The Legend Of The Pope Lick Monster In Kentucky May Send Chills Down Your Spine
By Sarah McCosham|Published January 04, 2022
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Sarah McCosham
Author
I write like it's my job - because it is! I have a Master's in English and love words: crossword puzzles, Scrabble games, Wordle, and, of course, good, old-fashioned books.
I'm a writer and editor at OnlyInYourState, and a contributing writer at Cincinnati Magazine. I love the Great Outdoors and am endlessly awestruck by this beautiful country of ours. Coffee keeps me going, yoga keeps me sane, my kids keep me grounded, and my writing keeps me inspired.
The Bluegrass State is big on history, with plenty of local lore and legends mixed in for good measure, too. One of the most infamous and chilling legends in Kentucky that’s been passed down in hushed whispers around campfires is that of the Pope Lick Monster. The Pope Lick Monster — or “Goat Man,” as he’s colloquially referred — is a beast that’s part man, part goat, and part sheep. He’s reported to live beneath a railroad trestle bridge over Kentucky’s Pope Lick Creek, a location that’s seen more than its fair share of tragedy and sorrow throughout the years.
Lore and legends abound in the Bluegrass State, with none quite as chilling as the legend of the Pope Lick Monster, a story that's inextricably linked to its surroundings.
Just outside of Louisville, in eastern Jefferson County, the Norfolk Southern Railroad runs right through the Parklands of Floyds Fork -- and it's within this particular stretch of trestle that the Pope Lick Monster is said to reside.
The most well-known version of the story is that a goat-man hybrid who lives on top of the trestle, using hypnosis or voice mimicry to lure victims to the top. Some people say a train then comes and strikes the victim, while others suggest that the sight of the monster is so disturbing that they are driven to jump off the 100-foot trestle... to their deaths.
There is a misconception that the Pope Lick Trestle is abandoned and no longer in use; however, in reality, the bridge carries a major rail artery into Louisville. Heavy freight trains cross the bridge several times daily, making it all too easy for someone to get caught atop it while an oncoming train barrels down on them -- a tragedy that's sadly happened before.
