)
    • The Giraffe-Possum
    • The Herrington Lake Monster
    • The Boonesborough Octopus
  • 5. Lexington Herald-Leader
    • The Pope Lick Monster
    • The Mothman
    • The Sheepsquatch
    • Bearilla
    • Little Green Men of Kelly (Goblins)
    • Beast Between the Lakes
    • Giraffe-Possums
    • Milton Lizard
    • The Herrington Lake Monster
    • The Boonesborough Octopus
    • Demon Leaper
  • 6. Ancestral Findings
    • Sleepy Hollow Road
    • Cop Ghost of Narrows Road
    • Goatman of Fisherville (Pope Lick Monster)
    • Twin Train Tunnels of Lambs Ferry Road
    • Witch Child of Pilot's Knob
  • 7. Only In Your State
    • Hogan's Fountain Statue of Pan
  • 8. Ranker
    • The Hanging Man of Allendale Train Tunnel

About This Map

Ever wondered what kind of strange and mysterious creatures might be lurking in the forests and mountains of Kentucky? Well, you're in luck! This map features a selection of well-known and interesting legends from across the state, including cryptids and specters. Each legend is represented by a color-coded marker on the map (green for cryptid, blue for specter) with a convenient checkmark legend on the top right to really get into the exploration (a caveat: the locations are approximate, not exact). A true earth basemap provides a good amound of physical geographic context to each legend and a "Find Me" button marks your current location so you can see which legends are near where you are! Perhaps you might even see a sighting too!

There are lots of features to play around with on this map and webpage, so feel free to explore to your heart's content! I'll also give a run through of those features here.

  • First, we have our lovely map, arguably the star of the page. On the map, you will be able to visualize the spread of the legends across Kentucky as well as where each legend is located. If you want to know more about any of the markers, simply click on them to bring up a small pop-up with the legend's name, it's associated region, and a reference photo. As mentioned before, use the legend at the bottom right to help you navigate the map.
  • Second, we have this section, which will preface the map and all its functionality.
  • Third, we have the image gallery, the secondary emphasis of the map. Here, you can find an alphabetized list of all the legends referenced in the map. The images have a fixed size, so they may have some parts cut off intially. Hovering over the image will reveal an overlay with a brief description of the legend. Additionally, clicking anywhere on the image will bring up the full image with the overlay description transferred over for ease of reading and viewing. The image gallery has its own nested scroll functionality so that you can keep an eye on the map even while scrolling through the gallery.
  • Fourth, there is a helpful sidebar to the right. To access it, simply click the three parallel lines on the top left (the "hamburger"). This will bring up a side panel that has quick links for: (1) the map, (2) the about section, (3) the image gallery, and (4) the footer where additional resources and links are stored.
  • Fifth, there is a selection of lvely buttons and respective information to explore! Take a look at the top two buttons ("Map Credits" and "Find Me"). The "Map Credits" button will bring up a side panel that lists all the data sources for the map as well as details on the mapmaker. The "Find Me" button is a geolocation functionality where it will place a marker on your current browser if you give your browser permission to track your location. The last button on the page is the "Image Info" button, which is simply a list of sources for sourcing each picture for the gallery.
Image Info

Sources for Images. Illustrations, and Photos

Noted here is a collection of all sources for the image gallery as best as I can track them down. I have taken care to collect images from sources that can be used under fair use, as I believe this project falls under the category of educational use. If you are the owner of any of the images used in this page and would like to have them removed, please contact me and I will be happy to take them down.

Kentucky's Legends, Myths, and Cryptids

Image Info

Bearilla

Bearilla

A towering, upright creature that closely resembles a mix between a bear and a gorilla with long, shaggy hair and a distinctly canine face. It is said to be quite intelligent and walk upright.

Beast of the Land Between the Lakes

Beast of the Land Between the Lakes

In the Land Between the Lakes, there's said to be a bipedal creature that looks like a seven-foot-tall wolf. Often referred to as a werewolf or bigfoot.

Bigfoot

Bigfoot

An elusive, but well-known humanoid cryptid that is large, hairy, and bipedal. Said to inhabit the forests of Kentucky and has spawned many related legends and sightings in the state.

Boonesborough Octopus

Boonesborough Octopus

In 1944, a young girl was allegedly attacked by a mysterious unseen creature while swimming near Boonesborough beach, leaving sucker-like imprints on her legs.

Cop Ghost of Narrows Road

Cop Ghost of Narrows Road

In the 1950s, a police officer suffered a fatal accident during a traffic stop. Since then, many report of a police officer pulling people over on Narrows Road, only to disappear without a trace.

Demon Leaper Gargoyle

Demon Leaper Gargoyle

Legend has it that the roof of Walnut Street Baptist Church in Louisville is inhabited by living gargoyles. These creatures are said to leap along roofs in the Old Louisville neighborhood.

Ghost Horses

Ghost Horses

In the Mammoth Cave area, visitors have reported sounds of galloping and apparitions believed to be the restless spirits of horses left behind in the caves by soldiers during the Civil War.

Giraffe-Possum

Giraffe-Possum

Only sighted by one driver in 1975 on the side of Highway 60. The creature is reported to be a mix of a possum and a short-necked giraffe with a canine-like head, elongated snout, and large fangs.

Green River Mermaids

Green River Mermaids

During the night, some have claimed to see half-human half-fish creatures with shimmering scales sing enchanting melodies while swimming through the Green River.

Hanging Man of Allendale Train Tunnel

Hanging Man of Allendale Tunnel

Legend has it that a man hung himself from a hook above the tunnel entrance long ago. During the night, the man's apparition is said to roam the tunnel or hang from the hook.

Hellhound of Pike County

Hellhound of Pike County

Local legends speak of a massive black dog with glowing red eyes that appear on mountain roads and coal camps. It's appearance it said to fortell an omen of death or disaster.

Herrington Lake Monster

Herrington Lake Monster

Nicknamed "Herry", this creature is said to be an eel-like creature with a pig-like snout, sharp teeth, and a length of 20 feet. It's also said to be an incredibly fast swimmer.

Hillbilly Beast

Hillbilly Beast

Allegedly a distant cousin to bigfoot, this creature is described as large, hairy, bipedal, and with glowing red eyes. It's said to inhabit the forests of Eastern Kentucky.

Hogan's Fountain Statue of Pan

Hogan's Fountain Statue of Pan

Legends say this intricate statue of pan gets up from its pedestal and goes for a stroll on nights of the full moon. According to late-night visitors, this walk is accompanied by mischief.

Kelly-Hopkinsville Goblins

Kelly-Hopkinsville Goblins

In 1955, a group of small, siver-skinned, glowing-eyed beings with were sighted by residents, police, military personnel, and reporters in one of Kentucky's most well-documented UFO cases.

Milton Lizard

Milton Lizard

Legend speaks of a giant lizard of 12 feet and bulging eyes like a frog, an off-white mouth, and black and white stripes across its body. Some reports also note it as a lizard-man.

Mothman

Mothman

Part-moth part-man, this creature was first spotted in 1966 and is described as having a 10-ft wingspan, a 7-ft tall stature, and glowing red eyes. It's appearance is said to precede tragedy.

Panther of Pine Mountain

Panther of Pine Mountain

Residents of southeastern Kentucky have long reported sightings of a massive black panther with glowing amber eyes. Though this creature is more a mystery animal, its sightings have turned it into legend.

Pope Lick Monster (Goatman of Fisherville)

Pope Lick Monster (Goatman of Fisherville)

Under the Norfolk Southern Railway trestle, locals speak of a half-man half-goat that lures people to the trestle, which has been the sight of numerous accidents and fatalities over the years.

Sheepsquatch

Sheepsquatch

A mysterious sheep-human hybrid, this creature is said to have the head of a sheep and the body of a man covered in shaggy white hair. Encounters note it to be 7 feet tall and emit a high-pitched scream.

Sleepy Hollow Road

Sleepy Hollow Road

Kentucky's own Sleepy Hollow features a ghostly black hearse that is said to run drivers off the road. Other encounters report a strange stretching of time when driving the road, where a few minutes turns into a few hours.

Specters of the Cumberland

Specters of the Cumberland

Local legends tell of ghostly apparition that drowned in the Cumberland River whispering and appearing before visitors. The most famous is the apparition of a young girl who lingers near the river.

Tailypo

Tailypo

A mysterious creature said to inhabit Eastern Kentucky's forests. Sightings report an aggresive small, furry creature with sharp teeth and a long tail that has a distinctive cry between a scream and a howl.

Tommyknockers of the Mines

Tommyknockers of the Mines

This mischievous, gnome-like creatures are said to inhabit Kentucky's many coal mines and behind the strange noises and other phenomena that miners have reported for years. Some say they can be appeased by leaving offerings.

Twin Train Tunnels

Twin Train Tunnels

During the 1930s, a man was fatally hit by a train near the tunnels. Local legend speaks of his apparition haunting the tunnels looking for an exit, sometimes carrying a lantern.

Wampus Cat

Wampus Cat

A legendary, giant half-dog, half-cat hybrid with glowing eyes and a blood-curdling scream with roots in Cherokee folklore. Legend has it that it has the ability to shape-shift into a woman and walk upright.

Witch Child of Pilot's Knob

Witch Child of Pilot's Knob

In the 1900s, a woman and her 6-year-old daughter were burnt at the stake after being accused of witchcraft. Many report the bars of the child's grave being bent outward, small footprints appearing, and other phenomena around the grave.

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