North Carolina – The Beast of Bladenboro
In the early 1950s, dogs were found dead, drained of their blood, in Bladenboro. In 1953, a woman went out to investigate why her neighbor’s dogs were whining, and she claims she saw a “large, cat like creature” feeling the yard. Over the next few days, over half a dozen dogs died, including one by decapitation. Eventually, a human was attacked by said beast, but the person lived and said beast fled into the woods. The town has now embraced their urban legend, hosting a “Beast Fest” every year. Beastfest boasts a weird black cat mascot thing in a hot pink tee shirt, country music, and special guest appearances by Miss North Carolina.
You missed the boat on New Jersey! THE JERSEY DEVIL is most definitely the official haunting creature of the Garden State. Long before NJ was even a state, the legend of the Jersey Devil began. It was the 13th child of Mrs Leeds, who had no desire for another baby. According to legend, she cursed the baby even before it was born. At its birth, the creature assumed otherworldly dimension and flew up the chimney of the home. Since then, the Devil regularly haunts the Pine Barrens of New Jersey, frightening all it encounters. On the eve of a National tragedy, the Devil is said to appear at many varied places in the state to warn of evils to come (most notably in December 1941, just before Pearl Harbor.)