Being a native Alabamian, and still residing therein (for good or ill; while there is so much that I love about my home state, it is, unfortunately, the stupidest state in the country, as both its voting record and the per capita percentage of high school dropouts perfectly attests) I love it when I chance upon a new bit of folklore tied to a physical location that is within driving distance for me. Case in point, the Werewolf of Dickson County, Tennessee. I’d never heard of this one before.
From the linked article: “In the late 1860s, a circus train derailed along the railroad track that skirts the southwest boundary of the present Montgomery Bell State Park. Several circus animals escaped, including two creatures touted as ‘The Wolfmen of Borneo.’ All the animals were recovered, except the wolfmen.” Ah, the ubiquitous circus train derailment, source of so many monster legends. Interesting, though, that this facet of the legend would seemingly suggest that the Werewolf of Dickson County is a human being suffering from hypertrichosis rather than a supernatural entity. The story is guaranteed balderdash, but as is so often the case, the story might have arisen after the fact to explain some genuine paranormal activity. The sightings of a werewolf-like beast, for example. Myth often originates as an attempt to explain something unexplainable.
Werewolf Springs is actually known as Hall Springs, and is located in Montgomery Bell State Park. And yes, I’m planning a visit thereto.
