Local Urban Legends

[Aesop Rocks]

Does anyone have any urban legends that they'd like to share? I just found out the best on in my town, and it's about time travel.

A former St Joseph teacher’s theory that time travel is too difficult because, feasibly, one could only move through time and not space. The teacher proved this theory by building a time machine and sending his cat a few seconds through time but not space. The cat ended up a block away because of the Earth’s movement.

This urban legend—like all good urban legends—is based on a real story.

Stanberry, Missouri resident Michael Marcum (sometimes misidentified as Markham), 21, was arrested in January 1995 for stealing six 350-pound St Joseph Light & Power Company transformers in King City, Missouri.

When experimenting with a homemade Jacob’s Ladder, a small screw came into contact with the electrical charge, disappeared and re-appeared across the room. The discovery prompted Marcum to seek more power. After finding and loading all 6 transformers into his backyard, he wired up the first and only transformer and promptly blacked out Stanberry. Local police responded to his home on an unrelated vandalism call and discovered the stolen transformers. Marcum served 60 days for the theft.

Sometime after his Stanberry arrest, Marcum moved into an apartment in St Joseph (209 1/2 S 13th St, the address Marcum twice listed on-air for correspondence) where he called a syndicated AM radio show focused on the paranormal and fringe-sciences called, Coast-to-Coast AM hosted by Art Bell and claimed he was “a month away” from perfecting his time machine. This was his second interview on the show.

An article in the December 8th, 1996 New York Times about Marcum’s radio appearance reads:

In late September, Marcum vanished, and The St. Joseph News-Press chillingly reported that he’d been evicted from his apartment, allegedly for transporting a cat ”a block away.” Marcum resurfaced last month, taking umbrage with ”the cat deal — it just ain’t true.”

 

[Spider-ManHero12]

I don't remember exactly what the story is, but somehwere in my state, not too far away from my city, there's this hill. It's cool looking during the day, but kind of creepy at night. Well, something happened there years ago in the 70's or 80's or possibly eventhe 60's or something. I think there were 2 lovers there on the hill or just the guy himself, and I heard it was a very dark night. Turns out, the next day, they found that the person(s) had been decapitated on that hill.

 

[OtherwiseKnownAs]

I know that there have been many sightings of the "Goat Man" in my state. Also there is a purported "Cry baby bridge" around where he has been sighted.

 

[Spider-Vader]

Goat Man!? I HAVE FOUND MY LIFE'S PURPROSE!

 

[BizarroAids]

Ricky Road Killer. He cuts off your penis and hangs it from the trees. I **** you not. It's true.

 

[Silvermoth]

There's a local legend where I'm from that an indigenous man was hanged by colonialists in the mountains where I live so his ghost wonders the mountains finding white people and hanging them from trees.