FLORIDA'S CREEPIEST URBAN LEGENDS

Hello all,

Each state in our country comes with its own unique set of stories and urban legends. I  just wanted to share a few of Florida's with you. I think the last one is the creepiest:


1. Florida Skunk Ape  - Some places have Bigfoot,  Florida has the Skunk Ape. In 1959 three boy scouts came out of the Ocala National Forest saying their camp was attacked by a big hairy monster having the face of a human and body of an ape. Since then there have been literally hundreds of other sightings. One in particular was from a trucker who claimed he was pulled from his truck by a hairy creature that  smelled awful.He said he was carried a few yards and kicked himself free. He then ran to his truck and he  frightened it away by blasting his air horn. Two anonymous photos of the creature snooping around in a backyard sent to the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Department have kept the legend alive. The creature even has its own commemorative silver coin! In 1959, three boy scouts emerged in a panic from  or a skunk. It’s this skunk-like stink that gives the skunk ape its name, although old timers in rural areas often refer to it as a “swamp monkey.” My theory, if this thing reall exists, is that when the creature is upset it gives off musk. This is not just a slight scent, wit

1998 photo of skunk ape by Dave Shealy

2.  Mexican Pet- -  While vacationing from new York, a couple while on their way to take a boat trip rescued a dog on the side of the road. Unable to find its owner, they take it back home with them. There it attacks and eats the family cat. When they take it to the vet, he tells them its not a dog but a Haitian rat. boy scouts emerged in a panic from the Ocala National Forest with a wild tale of having been routed from their camp by a


3. Fairfield Oak-  Legend says back in the 1800's in Ormond Beach a majestic oak tree was on property owned by Norman Harwood. He killed himself under the oak tree by committing suicide.   Years later James Ormond II bought the land and built a plantation on it he named Damietta.  A few years later Ormond was also found dead under the same tree, a suicide as well. People say when you go under the tree you feel intense sadness and have  suicidal thoughts. Sometimes you can see a ghostly figure under the tree also. The tree sits in the Bulow Creek State Park.

4.  Spook Hill- Centuries ago, legend states a native American chief fought in a battle with an enormous alligator to protect his village. It ended with their deaths and a giant sinkhole formed at the spot. Pioneers later started calling the spot Spook Hill because their horses were laboring too hard to be riding downhill.  In later years, a merchant parked his truck on the hill and was terrified to see his car going backwards up a hill on its own. he blamed it on "Spooks" and that's how it got its name.  Today many people come from all over . They park their car in on the white marked line put their car in  neutral and see them roll uphill backwards. The hill is actually an optical illusion, sometimes called a gravity hill. The area makes them appear to roll up hill when in actuality they're rolling downhill.

5. Devil's chair- There sits a red brick bench in a cemetery that is on the borders of the towns Cassadaga and Lake Helen. They call it the Devil's Chair. The devil is said to speak to anyone who sits in the chair. Also if you sit in the chair around midnight, you supposedly cannot move from it for a whole minute, like it has a hold of you. Some people say if you leave an unopened can of beer on the bench over night,when you return the can is empty with the can never have been opened. The town of Cassadaga is a strange little Florida town. It was founded in the 19th century by a medium from Iowa name George Colby. He is buried in this same cemetery. The town became a haven for spiritualists and those who say they can speak with the dead.