TRANSCRIPT available ON REQUEST
On June 29, 1988, around 2:30 a.m., Christopher "Chris" Davis drove home after working the night shift at his local McDonald's. Driving along Browntown Road, which cuts through the dense woods of Scape Ore Swamp in South Carolina, Chris hears the pop of a flat tire on his car. As he finishes installing the spare, he notices something large and dark coming out of the trees, moving towards him about 30 yards away and swinging its arms. In an interview with The Item newspaper, Chris described seeing this humanoid creature with glowing red eyes close up, saying it was "green, wetlike, about seven feet tall and had three fingers... a red-eyed devil." Terrified, Davis ran to the driver's door and jumped in. Once inside, this bipedal beast was now right outside his window, where he could see it from the neck down. It then jumped up onto the roof of his car, where he could see its "rough-looking, black-fingernailed hands, sticking down from the windshield." The cryptid deeply grunts as Chris peels out, attempting to escape. As he estimated he was driving about 35-40 mph, this thing had caught up to the car and jumped onto the roof again, banging and clawing at it. The creature finally fell off as he swerved frantically, racing home. This encounter would become the best-known report of this impossible monster emerging from Scape Ore Swamp, but it was not the first, nor would it be the last.At least one verified account tells of a sighting occurring two years prior, and a handful of police reports describe run-ins that happened in the years following Davis's experience. Chris Davis never called it the "Lizard Man," but residents had already labeled some previously seen brute by that description. And when a local reporter printed the nickname, the moniker stuck in the broader public's imagination. Sheriff Liston Truesdale was the one person who vetted all the claims, took reports from witnesses, and investigated their stories. And we're fortunate and grateful to have on our show tonight the one person who spent time interviewing Sheriff Truesdale, questioned locals, visited locations, and wrote a book about it all, our friend and noted cryptozoology researcher and author Lyle Blackburn. Lyle's 2013 book, Lizard Man: The True Story of the Bishopville Monster, is the phenomenon's most comprehensive and detailed history. As the sightings and questions continue, perhaps the most puzzling and troubling thing is whether everyone sees the same being and whether it is reptilian, more Bigfoot-like, or some other horror altogether.
Scape Ore Swamp near Bishopville, South Carolina from the US Geological Survey website
Bishopville, South Carolina“Lizard Man on the Loose South Carolina” CNN news report from the RevengeofShinobi1 YouTube channel
“Sumter man killed; ‘discovered’ Lizard Man” from The State newspaper, via The Wayback Machine
“A Search for Mysteries and Monsters in Small Town America” from Smithsonian Magazine
The location where Chris Davis said he pulled over to change the flat. Photo by Lyle Blackburn.
Photo of Chris Davis circa 1988. Photo courtesy of The Item newspaper, via Lizard Man: The True Story of the Bishopville Monster
Location:
Bishopville, South Carolina, the largest town near Scape Ore Swamp, home of the Lizard Man and/or other large cryptids.
Click HERE or go to patreon.com/astonishinglegends to become one of our Patreon members and receive exclusive offerings, like our bonus Astonishing Junk Drawer episodes (posted every weekend the main show is dark) commercial-free episodes, and more!
FIND OTHER GREAT DEALS FROM OUR SHOW’S SPONSORS BY CLICKING HERE!
Featured
Cremo
It’s time to elevate and enhance your hygiene routine with Cremo Body Wash. Cremo combines rich, lathering, and hydrating formulas with meticulously balanced, multi-layered fragrances for a superior shower experience. Their Bourbon Vanilla Body Wash invigorates the senses with bold distillers’ spices perfectly balanced with notes of rich Madagascar vanilla and aged oak to create a shower experience that meets even the highest of standards. Cremo works with master perfumers to make sure that every Cremo body wash scent is meticulously blended and refined, and their hard work definitely shows. Cremo also offers a wide range of other grooming products for men, including shave cream, beard oil, and shampoo, all in a variety of distinct masculine scents. You can find Cremo Men’s Body Wash in its new, distinctive Bourbon Vanilla scent at Walmart or Walmart.com.
Read More →
Zocdoc
No one knows what you’re looking for in a doctor better than you. And no one’s better at giving you the tools to find the perfect doctor than Zocdoc. Zocdoc is a FREE app and website where you can search and compare highly-rated, in-network doctors near you and instantly book appointments with them online. And these docs all have verified reviews from actual, real patients. We’re talking about booking appointments with tens of thousands of top-rated, patient-reviewed, credible doctors and specialists. You can filter specifically for ones who take your insurance and are located near you and treat basically any condition you’re searching for. The typical wait time to see a doctor booked on Zocdoc is between just 24-72 hours. You can even score same-day appointments. Go to Zocdoc.com/LEGENDS and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. Then find and book a top-rated doctor today!
Read More →
Squarespace
Go to Squarespace.com/LEGENDS for a free trial and when you’re ready to launch, use the Offer Code "LEGENDS" to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.
Read More →
Mint Mobile
Mint Mobile – After years of fine-print contracts and getting ripped off by “Overpriced Wireless” providers, you might be thinking that with Mint Mobile’s wireless plans starting at just $15 a month when you purchase a 3-month plan, there’s gotta be a catch. But trust us, there isn’t one! Mint Mobile’s secret sauce is that they sell wireless service online. They cut out the cost of retail stores and pass those sweet savings directly to you. All plans come with unlimited talk and text + high-speed data delivered on the nation’s largest 5G network. Use your own phone with any Mint Mobile plan and bring your phone number, along with all your existing contacts. To get this new customer offer and your new 3-month unlimited wireless plan for just $15 bucks a month, go to MintMobile.com/AL. $45 upfront payment required (equivalent to $15/mo.). New customers on first 3-month plan only. Speeds slower above 40GB on Unlimited plan. Additional taxes, fees & restrictions apply. See Mint Mobile for details.
Read More →
CREDITS:
Episode 285: The Lizard Man of Bishopville with Lyle Blackburn. Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess. Audio Editing by Sarah Vorhees Wendel of VW Sound. Music and Sound Design by Allen Carrescia. Tess Pfeifle, Producer and Lead Researcher. Ed Voccola, Technical Producer. Research Support from The Astonishing Research Corps, or "A.R.C." for short. Copyright 2024 Astonishing Legends Productions, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
, Conversations, Cryptids
Stephen Montevoy
2024, 285, Lizard Man, Lee County, Bishopville, South Carolina, Scape Ore Swamp, Lyle Blackburn, Monster, Browntown, Christopher Davis, Sheriff Liston Truesdale, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Bigfoot, Sasquatch, Sumpter, The Item, The State
Comment