Dover Demon
The Dover Demon: Massachusetts’ Most Bizarre Cryptid
A Strange Encounter in a Quiet Town
On the nights of April 21 and 22, 1977, three teenagers in Dover, Massachusetts, claimed to have seen a bizarre, otherworldly creature lurking in the dark. The being—described as hairless, with glowing eyes, long limbs, and a head shaped like a watermelon—was unlike anything they had ever encountered before.
Dubbed the Dover Demon by cryptozoologist Loren Coleman, this eerie entity has puzzled researchers for decades. Was it an alien, a mutated animal, a misidentified creature, or something even stranger?
Over forty years later, the Dover Demon remains one of the most baffling and unexplained cryptid cases in American history.
The 1977 Sightings
Bill Bartlett’s Encounter (April 21, 1977 – 10:30 p.m.)
The first sighting occurred when 17-year-old William “Bill” Bartlett was driving along Farm Street with two friends. His car’s headlights illuminated a strange figure perched atop a stone wall.
Bartlett described the creature as:
- Roughly 3–4 feet tall
- Hairless, with sandpaper-like peach-colored skin
- A massive, round head with glowing orange eyes
- Long, thin limbs with spindly fingers
- No visible mouth, nose, or ears
Bartlett later sketched the Dover Demon, writing beneath his drawing:
“I, Bill Bartlett, swear on a stack of Bibles that I saw this creature.”
John Baxter’s Encounter (April 22, 1977 – 12:30 a.m.)
Just two hours later, 15-year-old John Baxter was walking home from his girlfriend’s house when he spotted a strange figure approaching him. Thinking it was a neighbor, Baxter called out—but the figure did not respond.
As Baxter got closer, the creature bolted into the woods, running on two legs. Curious, he followed it into a gully. There, standing next to a tree, was the Dover Demon, clinging to the trunk with long fingers.
Baxter described the same features as Bartlett:
- A massive head and glowing eyes
- Spindly limbs with elongated fingers
- No visible facial features
Feeling an intense, eerie presence, Baxter ran back to the road and away from the creature.
Abby Brabham and Will Taintor’s Encounter (April 22, 1977 – Midnight)
Later that night, 15-year-old Abby Brabham and her 18-year-old boyfriend, Will Taintor, were driving along Springdale Avenue when they saw a strange being crouched on the roadside.
Brabham’s description matched Bartlett’s and Baxter’s accounts except for one detail—the eyes were glowing green instead of orange.
Brabham later stated:
“It looked like a baby’s body with long arms and legs.”
Taintor only caught a brief glimpse of the creature, but both were deeply unsettled by the encounter.
Investigations and Theories
The Dover Demon’s three sightings occurred within 25 hours in an area covering just two miles. Given the short time frame and the consistency among the witnesses, investigators took the case seriously.
Cryptozoologist Loren Coleman quickly gathered a team of researchers, including:
- Joseph Nyman
- Ed Fogg
- Walter Webb (assistant director of Boston’s Hayden Planetarium)
The teenagers were interviewed separately and provided remarkably consistent descriptions of the creature. They passed credibility tests and were not known for playing pranks.
Despite this, skeptics and scientists have debated several possible explanations for the Dover Demon.
What Was the Dover Demon? Theories & Explanations
1. An Alien Encounter
Some researchers believe the Dover Demon could be an extraterrestrial. Its large head, glowing eyes, and humanoid shape resemble descriptions of “Grey” aliens.
However, no UFOs were reported in the area at the time, making this theory speculative.
2. A Mutant or Unknown Species
Another theory suggests that the Dover Demon was a mutated animal or an undiscovered species.
Some believe it could be:
- A deformed primate
- A genetic mutation caused by environmental factors
- A species that usually remains hidden but was accidentally spotted
However, no physical evidence (fur, footprints, or DNA) has ever been found.
3. A Misidentified Animal
Skeptics argue that the witnesses may have simply misidentified a common animal in the darkness.
Possible candidates include:
- A foal (young horse) or moose calf – The large head, lanky limbs, and awkward movements could resemble a baby animal. However, a newborn moose would still be much larger than the reported creature.
- A snowy owl – Skeptic Joe Nickell suggested that a snowy owl carrying prey could have been mistaken for a humanoid figure. The owl’s white plumage might have reflected car headlights, creating an eerie glow.
- An escaped exotic animal – Some suggest the Dover Demon could have been a lost pet monkey or another exotic animal.
While plausible, none of these explanations perfectly match the creature’s appearance and behavior.
4. A Hoax or Mass Hysteria
Some believe the sightings were either a hoax or a case of mass hysteria.
- The Dover Police initially dismissed the reports as a “school vacation hoax.”
- 1977 was the year Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind were released—movies featuring strange alien beings.
- However, all three witnesses maintained their stories for decades and showed genuine fear during interviews.
If it was a hoax, no one ever came forward to admit fabricating the story.
The Legacy of the Dover Demon
Though the creature was never seen again, the Dover Demon remains a major figure in cryptozoology.
Pop Culture References
The Dover Demon has appeared in:
- Lost Tapes (Animal Planet horror series)
- Comic books like Proof, The Perhapanauts, and The Pound
- The manga Dandadan, featuring a crustacean-like alien named after the Dover Demon
- Video games and internet horror stories
Continued Interest
Despite decades of investigation, the mystery remains unsolved. No fossils, bodies, or additional sightings have provided further clues about what the creature might have been.
Unlike cryptids such as Bigfoot or the Chupacabra, the Dover Demon’s story is uniquely strange—a brief, unexplained event that has never been repeated.
Final Thoughts: A One-Time Encounter or an Ongoing Mystery?
The Dover Demon case is one of the most perplexing cryptid encounters in history. It was:
- Witnessed by multiple people in a short time frame
- Consistently described with little variation
- Investigated seriously by experts
Yet, the creature has never been seen again, leaving only speculation and debate.
Was the Dover Demon an unknown species, an extraterrestrial visitor, or simply a trick of the imagination?
Until more evidence emerges, it remains one of America’s strangest cryptid legends.
So, if you ever find yourself driving down Farm Street at night—keep your eyes on the stone walls.
You never know what might be watching you from the darkness.