FIELD FILE · ALBATWITCHHOMINIDLOCAL LEGEND

Albatwitch

Also known as Apple Snitch, Little Bigfoot of Columbia

A small, apple-loving ‘little Bigfoot’ said to lurk in the treetops around Chickies Rock above the Susquehanna River in Columbia, Pennsylvania.

Along the Susquehanna River in Lancaster County, the wooded cliffs of Chickies Rock rise steeply above the water between the river towns of Columbia and Marietta. Local legend says the woods there are home to the Albatwitch – a small, hairy, ape-like creature about four feet tall that lives in the trees, has a passion for apples, and is not above pelting passers-by with the cores.

The name is usually explained as a Pennsylvania Dutch–flavored corruption of “apple snitch,” meaning an apple thief. Columbia historian Chris Vera, who has done more than anyone to revive the story, says that local newspapers from more than a century ago mention campers setting off on “Albatwitch hunts” – suggesting that, like the snipe hunt, it may have been a joke played on newcomers. Some tellers claim the legend is centuries old or that the creature appeared on the shields of the Susquehannock people, but Vera himself notes that this has never been confirmed.

The story might have stayed a half-forgotten local joke if not for a revival in the 2010s. A few modern witnesses, including Lancaster ghost-story author Rick Fisher, have described seeing a small upright creature near Marietta Road close to Chickies Rock, and Vera has collected other accounts of a pencil-thin, four-to-five-foot figure on the hills behind town.

Since the mid-2010s Columbia has celebrated the creature with Albatwitch Day, an autumn festival that now draws thousands of visitors for lectures, trolley tours up to Chickies Rock, vendors, music and apple-themed food – with children tossing apples into the woods as an offering.

Type

Hominid

Status

Local legend

First reported

1890s

Best-known location

Chickies Rock, Columbia, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

Also called

Apple Snitch, Little Bigfoot of Columbia

Reported in

Pennsylvania

What witnesses describe

A small primate-like creature roughly four to five feet tall, thin and covered in hair, with yellow or glowing eyes. It is said to move through the treetops and to be fond of apples.

Where and when it’s seen

The steep wooded ridges of Chickies Rock County Park and the river hills north of Columbia and Marietta, overlooking the Susquehanna; usually reported at night or in the early morning, especially in apple season.

Notable sightings

1. Around the 1890s“Albatwitch hunts” Columbia, Pennsylvania

   According to historian Chris Vera, local newspapers of the period describe campers going on Albatwitch hunts – perhaps a practical joke on visitors, like a snipe hunt.

2. 2025Albatwitch Day’s eleventh year Columbia, Pennsylvania

   The festival, organized around the Columbia Historic Preservation Society’s retelling of the legend, marked its eleventh year with talks, trolley rides to Chickies Rock and apple-themed treats. Organizers estimate 3,000 to 8,000 visitors a year.

What could explain it?

• The Albatwitch probably began as a local joke or snipe-hunt-style prank, as suggested by old newspaper accounts of “Albatwitch hunts.”
• Raccoons, porcupines, squirrels or roosting birds in the trees could account for noises and dropped apples in orchards and woods.
• Modern sightings are few, brief and made in poor light, and they followed renewed publicity about the legend.

Legend, culture and tourism

Albatwitch Day in Columbia, organized with the Columbia Historic Preservation Society, celebrates the creature each autumn with talks on local history and the paranormal, trolley tours to Chickies Rock and plenty of apples. Chickies Rock itself also carries a well-known Lover’s Leap legend, and the area is a favorite for Lancaster County ghost tours.

Places to visit

Where it’s reported

Pennsylvania

Albatwitch in the news

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First published October 13, 2026 · Updated October 14, 2026