Abandoned town, monster beneath NC lake: 6 eerie legends with real historic roots in NC

Our state has folklore great and small – from the eerie Santer to the mysterious Moon-Eyed people – with roots in oral and written historic tradition.

While no North Carolinian knows the real stories behind these strange myths, we do know the tales date back generations and play an important role in the overall culture of North Carolina.

For locals who love mystery and hidden history, here are six mystical creatures with historic backgrounds in North Carolina.

The legend of Mermaid Point dates back to the 1700s, when Revolutionary War soldiers claimed to see mermaids sitting on a sandbar, washing seawater from their hair in the moonlight. According to the legend, the mermaids swam up the Cape Fear from the Atlantic Ocean.

Near the sandbar, which is a real place that earned the nickname Mermaid's Point, was at the intersection of the Deep River and Haw River, right near the headwaters of the Cape Fear. On the riverbank stood a watering hole named Ramsey's Tavern, where soldiers congregated for drinks in the evenings.

Mermaids were spotted multiple times throughout the war – but it's notable that they were always seen after a long night of drinking, and during a particularly stressful time in America's history.

Ramsey's Tavern and mill played a major role in serving patriots during the Revolutionary War. The British Army seized control of Ramsey's Mill after the Battle of Guilford Courthouse in 1781. Several skirmishes played out in the area – and after the battles, the mermaids were never seen again.

Over the passing decades, Mermaid's Point eventually flooded and is now underwater. Ramsey's Tavern is also gone without a trace, save a historic roadway sign marking Ramsey's Tavern.

The legend began in 1953, when terrified locals claimed to find their beloved pets with crushed skulls – or with all the blood drained from them.

"According to some locals, the killings happened nearly 200 miles apart, stretching from Bladenboro to the Charlotte area," explains an article in Bladen Online, "Some people said the beast was living in the swamp."

The beast was described as an eerie twist between a cat and a dog, looming nearly 5 feet long, with long vampire fangs and wild black hair.

Dating even farther back, the tale of the Santer – another local beast that hunts livestock and pets – originates in the late 1800s.

The wife opened the front door to check on her neighbors, when the Santer sprang at her in the darkness. However, her husband got his pistol and chased the creature away before it could harm her.

Given that the Beast of Bladenboro was said to wander up to 200 miles, is it possible the Beast and the Santer are one-in-the-same?

Tucked away in the 50,000 acres of the Uwharrie National Forest is the legendary home of North Carolina's own Bigfoot.

Even as visitors camp, hike, boat and fish in the idyllic forest, they may not realize they've tramped right into Bigfoot's habitat. The nearby Town of Troy embraces their connection with Bigfoot to increase tourism.

Locals and hikers have reported mysterious sounds coming from the Uwharrie National Forest – everything from unearthly screams to knocks on tree trunks, so loud that the echoes carry for miles. Hikers have also claimed to have their tents shaken in the night.

Then, of course, there are the mysterious footprints.

Several locals have created casts of huge muddy footprints discovered in the woods. The reports are credible enough that Animal Planet visited the area in 2011 for their series "Finding Bigfoot."

In fact, many unusual things lurk beneath Lake Norman.

Divers who go deep enough can find remnants of the lost city.

It is amongst the sunken city and airplane that a monster named Normie is rumored to live. Fishing boats claim to have seen an enormous creature swimming through the lake. Some describe Normie as having the appearance of a large alligator; others say Normie is a sturgeon.

Some extra-large fish have been caught in Lake Norman, perhaps due to the unusual topography which allows for more hiding places and protection from predators. Is it possible the 'monster' of Lake Norman is just a sizable catfish who has outlived its normal years – or has the 60-year-old lake already drawn a monster, who has made a home in the lost city beneath the surface?

The legend of the Moon-Eyed people dates back centuries in Cherokee, North Carolina.

The Moon-Eyed people were described by indigenous tribes as very small people with white skin and huge blue eyes. They were considered to be their own tribe, and some locals thought them to be immortal. Their wide, blue eyes were easily blinded by the sunlight, so they lived in dark woods and caves, only coming out at night.

Small humanoids with stark white skin and wide blue eyes who only hovered across the mountains in the dark – the sight would have been quite unusual and memorable to the tribes who lived in the area.

Historians say that rather than being carved, the statue was 'pecked' – a much older art form that involves hitting the stone with another stone. Because of the way it was made, historians believe it to be very old.

Some believe Prince Madoc and his Welsh crew ventured into Appalachia and vanished. Centuries later, some European explorers claimed to discover an indigenous tribe with lighter skin, blue eyes and who spoke remnants of the Welsh language. It's possible, then, that the Moon-Eyed people were, in fact, a real tribe of direct descendants of Prince Madoc's expedition.

To this day, many historians cannot fully explain the legend of the Moon-Eyed people, but many believe they could have been another tribe that lived among indigenous people prior to the arrival of European settlers.

Fairy crosses are an extremely rare formation, only existing in five areas of the world – including the mountains of North Carolina.

European settlers attached their own legend to the small stones, which they believed were connected to the cross of Jesus. However, the legend dates back much farther than the settlers' arrival.

One legend states that the Cherokee spun a tale of 'little people,' such as fairies, nymphs or spirits who lived deep in the forest.

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The Little People were known to play with the Cherokee children and help guide them home. However, when the Cherokee were forcibly marched to Oklahoma, the fairies remained behind and cried, their tears becoming fairy crosses.

European settlers reinterpreted the tale, saying the fairies cried upon hearing of the death of Christ, which is why their tears formed the shape of a Christian cross. However, the cross shape was also important in Cherokee culture, symbolizing the four cardinal directions.

Whatever their origins, locals have held fairy crosses as totems of protection or magic for centuries. Even today, the rare stones, properly known as Staurolite, maintain a mystical and mysterious significance in North Carolina – perhaps proof that fairies once danced, and wept, in the Appalachian Mountains.

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