NOTE – FIRST, A LITTLE HISTORY:
The original idea for the Big Lick Triangle came about years ago when I was part of a 3-man team producing a promising-yet-local podcast called “The Tower of Technobabble.” It was essentially a pretend internet radio show about … well … everything. Which is probably why it ultimately failed; our net of topics was cast too wide to find an audience! But we didn’t care, we were young, cocky and broke. Mostly broke. As I said the “tower” was manned by a trio including yours truly (Ben Schneider) along with fellow thinkers and enthusiasts Dave Davis and Paul Moeller. Each week we tried to surprise both the listening audience and each other with whatever crazy idea, nerdy rant or cultural news story we could think of. In the spring of 2013 we were invited to be part of a podcast panel at a sci-fi convention taking place in Louisville Kentucky, and I volunteered to do a presentation, live, on an idea I had been playing around with… Paul and Dave had no idea what I was working on. Part of the fun was coming up with ideas and not telling the others, so we could get each other’s honest immediate reaction.
What follows on this page is essentially the script from that presentation which was later edited into a blog post, all about my original ideas and research for the Big Lick Triangle.
Man I was young. And broke.
******
THE BIG LICK TRIANGLE
A look into the theory, evidence and history of “The Big Lick Triangle”,
the beloved paranormal hot-zone of Indiana and Kentucky.
Children, have you ever heard of “The Bridgewater Triangle?”
Go and google it … I’ll wait.
OK, as we all now know, “The Bridgewater Triangle” refers to this vague geographic area in southeast Massachusetts. Weighing in at about 200 square miles, the Bridgewater Triangle is claimed to be a hotbed of paranormal activity — like every X-File you can image: UFOs, ghosts of all kind, Bigfoot, Thunderbirds, cattle mutilation, satanic activity, black helicopters, phantom pumas …
Back in the 1980s, a paranormal researcher was looking at a map and noticed that a lot of his ghost, Bigfeet and flying saucer reports seemed to happen in southern Massachusetts, a few miles around a town called Bridgewater. So he got his magic marker, or a sharpie, drew the rough borders on the map, and BAM! Instant paranormal fame.
Here’s the thing — I’ve always thought this “Triangle” was kind of a scam. Don’t get me wrong, I am NOT accusing the good people of Massachusetts of pulling a hoax or telling lies. And I am not accusing the paranormal researcher who first coined the phrase of anything shifty! The weird stuff that’s reported there probably DOES happen. No, I’ve always thought the whole “Bridgewater” phenomena was kind of a scam because — when you think about it — ALL of the crazy things said to happen within the boundaries of the triangle are also reported … well … EVERYWHERE. As in the entire country.
But by giving this one random area a set of definite boundaries you sort of make it “REAL”, you know? Something substantial you could put your finger on. Borders turned it into a destination, a definite place on the map where paranormal researchers could travel to and focus their time, energy and … wait for it .. money!
That’s right, cash! Drawing a triangle on the map was one of the best PR moves that southern Massachusetts ever did. Ever since the word got out about all the spooky goings on at the “Triangle,” the communities there have been cashing in with all kinds of festivals, special events, paranormal tours, TV documentaries, movies, books, t-shirts ….
Of course Bridgewater is not unique in this regard. Just look at Point Pleasant in West Virginia, Roswell in New Mexico, or even all the little towns around Loch Ness in Scotland. They have all managed to turn local folklore into high-dollar tourism that their economy now depends on.
Can you blame them? I don’t … it works! The placebo effect alone on the people living in these places is probably enough to make them think they see half this stuff anyway, with the added side effect of inspiring them to make t-shirts and bumper stickers.
But again, the particular thing about the “Bridgewater Triangle” that bothers me is the subtle implication that it’s somehow unique, somehow weirder than other places. I don’t buy it.
Because I truly, honestly believe that you could arbitrarily draw a triangle ANYWHERE on the map, give it a snazzy name, and there would be enough ghost and UFO sightings in that area to justify claims that you’ve drawn the boundaries around America’s next “paranormal hot spot!!”
So, I thought I’d do just that right here, where I live.
I got a map of the south Indiana / north Kentucky area, went onto the googles, and then just started searching for Bigfoot, ghosts, UFO’s … all the crazy stuff that draws in the paranormal dollars. And then I started marking them down on the map, county by county, and saw where it lead me.
Now I did have some loose parameters, such as I tried to keep it within a half-day driving distance from my house. Also I vaguely pointed my search north because I like to travel around south Indiana, a truly a weird place. But I also wanted to include a good portion of the Ohio River valley, because all sort of weirdness seems to get funneled through there as well.
And you know, a triangle DID start to form!
A really marketable — and completely paranormally valid triangle!
Of course I can’t just start willy-nilly writing books, selling t-shirts and appearing on cable reality shows — one thing was missing.
The one final piece of the puzzle that we need to really cash in is a catchy name:
I figured we need to keep the “triangle” part, because that reminds people of the famous Bermuda Triangle, and they’ll therefore naturally equate it with all things spooky. So next I searched around the center of the triangle I’d drawn on my map, looking for a really catchy town name … just like they did in Massachusetts with the town of Bridgewater. But honestly, nothing was jumping out. Who would go to a Sellersburg Triangle?
And then it came to me … like a flash! Something told me: Look at the corners man … look at the corners of what you have created: Big Bone Lick state park ….. Pope Lick train trestle … French Lick …
After three licks the name was obvious: THE BIG LICK TRIANGLE!
(Copyright 2013, Tower of Technobabble)
So!
I would like to officially welcome you to The BIG LICK TRIANGLE, roughly 2269.9 square miles* of weird! Compare that monster to the meager 200 square mile triangle in Massachusetts. Yup, around these-here parts, we super-size yur paranormality!
And THIS is where our podcast broadcasts from, this is where the Tower of Technobabble is standing! Ky Slim, the Conduit and I** are all living in the southern corner of the Big Lick Triangle — we’re essentially straddling the crotch of this creepy, paranormal cul-de-sac. It’s like all the weird is just running down the sides into our backyards, where we’re soaking it all up.
Now … what if you don’t agree with the boundaries I’ve drawn?
Who cares?!? That’s the beauty of this!
Yes friends, I maintain that this country is so full of weirdness that you could literally throw a dart at the map and anywhere it lands would be a squatchy, ghost-filled, alien abducted area.
So you can go and draw your own damn triangle, because there is enough crazy to go around in America!
As for me, I am firmly committed — from this day forward — to thoroughly investigating the BIG LICK TRIANGLE.
It’s my backyard, and I gotta keep it mowed.
THE EVIDENCE:
Here fellow researchers, let me walk you through the highlights I found via my internet search of America’s newest paranormal destination, the Big Lick Triangle. I am in no way saying this is a complete report, just the tip of the spooky iceberg. And if you have some good info feel free to share. So, grab a map and follow along — it’s fun!
We’ll start out near the bottom of the Big Lick Triangle in my home sweet home, Floyd County Indiana. Then we’ll work our way northwest to the next corner, then turn east, and finally come back around south-west through Kentucky ending up at the bottom corner located in Jefferson County Kentucky, aka the city of Louisville.
And remember, these are just selected highlights!
INDIANA
Floyd Co:
Bigfoot: 1996, creature seen sitting on a log at night on Corydon Pike Rd hill.
UFO: -Two separate men see same UFO in late September 1987
-Large craft seen outside Greenville in 2010
Ghost: At New Albany’s Culbertson Mansion, the ghost of the guy’s first wife haunts the 3rd floor, looking for her children.
– Several native American ghosts reported in various downtown locations, probably from extreme violence and battles with pioneers in late 1700s.
Giant Snake: In the early 1800s, pioneer farmers reported seeing a giant snake, 30-40 feet long, body as wide as a barrel.
Harrison Co:
Bigfoot: 1991, a creature broke into a cabin between Lanesville and Corydon on Corydon Ridge road.
-Lanesville, mid 1970s: The Repeater’s aunt totally claims she saw Bigfoot looking in the window … one mile from where the Repeater’s parents live … you know … where the Repeater grew up. YIKES!!
UFOs: Huge UFO flap happened around Corydon, with many saucers seen all through 1987.
– 2009, Lanesville, two green chevron-shaped craft seen.
Ghost: Blue River, a headless ghost is looking for her head. Story says a fishing line was tied across the river, and victim was in a canoe paddling downstream really fast, and the fishing line cut her head off. Ghost still looking for her head.
Crawford Co:
Bigfoot: 2004, rocks thrown by creature on Blue River.
– Large footprints are often found in Hoosier National Forest.
Ghost: The Carl Smith House in Marengo, said to be very haunted, many have died here, believed to be a portal to the ghostly realms. Spooky.
Orange Co: FRENCH LICK:
Bigfoot: During the 1960s a creature was seen several times around French Lick, and the locals named it “Fluorescent Freddy” due to its glowing red eyes.
– Large footprints often found in Hoosier National Forest.
UFO: Paoli, June 2009, orange oval craft spotted.
Ghost: In French Lick, sometime in the late 1800s, three lightning bolts came from the sky and killed two black horses and their colt in a field. If you go to the field now when a storm is coming you can see the three ghost horses running for shelter.
– Paoli, Bon’s Chapel: The glowing headstone. Story is a soldier was going to marry a local girl, but he was sent off to war and killed before the ceremony. Now on some nights his headstone will glow, and watching from a distance is a ghostly woman dressed in black.
Thunderbirds: There was a flap (HA!) of sightings in Hoosier National Forest throughout the 1970s.
Washington Co:
Bigfoot: 1999, creature seen walking in field near Pekin.
– Cambellsburg, a creature enter a campsite twice, once in 1997 and 1998. The second time it looked directly through the tent’s rain-flap.
UFO: 2006 and 2010 sightings, both in Salem.
Ghost: Washington School in Pekin is haunted by a ghost in the 3rd floor girls’ bathroom. Also a bloody handprint will appear on the back of the basketball goal in the gym.
Scott Co:
Bigfoot: 1992, creature screaming near Austin
UFO: 2003, Scottsburg sighting
Ghost: In Austin High School, the ghost of a dead Spanish Teacher roams the halls. She was killed due to a car wreck in the late 1980s on her way to school.
– In Scottsburg, the Bridgewater / Owens Cemetery is haunted by an entity called “Old Red Eyes.” It is often seen glowing at the back of the cemetery. A black form or object will often circle around cars, and handprints will appear on the windows. A white phantom horse sometimes chases gawkers away at night, and there is also the glowing tombstone of a man who awakens at night and guards the front gate.
Clark Co:
Bigfoot: 1998, creature screaming and haunting the former Army ammo plant in Charlestown.
UFO: Clarksville, in 2006, a “fireball” is seen making figure 8s in the sky
– Charlestown, in 2007, a large black triangle with three lights reported.
Ghost: The former Colgate Plant in Clarksville reported to be haunted, especially the basement. Originally the building was used as a prison.
– Clarksville restaurant the McCullough Steak House is haunted by the former family residents.
– Sellersburg, gruesome murders were once committed at “Old Man Ike’s house”, and today screams and loud banging can be heard of the man torturing the family.
– Charlestown: 10 Penny Bridge, On Tunnel Mill Road, story is that a poor bum had died there. If you put 10 pennies on the bridge in a straight line and turn off your car’s lights and engine, when you turn the lights back on the pennies will be gone or scattered.
– Henryville, the “Green Lady” in Mt Zion cemetery. Story is that a young woman was killed on Henryville Blue Lick Road after car wreck in early 1900s, and she was buried in nearby Mt Zion Cemetery. Her glowing green ghost now roams the cemetery, and she will jump on your car if it’s parked there at night, looking for a ride home. Green goo will be left on your car.
– Jeffersonville, Census Bureau warehouse. Haunted by German-speaking ghosts … supposedly the grounds were a holding camp for Germans during World War II.
Prince Madoc: Long story short: In either 1170 AD or 599 AD (depending on who you ask) a member of the English royal family set sail from modern-day Wales with a large group of colonists. Their ships crossed the ocean blue, and landed in modern-day Mobile Bay, Alabama. From there they slowly made their way north, constantly fighting off angry natives who didn’t like immigrants. Eventually they established a fortress along a high bluff overlooking the Ohio River in what is today Charlestown State Park. It was here that their leader, Prince Madoc, had his final stand against a confederation of native forces. The English were driven out of their stronghold and fled onto an island in the Ohio River, where they were slaughtered. Hundreds of years later when the post-Columbus European settlers arrived in the area, they were surprised to hear stories from native people about the giant yellow-haired “white indians” that arrived before them in ancient times. So why is this considered more than a tall tale? Because in 1873 an official surveyor working for the state of Indiana discovered and mapped out what he described as “stone fortifications” on the Ohio River east of Charlestown, and it was entered into the official state record. Whatever it was that he mapped and surveyed is no longer there — tradition says the stone blocks in the ancient walls were scavenged by a lazy contractor in 1888 who used them to build the foundation piers for a railroad bridge crossing the Ohio River.
Jefferson Co (Indiana):
Bigfoot: 1999, creature seen by hunter outside Jefferson Proving Ground.
UFO: Madison, December 2012, a Black Triangular UFO with 2 flashing lights sighted.
Ghost: Hanover, entity known as the “Preacher’s Ghost”, story is preacher was drowned while swimming into Ohio River to help victims of sinking riverboat. It usually appears around 2 am when really foggy.
– Hanover College: Parker auditorium is haunted by past president of the college, a Dr. AG Parker. Donner Residence Hall haunted by student who committed suicide in one of the rooms.
– Madison, an old river town full of ghosts: Jefferson County Library has a ghost named “Charlie” who rides the elevator and feels up young women. The town’s Ohio Theater has a haunted upper balcony by the ghost of a broken-hearted chorus girl who leaped to her death there. The old State Hospital used to house violently insane people in cages, they still haunt it.
Switzerland Co:
Ghost: Vevay, county museum haunted.
UFO: Florence, 1960, Farmer sees object with three bright lights.
Mud Mermaids: 1891 – 1894, Vevay, along the Ohio River. Two horrible creatures found on river bank, newspaper dubbed them the “Mud Mermaids”. Said to be amphibious in nature, like huge lizards with “strikingly human” faces. They also had dog-like ears, limbs with clawed hands and a tapered hindquarters that “in no way resembles a tail.” Witnesses say they showed no signs of intelligence, and ate fish and river mussels. The two seemed to be a mated pair, so they were actually a mud merman and mud mermaid.
Copyright 2013 Kristen Davis
Ohio Co:
(OK, this is technically OUTSIDE of the Big Lick Triangle, but I loved these reports!!)
Bigfoot: 1980, State Road 56 between Rising Sun and Aurora. Guy sees Bigfoot in his driveway as he’s getting out of car, Bigfoot takes swipe at him and hits car as he drives off. Next night the guy takes a shot at him.
Bigfoot and UFO: 1969, Rising Sun: A farmer’s power goes out, as his neighbors report seeing several UFOs overhead. Then the farmer sees a large shaggy ape-like creature in their barnyard, and later makes cast of a 4-toed footprint.
KENTUCKY
Boone Co: BIG BONE LICK:
Bigfoot: 1980, Bigfoot harasses a trailer in Big Bone, family takes a shot at it, and Bigfoot escapes by jumping into the Ohio River and swimming away.
– In the 1950s, newspapers reported a strange creature bothering people in the Big Bone area, and the locals nicknamed it “SATAN.”
– 2011, Petersburg, a motorcyclist swerves to miss Bigfoot crossing the road at night.
– 1994, Richwood, a lady walking her dog in middle of the day sees a white Bigfoot staring at her 50 feet away.
Ghost: Boone County is home to lots of hitchhiking ghosts for some reason.
– Big Bone Lick state park has a lot of Native American ghosts haunting the grounds, and you can hear the cries of children lost in the woods, stolen by an evil spirit who was himself murdered there.
Gallatin Co:
UFO: 1997, in Sparta, a round silver saucer seen floating.
Ghost: In the 60s, a family in Warsaw killed by house fire. Now people see ghostly fire trucks, as well as hearing phantom sirens and people screaming. This story was once featured on the Syfy channel apparently, so there you go. I guess.
Carroll Co:
Bigfoot: 2010, outside Sanders, a Bigfoot almost gets hit by a truck in the road.
UFO: Carrollton, large sighting in 2007.
My totally legitimate, not made up, real Billy Meier UFO photo.
The author’s totally-real, not-at-all-fake photo of the
“Billy Meier” aliens coming to visit him at his mom’s house.
Trimble Co:
Bigfoot: It’s believed that before Europeans arrived the Native Americans avoided the Trimble County area, and they called it “the land of the wild people.” Early settlers reported hairy men throwing rocks and tree limbs at them, and later reports claim they stole livestock, broke into outdoor freezers and after looked into farmhouse windows.
UFO: Milton, sighting reports in 2004.
Frogman / Lizardman: Milton, in October 1975, witnesses report seeing a giant biped lizard man roaming the woods near an automobile junkyard. It was described as having a foot-long forked tongue and big eyes that bulged out, a bit like a frog’s eyes. Creature was dull white with black and white stripes across its body, with quarter size speckles over it.
Henry Co:
Bigfoot: 1978, Bigfoot harasses a farm, throws rocks at family.
– Lockport, in late 1970s, a Bigfoot would regularly come to a different farm and steal chickens and cans from their root cellar. The farmer’s wife called it a “Wood Bugger” and often chased it off with a broom.
Oldham Co:
Ghost: La Grange has many reports of haunted buildings.
UFO: Goshen, 2012, large triangle seen hovering for over 15 minutes.
– Crestwood, 1986, a saucer seen emitting beam of white light.
Jefferson Co (Kentucky): LOUISVILLE, POPE LICK
Bigfoot: 1971, Pleasure Ridge Park near Shively, screams and howls all summer bother neighborhood
UFO: I found a site listing over a hundred UFO sightings in the Louisville area alone, one of which dated all the way back to 1953, where a witness says he was contacted by a “grey” alien
Ghost: Waverly Hills, that’s where I wanna be. This former tuberculosis hospital from the 1920s is famous in ghost-hunting circles as one of THE BEST haunted locations in the country. When it comes to ghosts, many believe this place in ground-zero, a veritable “Spook Central.” Just about every paranormal reality show on cable has been here at least once, including those fancy ghost plumbers. (Interesting sidenote, yours truly and the Conduit once toured this ruined hell-hole, and what was our boots-on-the-ground report? Meh …. The ghosts must have had the night off. Also, it’s realllllly hard to record EVPs and see Shadow People when you’re forced to go on a tour with 25+ people.)
BLACK SPOOKY SILENT HELICOPTERS: Occasionally seen in the south of county, silent unmarked black choppers, coming to and from nearby Fort Knox.
Pope Lick Monster: South-east of Louisville is the Pope Lick train trestle, a rusty old iron train bridge roughly 90 feet in the air and 772 feet long that crosses over Pope Lick Creek. It’s said to be the home of the Pope Lick Monster, aka The Goat Man (some say the Sheep Man). The Goat Man is basically just like it sounds: a two-legged upright hybrid creature with the body of a man and the head of a goat. Actually the lower half of the body is furry with cloven hoofs for feet; in other words we’re talking about the classic Satyr-looking thing from Greek mythology. A sort of pissed off Mr Tumnus. Sightings are said to have began in the late 40s and early 50s, and the creature lures unsuspecting teens to their death on the bridge, as he summons a ghost train to scare them into jumping.
*****
So anyway … there you go. The Big Lick Triangle. Spooky, huh?
We hope you enjoy your stay, buy a souvenir or two, and maybe spend the night in one of our many fine and haunted B&B’s.
Sleep tight!
________________________________
* 2269.9 square miles is a true figure! Using the internet I calculated the distances between the Big Lick Triangle’s three corners, and I roughly came up with:
Louisville to French Lick: 58 miles
French Lick to Big Bone: 116 miles
Big Bone to Louisville: 83 miles
Plugging that into some triangle formula i found online gives us an area of : 2269.9 square miles. Dude, numbers don’t lie!
** Occasionally in this blog I mention the “stage names” we used on the Tower of Technobabble podcast. My nickname on the show was The Repeater. Dave Davis was The Conduit. And Paul Moeller was Kentucky Slim.