FIELD FILE · BEAST-OF-BLADENBOROBIG CATLOCAL LEGEND
Beast of Bladenboro
Also known as Vampire Beast of Bladenboro, BOB
A cat-like killer blamed for a string of dog deaths around Bladenboro, North Carolina, in winter 1953–54, which drew armed crowds of up to 1,000 hunters.
The Beast of Bladenboro was the terror of a small farming town in southeastern North Carolina for a few frantic weeks around New Year’s 1954. Something was killing dogs – crushing skulls, tearing off heads, and, according to rumor, draining its victims of blood – and the newspapers soon called it a “vampire beast.”
The trouble began on December 29, 1953, when a dog was killed in Clarkton, about eight miles away, and a witness described a sleek black animal about five feet long leaving the yard. Over the next week more dogs were found dead in and around Bladenboro; a policeman-ordered examination of one carcass reportedly found hardly any blood left, which fed the vampire story. Witnesses described a big, cat-faced animal with a long tail. On January 5 a young mother, Mrs. C. E. Kinlaw, said a large cat-like creature came at her near her porch, and her husband found big paw prints in the yard.
The hunt became a spectacle. Police chief Roy Fores led searches with officers and tracking dogs – which reportedly refused to follow the trail – and hunters came in from Wilmington. By January 6 and 7 crowds estimated at 800 to 1,000 armed people had descended on the town, and officials, worried someone would be shot, called the hunt off. A humane society protested a plan to stake out tethered dogs as bait.
On January 13, 1954, farmer Luther Davis shot a large bobcat caught in a steel trap in the Big Swamp, and Mayor Woodrow Fussell – who also owned the town’s movie theater – announced that the beast had been killed, posing for photographs with a bobcat. Many doubted a bobcat could have done the damage, and Fussell reportedly later said he thought the affair was a hoax that brought welcome publicity. Isolated livestock killings were reported later that year, but the panic was over. Today the beast is Bladenboro’s mascot, celebrated every year at the town’s Beast Fest.
- Type
- Big cat
- Status
- Local legend
- First reported
- 1953
- Best-known location
- Bladenboro, Bladen County, North Carolina
- Also called
- Vampire Beast of Bladenboro, BOB
- Reported in
- North Carolina
What witnesses describe
A large, sleek cat-like animal described as four to five feet long, black or brownish-tabby, with a cat’s face, pointed or “runty” ears and a long tail; some said it looked like a bear or panther. Witnesses estimated 80 to 150 pounds and spoke of a cry like a crying baby. Its tracks were reportedly as big as a bear’s, with long claws.
Where and when it’s seen
The farms, swamps and woodland edges around Bladenboro and Clarkton in Bladen County, especially the Big Swamp area. Reports clustered in late December 1953 and January 1954, mostly at night.
Notable sightings
- December 29, 1953The first kill in Clarkton Clarkton, North Carolina
A dog was killed and a witness saw a sleek, black, cat-like animal about five feet long leave a neighbor’s yard.
- December 31, 1953 – January 3, 1954Dead dogs and the “vampire” rumor Bladenboro, North Carolina
Several more dogs were found killed near kennels and farms. An examination of one reportedly found almost no blood in the body, and the press began calling the killer a vampire.
- January 5, 1954Mrs. Kinlaw’s encounter Rural Bladenboro, North Carolina
C. E. Kinlaw, a young mother, reported a large cat charging at her near her home; her husband found big cat-like prints. Hundreds of armed people joined the hunt that day.
- January 6–7, 1954The great hunt Bladenboro, North Carolina
Crowds estimated at 800 to 1,000 hunters gathered. Officials called off the organized hunt for fear of accidental shootings.
- January 13, 1954A bobcat in the Big Swamp Big Swamp, near Bladenboro
Farmer Luther Davis shot a large bobcat caught in a trap, and Mayor Woodrow Fussell declared the beast dead. Doubts remained, but the scare quickly subsided.
What could explain it?
- A large bobcat – or several – was the official answer in 1954; bobcats are common in the swamps of Bladen County and can kill small dogs.
- Other candidates at the time included a cougar, coyotes, a wolf-like feral dog, and a specific German Shepherd–hound mix that a local man blamed; a veterinarian called the dog theory feasible.
- The “drained of blood” detail rests on a single informal examination and fits a common folklore motif; animals killed by bites to the neck often lose blood externally.
- Newspaper coverage and huge armed crowds amplified a handful of predator kills into a regional panic, and the mayor himself reportedly later called it a hoax, noting that publicity never hurts a town.
Legend, culture and tourism
Bladenboro’s booster group, Boost the ’Boro, hosts the annual Beast Fest with the Beast of Bladenboro – “BOB” – as its mascot, complete with parades, vendors and costumed beasts. In January 1954 the mayor reportedly booked the 1949 film The Big Cat for his theater, and a local painter sold “Home of the Beast of Bladenboro” bumper plates.
Places to visit
The town’s annual festival honoring its famous beast with a parade, music, food and family events.
Where it’s reported
Beast of Bladenboro in the news
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