For several hundred years, tales of the Snallygaster have terrified the people of Frederick County, Maryland. Described as being half-reptile and half-bird, this winged creature is said to live deep in the caves of South Mountain. Legend has it, this mysterious monster swoops down from the sky and steals children and chickens from unsuspecting farm folk. Some say it's real. Some say it's a myth. But when they see it coming, they all say... "Better run and hide...the Snallygaster's comin' to get ya!"

The rails and covered bridges of Frederick County are framed by the waters of the Potomac River to the south and the Mason-Dixon line to the north. The county rests at a crossroads of Maryland cultures and history, and journalist Marie Anne Erickson sought out the oldest members of this diverse community to record their colorful stories. Twenty years after the articles appeared as the "Crossroads" series for Frederick Magazine, Ingrid Price has compiled her mother's fascinating essays for the first time. Stories of Civil War battles and Prohibition-era raids share the pages with memories of sledding by moonlight and the hunt for the mythical Snallygaster in Erickson's spirited history. From Brunswick to Mount Airy and from Emmitsburg to Point of Rocks, discover an affectionate and occasionally offbeat portrait of Frederick County.

A fascinating survey of the entire history of tall tales, folklore, and mythology in the United States from earliest times to the present, including stories and myths from the modern era that have become an essential part of contemporary popular culture. Folklore has been a part of American culture for as long as humans have inhabited North America, and increasingly formed an intrinsic part of American culture as diverse peoples from Europe, Africa, Asia, and Oceania arrived. In modern times, folklore and tall tales experienced a rejuvenation with the emergence of urban legends and the growing popularity of science fiction and conspiracy theories, with mass media such as comic books, television, and films contributing to the retelling of old myths. This multi-volume encyclopedia will teach readers the central myths and legends that have formed American culture since its earliest years of settlement. Its entries provide a fascinating glimpse into the collective American imagination over the past 400 years through the stories that have shaped it. Organized alphabetically, the coverage includes Native American creation myths, "tall tales" like George Washington chopping down his father's cherry tree and the adventures of "King of the Wild Frontier" Davy Crockett, through to today's "urban myths." Each entry explains the myth or legend and its importance and provides detailed information about the people and events involved. Each entry also includes a short bibliography that will direct students or interested general readers toward other sources for further investigation. Special attention is paid to African American folklore, Asian American folklore, and the folklore of other traditions that are often overlooked or marginalized in other studies of the topic.

Find out about all the strange phenomena that abounds in Virginia.

Concepts are black and white. Ideas are black and white. But the world we live in is a steely gray, and along with the future and past, much remains hidden to the average person. Inside this book are chilling tales of what might have been, what could be, and what may be already. From jungles to deserts, from past to future, the people, places, and things within each story may be completely different, but each account has a collective purpose--to reveal. These short stories seek to pierce through the fog of mystery and deliver frightful messages that make even the most steadfast in their own knowledge hesitate, reflect, and ask, "What if?" These narratives are written to make you pause at that mysterious creak in your house when you know it's just you alone at home, to look over your shoulder on that moonlit walk when the sound of footsteps tracing yours reaches your ears, and take heed of the sounds surrounding you in the forest when you are at peace and think all is well: For when you take the time to peer through the enshrouding mists that veil the world and its history, you never know what you'll find staring right back at you.