New Hampshire

1Wood Devils Told story

Ape-like · Coos County, around Dixville Notch, Pittsburg, Colebrook and Errol · first reported 1930s (logging camp talk) · also called Woods Devil, Coos County Wood Devil

In the far north of New Hampshire, the Great North Woods of Coos County, loggers once told of Wood Devils. The creature in these stories is tall, thin and covered in gray, matted hair, with a long face that some witnesses compared to a horse or moose. It is said to be shy, fast, and good at slipping behind tree trunks, and to let out loud screams at night. Rumors began in the lumber camps of the 1930s. Later reports are tied to Dixville Notch, Route 3 near Pittsburg, Colebrook and Errol. Researchers group it with Bigfoot reports, while others see it as a cousin of the old lumberjack tall tales about creatures that hide behind trees.

• 1948Told story George Lavoie reported a tall, hairy figure with a horse-like face while returning to his campsite. Source: nhstateparks.org
• 1952Told story Robert Goulet said he met an eight-foot creature near Dixville Notch and shot at it. Source: nhstateparks.org
• 1977Told story A Pittsburg resident, named in one compilation as John Horrigan, reported a tall gray-haired figure crossing Route 3. Source: preston-posits.com
• 1997Told story An Errol man reported a very tall, long-limbed gray figure at night along Route 26. Source: preston-posits.com

Visiting: Dixville Notch State Park on Route 26 is public land in the heart of the reports.

2Danville Devil Monkey On the record

Beast · Danville, Rockingham County · first reported September 2001 · also called Devil Monkey of New Hampshire

For about two weeks in September 2001, the small town of Danville in southern New Hampshire was caught up in reports of a strange primate. People heard odd howls first, then some said they saw an animal moving in a hopping gait, often compared to a cross between a baboon and a kangaroo. The town fire chief, David Kimball, was among those who reported seeing it. A search party went out but found nothing, and the reports stopped as suddenly as they began. Most residents seem to have settled on an escaped exotic pet. Cryptid writers file it with the Devil Monkey reports from Virginia and elsewhere, which describe a similar leaping, long-legged primate.

• September 2001On the record Fire Chief David Kimball and several residents reported a dark, reddish-brown primate-like animal near Pleasant Street and Kingston Road. A search party organized that month came up empty. Source: preston-posits.com
• 2012Told story A later witness, named in one compilation as Michelle Andino, was linked to a new report from the area. Source: folkbestiary.com

3Derry Fairy Told story

Humanoid · Derry, Rockingham County · first reported December 15, 1956

The Derry Fairy rests on one man's story. Alfred Horne said that in December 1956 he came face to face with a tiny green being about two feet tall, with wrinkled skin like an elephant's, drooping ears and dark hollows where eyes should be. He said the two stared at each other for a long time, and when he tried to grab it, it screamed and the encounter ended. Horne later described the event in letters to Boston UFO researcher Walter Webb in the early 1960s. A local historian confirmed that a man by that name lived in Derry in that era. Nothing else supports the account, so researchers treat it as a single-witness story.

• December 15, 1956Told story Alfred Horne said he watched a small green humanoid for about twenty minutes before trying to capture it, at which point it screamed and he gave up. Source: preston-posits.com

4Dublin Lake Monster Told story

Water monster · Dublin Lake, Dublin, Cheshire County · first reported Early 1980s (rumor) · also called Dublin Pond Monster

Dublin Lake is a deep, clear lake in southwestern New Hampshire, and its monster story is really a campfire tale about a diver. As it is usually told, a diver went down alone to find the bottom of the lake, which locals said had no bottom. He was found days later in the woods, naked and unable to speak sensibly about what he had seen, and was supposedly placed in care. The creature itself is never described. Folklorists note the tale has the classic shape of an urban legend, with no names, dates or records. Local rumor has also connected the lake to a hidden cavern and even a sunken spaceship.

• Early 1980sTold story The core story: an unnamed diver explored the lake bottom, reached an underwater cave, and was later found disoriented and naked in the woods. No record of the diver has been found. Source: preston-posits.com