Dark Destinations

General

Dark Destinations

Dark Traveler Library

Horror Blogs

General Horror Quotes

Dark Destinations > Locations by The Lizard Man of Scape Ore Swamp > Scape Ore Swamp

Clear Markers

| Show Street View Overlay

Scape Ore Swamp

Other destinations within a
mile radius.

Nearby Destinations:

	Bishopville, South Carolina
	The Campground Massacre
	Charlotte Zombie Walk
	Bostian's Bridge, North Carolina
	Woods of Terror on Church Street, Greensboro, NC
	The Myers House, North Carolina
View All on Map

Availability:	Open to the Public
Filed Under:	Mysterious Creatures > The Lizard Man of Scape Ore Swamp
Added By:	TheCabinet
Added On:	April 07, 2008 - 12:19 AM UTC
Last Modified:	April 07, 2008 - 12:38 AM UTC
Your Rating:	Sign in to add your rating
Average Rating:	0 (0 ratings)
Visited By:	0 Users

Address
Bishopville, South Carolina, United States

Information
Scape Ore Swamp This area would gain worldwide attention in 1988 after a series of reported sightings of a lizard-like cryptid believed to reside in this swamp. The creature is known as the Lizard Man of Scape Ore Swamp, the South Carolina Lizard Man, the Lizard Man of Lee County, or simply the Swamp Monster depending on the source. It is described as being around seven to eight-feet tall with reptilian skin, red eyes, and long black nails at the end of its three fingers and toes. It is bipedal and reportedly very fast and apparently does not care for automobiles. Though it has been sighted throughout Lee County, the majority of the sightings seem to occur at Scape Ore Swamp. Early Reports Over the years, the area around Scape Ore Swamp, originally known as Scape Whore Swamp, had tales of a "wild man" that was believed to frequent nearby Highway 441, as well as a spattering of reported sightings of a Bigfoot-like creature. However it was the story of Lizard Man that would cause a sensation in the summer of 1988, though the first recorded sighting actually occurred in the fall of 1987. 31-year-old construction worker, George Holloman Jr., was riding his bike near Scape Ore Swamp around 12:30 A.M. when he stopped at a flowing stream to drink some water and smoke a cigarette. He then noticed a large object across the road that he initially believed to be a dead tree until it suddenly "stood up like a man." Just then a car passed by and the eyes suddenly seemed to glow, but he got no further looks as it quickly retreated back into the swamp after the car has passed. He told a county deputy about the experience in June of 1988, but the deputy quickly laughed it off. That was until similar reports started trickling in. Chris Davis The most famous account of the Lizard Man came from then-17-year-old local, Chris Davis. In the late hours near the end of June 1988, Davis was driving home in his 1976 Toyota Celica when one of his rear tires blew out. He stopped and changed the tire and was in the process of putting the tools back in the trunk when he heard something approaching him from behind. The following is detailed account that he would share with the AP Wire Service: "I looked back and saw something running across the field towards me. It was about 25 yards away and I saw red eyes glowing. I ran into the car and as I locked it, the thing grabbed the door handle. I could see him from the neck down - the three big fingers, long black nails and green rough skin. It was strong and angry. I looked in my mirror and saw a blur of green running. I could see his toes and then he jumped on the roof of my car. I thought I heard a grunt and then I could see his fingers through the front windshield, where they curled around on the roof. I sped up and swerved to shake the creature off." Davis immediately drove home and after his parents calmed him down, he recounted what had happened. His father went out to look at the car and found the driver's side mirror severely twisted and scratch-marks on the roof. The teenager initially kept quiet about his encounter until a report came out a few weeks later that nearby Bishopville sheriff Liston Truesdale was looking for the public's help in the investigation of a very strange act of vandalism to local residents Tom and Mary Waye's car. On July 14, 1988, the car had been parked on a country road and was heavily damaged in the middle of the night, though no one reported hearing any commotion. The entire electrical system had been pulled out from underneath the car, the hood ornament had been crushed, and there were long scratch marks along the body. What was astounding to the police was not the damage, but the strength and the size it must have took to cause the damage. Even stranger, when they investigated the surrounding area, they located deeply embedded and very strange tracks of some unknown animal. There were a few samples of red hair left behind on the car itself, which a local wildlife officer on the scene guessed to be that of a red fox, but the police were apparently not satisfied. When Davis's father heard the sheriff's plea, he convinced his son to go to the police and tell them about his encounter. Further Sightings In total, 12 witnesses claim to have seen the Lizard Man and most reported either being stalked or outright chased by the creature. Other reports of vandalism to automobiles also emerged, though the damage seemed limited in comparison to that of the Waye's car. The big break came on July 24 when teenagers, Rodney Nolf and Shane Stokes, were out with their girlfriends when something very large darted across the road 20-feet from their car, near the intersection of Interstate 20 and Highway 15. The two went to the police and reported what they saw. Around the same time, they received a call about some unnatural howls being heard in the same vicinity. They decided to investigate. Lee County Deputy Wayne Atkinson and state trooper Mike Hodge drove to nearby Bramlett Road and came across three 40-gallon cardboard drums that had been crushed and scattered on the road. Further investigation uncovered that saplings in the area had their tops ripped off about eight feet from the ground. They also found three-toed footprints that measured 14 inches long and 7 inches wide and followed them some 300 yards into the swamp. The following day, three plaster casts were made before the rain moved in and washed the rest of the prints away. The officials initially planned to send the tracks to experts, but by most accounts, they decided against it after being told that there was no way anyone would identify them as a known species of animal. There are other reports that state wildlife officials flat out declared the casts to be "phony." A Skunk Ape? Fueled by the large plaster casts of the mysterious footprints and a couple of sightings including descriptions of long, dark hair, theories soon shifted to a Bigfoot-like creature or Skunk Ape (as it is known in nearby Florida). The Skunk Ape is similar to a Bigfoot or Sasquatch, but has various different qualities than that of its better-known cousin in the Pacific Northwest. The Skunk Ape is said to be far more agile and move at a much greater speed, which fit with the account given by Chris Davis. Both a Bigfoot and Skunk Ape are also believed to cause vandalism to cars and have distinctive howls, which also matched Lizard Man reports. Still others were not entirely convinced and went with the much more logical explanation of a large bear in the area. The Lizard Man Sensation Whether the creature was a Lizard Man, Skunk Ape, red fox, or a bear, the story quickly became a media sensation and reporters and tourists alike descended upon the nearby town of Bishopville (see Bishopville, South Carolina). The authorities maintained that their investigation into the recent vandalism to cars was valid in the eyes of a skeptical media, whether they were tracking a human, known animal, or lizard-like creature. To further refine their point, every witness that came forward with sightings of the Lizard Man underwent polygraph tests. It was widely reported when the test was administered to Chris Davis and he passed showing no signs of deception in his story, but there doesn't appear to be further reports on the results of any of the others. By late August, the story had died down and there were no further sightings and life around Scape Ore Swamp once again returned to normal. The Lizard Man Today The Lizard Man of Scape Ore Swamp would disappear from the scene until July of 2005. At that time, the South Carolina Education Lottery Commission began running a series of ads that featured the state's infamous cryptid. In the series of four commercials, a faux-news team stumbles across the Lizard Man in Bishopville, after he re-emerges to play the Lottery's Palmetto Cash 5 game and subsequently wins. Perhaps not coincidentally, a report came out of the city of Newberry later that October of a woman who sighted two creatures she believed to be Lizard Men crossing her lawn. Reportedly, the responding officer reassured the woman that the Lizard Men "...just like to check on humans from time to time." Proponents of the Skunk Ape theory have pointed out that there has been a scattering of reports of a Bigfoot-like creature in the area since 1988, as well as the rest of South Carolina and into North Carolina. Reportedly, now former-Bishopville sheriff Truesdale has shared the same belief with other investigators over the years. However, the story of the Lizard Man of Scape Ore Swamp would again get airplay in the worldwide media in March 2008 when another car was heavily vandalized and animals were found dead on one resident's property in Bishopville. Whatever the case, there are people to this day that still believe that something strange is lurking in the dark waters of Scape Ore Swamp.

GPS Interface
Save Waypoint to Garmin Device.


User Trips
There are no user trips associated with this location.

Related Sites
Wikipedia: Lizard Man of Scape Ore Swamp Wikipedia's entry on the Lizard Man believed to reside in Scape Ore Swamp in Lee County, South Carolina.
Weird U.S.: The Lizard Man of the South Carolina Swamps Weird U.S.'s entry on the stories of a Lizard Man that many believe to live in the swamps of Lee County, South Carolina.

Similar Destinations
Bishopville, South Carolina
Mounds State Park, Indiana
Roxas City, Capiz, Philippines

See Also on TheCabinet.com
Blog: The Return of the Lizard Man (02/28/09)
Blog: On the Trail of the Lizard Man (07/24/09)

Available from Amazon.com
Best Ghost Tales of South Carolina
The South Carolina Lizard Man
Monster Spotter's Guide to North America
Mothman and Other Curious Encounters
The World's Most Incredible Stories:The Best of Fortean Times
Great Southern Mysteries
Hunting the American Werewolf
Monsters, Myths & Mysteries: A Tangled Tour Maze Book

User Options

	Edit this Location
	Manage Categories
	Add/Edit Related Sites
	Add/Edit Images
	Add/Edit My Trip
	Set Up Reminder
	User Trips (0)
	Comments (0)
	Dark Destinations Search
	Print Location

Images
There are no images associated with this location.

The above content is for informational purposes only. Before making any travel arrangements, it is highly recommended that you contact those in charge of the property to check for updated availability and hours of operation. While we do our best to keep this information updated, we cannot guarantee that it is completely valid and up to date. Any destination marked "Closed to the Public" is marked that for a reason and we discourage any visits or attempts to gain access to that facility. Similarly, take note of any "Travel Advisory" that may be associated with a destination. Finally, treat any location and its local residents with respect. Any vandalism and/or unruly behavior is completely despicable and only ruins the experience for future visitors.

There are 0 comments in the database.
User Comments	Order by: Most Recent \| Originally Submitted
There are currently no comments for this entry.

There are 0 comments in the database.
Add Comment \| Return to Index

Dark Destinations Search

Dark Destinations | Dark Traveler Library | Horror Blogs |
General Horror Quotes