In the 1970s, the small town of Dover, Massachusetts entered the annals of cryptozoology when multiple sightings of a mysterious creature were reported. The Dover Demon, as it came to be known, had a humanoid form with strange, otherworldly characteristics. Even decades later, a satisfactory explanation has not been reached.
The main and most publicized sightings of the Dover Demon were made during a 26-hour period in 1977. Other potential sightings have also occurred before and after. Here are summaries of the various reported incidents.
April 21, 1977
17-year-old Bill Bartlett was driving down rural Farm Street, near Bridge Street, at approximately 10:30 p.m. when the car’s headlights illuminated a strange creature standing atop a stone wall. It was humanoid in shape, but with a large egg-like head, small body, and long limbs. It had glassy, orange glowing eyes and no mouth or nose. Its fingers were tendril-like and it had rough, peach-colored skin. Bartlett’s two friends who were also in the car did not see the creature, as they were distracted in conversation. Upon arriving home, Bartlett drew a picture of what he had seen.
The Bridge on Bridge St
Farm St with some of its stone walls in view
Sketch by Bill Bartlett – Source: Wikipedia
April 22, 1977
At approximately 12:30 a.m., 15-year-old John Baxter was walking home along Miller Road after leaving his girlfriend’s house. As he neared Farm Street, he saw a small figure with a large head walking towards him. Thinking that it was a neighbor (who had a similar appearance due to a condition), he called out and approached. When Baxter was about 15 feet away, he realized that whatever stood before him was too small to be the neighbor. The creature then raced into the woods and Baxter followed out of curiosity. He eventually got a good look at the creature’s silhouette as it was standing next to a tree, holding onto the trunk. It was less than 4 feet tall with a large head, glowing eyes, thin limbs, and feet that were wrapping around the rocks beneath it. Baxter felt concerned that the creature might try to attack, so he ran back to the street. He later drew a picture of what he saw, which closely resembles Bartlett’s. (Please note: this incident occurred approximately two hours after Bartlett saw the creature.)
April 22/23, 1977
At approximately midnight, 15 year-old Abby Brabham was being driven home by her boyfriend. While on Springdale Avenue, Brabham saw a creature sitting near the road. She described it has having a large head, which looked like a watermelon, and glowing green eyes that were potentially caused by reflection from the headlights. The creature had no other facial features, no hair, and its skin was a tan color. She drew a picture that shows a large-headed creature with an elongated body and four short legs. (This was the evening after Bartlett and Baxter saw the creature.)
A stretch of Springdale Ave
1978
While parked in a car with his girlfriend, Bill Bartlett heard a thud on the vehicle. He then saw a small figure running away. Bartlett states that he is unsure if this was the creature he had seen the previous year or just a mischievous child.
1972
Mark Sennott and some friends were at Channing Pond on Springdale Avenue when they saw a figure moving at the edge of the pond by the woods. It was illuminated by their headlights and they were unsure if it was an animal. Sennott recounted the incident in a 2006 interview and stated that the police were informed at the time. (Please note, Sprindale Avenue is the same street where Brabham’s sighting took place.)
Channing Pond
Another side of Channing Pond
Wooded area north of the pond
Explanations
The three sightings in 1977 gained quite a bit of notoriety. A number of newspaper articles were written about the creature and prominent cryptozoologist Loren Coleman led an investigation into the case. Coleman was actually the one to name the creature “Dover Demon.” Not surprisingly, a number of theories and explanations have been put forward by various people as to what the Dover Demon actually was. Here are a few:
- Hoax: Some have argued that the teenagers were simply playing a prank. According to one contemporary newspaper article, the police stated that the creature reports were “probably nothing more than a school vacation hoax.” However, this same article quotes the police chief as saying that Bill Bartlett was “a reliable witness.” In a newspaper interview from 2006, which was almost 30 years after the sightings, Bill Bartlett maintained that he saw a creature that night. The former police chief was also contacted for that article and he stated that the witnesses were “good kids … pretty reliable kids.” Additionally, Loren Coleman believed that the sightings were not a hoax, based on his contemporary interviews with the three witnesses.
- Misidentified Regional Animal: There are theories that the teens misidentified a foal (juvenile horse) or a moose calf. Given the nighttime conditions, the head of one of these animals could have appeared oblong and featureless. Also, its limbs would seem lanky. The other strange traits described would have just been misinterpretations. Others would argue that this explanation doesn’t adequately account for everything in the reports (such as the elongated fingers, hairless body, and movements). Coleman states that a moose at that time of year would be quite large and, during his investigation, he couldn’t find any local horse owners who were missing a foal.
- Misidentified Exotic Animal: It has been proposed that the creature was some kind of monkey. If this were the case, one would assume it must have escaped from an enclosure somewhere. Interestingly, each of the three main reports seems to acknowledge at least some similarity to a primate. In Brabham’s account, she at first thought the creature was like an ape before she started perceiving more details. Baxter wondered if it might be a monkey while he was trying to discern the silhouette. Bartlett compared the creature’s size to that of a monkey. Of course, with the additional characteristics described in the various accounts, a monkey doesn’t quite fit.
- Alien: Some of the Dover Demon’s described traits do bear a resemblance to the traditional imagery of gray aliens – especially the large head, featureless face, and small frame. It has been stated that there were no UFO reports in the area during that time period.
- Undiscovered Animal: Perhaps the Dover Demon is a member of an animal species that has not yet been identified by modern science. Another interpretation may be that it was a mutated, and thus unrecognizable, member of a known species.
Picnic tables at Channing Pond
Woodlands Reseve on Farm St
Conclusions
Given that the major sightings were over 40 years ago, it’s hard to imagine that the case of the Dover Demon will ever be fully resolved. Was it a moose calf or something much more mysterious? Whatever it was, the Dover Demon has entered popular lore and will continue to be a subject of speculation. When I visited the area where the sightings occurred, I saw that there was a lot of wooded and conservation land in the vicinity. It’s not hard to imagine that some kind of strange creature was able to reside in or travel through this area in relative obscurity. Although I didn’t see the Dover Demon, I certainly enjoyed the natural and picturesque surroundings.
A segment of stone wall on Farm St
Locations
In regard to the street sightings, I am unaware of the precise spots. I chose to visit locations in the general vicinity that have off-street parking and are open to the public. I have read that on-street parking in Dover is not permitted.
Bridge Street Landing
5 Bridge Street
Dover, MA 02030
Official Site: https://www.doverma.org/381/Charles-River-Boat-Landing
Chase Woodlands and Peters Reservation
(Chase Woodlands Parking Area)
Farm Street
Dover, MA 02030
Official Site: https://thetrustees.org/place/chase-woodlands/
Channing Pond
Springdale Avenue
Dover, MA 02030
Official Site: http://www.doverrec.com/facilities/channing-pond/
Sources
“The Demon of Dover.” Massachusetts UFO Resource Site. Reprint of: Nyman, Joseph. “Investigation Into The Reports of an Unknown Creature Seen In Dover, Massachusetts April 21-22, 1977.” http://www.cellarwalls.com/ufo/doverdemon.htm.
“The Dover Demon.” Strange New England. http://www.strange-new-england.com/2015/10/21/dover-demon/.
Kramer, Bret. “The Dover Demon, 40 Years Later, part 1.” Sentinel Hill Press. April 21, 2017. https://sentinelhillpress.com/2017/04/21/the-dover-demon-40-years-later-part-1/.
Nadel, Darcie. “The Mystery of the Dover Demon.” Exemplore. June 25, 2020. https://exemplore.com/cryptids/The-Mystery-of-the-Dover-Demon.
Sullivan, Mark. “Decades later, the Dover Demon still haunts.” The Boston Globe. October 29, 2006. http://archive.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/10/29/decades_later_the_dover_demon_still_haunts/.
“Teeners report ‘creature.’” Bangor Daily News. May 16, 1977. https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2457&dat=19770516&id=6g00AAAAIBAJ&sjid=qCMIAAAAIBAJ&pg=1296,52869.
Written by A. P. Sylvia
