Overview
Scape Ore Swamp lies near Bishopville, the seat of Lee County in the farm country of central South Carolina, just off Interstate 20. The swamp and the nearby crossroads of Browntown became famous in 1988 as the home of the Lizard Man.
The story began with Christopher Davis, a young man driving home from a night shift. He said he got a flat tire near the swamp, and as he finished changing it, a creature came at him from the woods. He described it as green, wet-looking, about seven feet tall, with three fingers and red eyes. He said it jumped onto his car as he drove away.
In mid-July 1988, Lee County Sheriff Liston Truesdale's office looked into a report of a damaged car near Browntown, with what were described as tooth marks, scratches, hair and muddy footprints. Davis came forward around then to say his own encounter had happened two weeks earlier. The sheriff later said this was the start of claims that grew into the Lizard Man story.
The story spread to more than 100 newspapers. Radio station WCOS offered a $1 million reward for a live capture, and local shops sold Lizard Man merchandise. Later reports followed in 2008 and 2015. Today the South Carolina Cotton Museum in Bishopville keeps footprint casts and newspaper clippings from 1988.
Visiting
Where: Bishopville, Lee County, SC, off I-20. The South Carolina Cotton Museum is at 121 W Cedar Lane, north side of downtown.
Access: The Cotton Museum displays 1988 footprint casts and newspaper articles, and staff can point visitors toward the original sighting area. Land along the swamp is mostly private and reached by rural roads: stay on public roads, do not trespass, and do not wade into the swamp, which has snakes and biting insects. Nearby Lee State Park has a public boardwalk into swamp habitat.
Events: No official festival confirmed.
Timeline
- Late June 1988Christopher Davis's encounter, by his account about two weeks before he reported it.
- July 14, 1988The sheriff's office investigates a damaged car near Browntown; Davis comes forward.
- Summer 1988National media coverage; WCOS offers a $1 million reward; tourists and merchandise follow.
- 2008A Bishopville couple reports damage to their vehicle, including blood traces, and CNN links it to the legend.
- 2015Charleston TV station WCIV airs photos and video said to show the Lizard Man.
Reported sightings
Road by Scape Ore Swamp, near Browntown
Late June 1988, about 2 a.m. On the record
Christopher Davis said he stopped to change a flat tire near the swamp on his way home from work. A creature he described as green, wet-looking, about seven feet tall with three fingers and red eyes came toward him, and he said it jumped onto his car as he sped off. He told his story to the sheriff's office in mid-July.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgNear Browntown, outside Bishopville
July 14, 1988 On the record
The Lee County sheriff's office investigated a car found with damage described as tooth marks and scratches, along with hair and muddy footprints. Sheriff Liston Truesdale later said this report was where the various claims began that grew into the Lizard Man story.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgBishopville
2008 On the record
A Bishopville couple reported damage to their vehicle, including traces of blood. CNN mentioned the Lizard Man legend in its coverage of the story, reviving interest twenty years after the first reports.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgLee County area
2015 On the record
Charleston TV station WCIV aired photos and videos said to show the Lizard Man, credited to a Jim Wilson and others who were not identified. The images were not independently verified.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgEvidence
Damaged car (July 1988) Unexplained
Tooth marks, scratches, hair and muddy footprints reported by the sheriff's office.
Footprint casts Disputed
Casts from 1988 are displayed at the South Carolina Cotton Museum.
Davis's account Disputed
Investigator Ben Radford found shifting details and called it riddled with implausibilities.
What each side says
What witnesses and researchers report
Supporters point out that Davis was a young local man with nothing obvious to gain, that he reported to the sheriff, and that law enforcement took a related damaged-car report seriously enough to investigate.
They also note that new reports, including vehicle damage in 2008, have kept surfacing around Bishopville long after the media left.
What skeptics and scientists suggest
Investigator Ben Radford argues Davis's story changed in the retelling, that seeing such detail at 2 a.m. in thick woods is unlikely, and that accounts of the car damage contradict each other. He calls the case riddled with implausibilities and impossibilities.
Investigator Alicia Lutz suggests Davis may have run into a local farmer, Lucious Elmore, who had been guarding his property after a string of thefts. Skeptics also note the strong commercial pull of the story once the reward and merchandise appeared.
Open questions
- What caused the damage to the car found near Browntown in July 1988?
- Who made the 2008 and 2015 claims, and were they examined?
Did you know?
- Radio station WCOS offered $1 million for the Lizard Man captured alive.
- The Cotton Museum is mainly an agricultural and veterans museum, with the Lizard Man as a popular side exhibit.