FIELD FILE · KNOBBYHOMINIDLOCAL LEGEND
Knobby
Also known as Knobby of Carpenter’s Knob, Cleveland County Bigfoot
North Carolina’s homegrown Bigfoot, named for Carpenter’s Knob in Cleveland County, where sightings and night-time screams began in December 1978.
Knobby is the hairy, ape-like creature of the South Mountains foothills in upper Cleveland County, North Carolina, around the rural communities of Toluca, Casar and Belwood. It takes its name from Carpenter’s Knob, a wooded peak where, in the winter of 1978–79, residents began reporting a dark, six-foot animal and screams in the night that some compared to “a woman in pain.”
According to newspaper reports of the time, the first witness was 88-year-old Minnie Cook, who said she saw the creature near her house on December 21, 1978, after her dogs began to fuss. Within weeks others had joined in. Forest Price found his goat dead of a broken neck; his brother Sammy said he saw the animal after hearing an awful scream from the woods. Searchers from Casar reported tracks as big as a man’s hand, a den and hair on a log, and witnesses disagreed about whether the beast walked on two legs or four.
The excitement – locals called it “Knobby fever” – drew a Bigfoot investigator from eastern North Carolina, armed night hunters and a Shelby radio station, WOHS, which staged a live search on Carpenter’s Knob that attracted hundreds of people; station staff later admitted it was largely a publicity stunt. A state wildlife officer insisted Knobby was a black bear that had wandered out of the mountains, and warned that the real danger was hunters shooting at anything that moved. A Charlotte TV station aired a special, and a local photographer made a tongue-in-cheek film.
The fever faded within months, but Knobby never quite left. In June 2010 a Casar man, Tim Peeler, called 911 to report a huge ape-like creature with a man’s face “messin’ with my dogs.” A deputy found nothing, but the released recording went national, and Casar’s country stores did a brisk trade in Knobby T-shirts and souvenirs.
- Type
- Hominid
- Status
- Local legend
- First reported
- 1978
- Best-known location
- Carpenter’s Knob, upper Cleveland County, North Carolina
- Also called
- Knobby of Carpenter’s Knob, Cleveland County Bigfoot
- Reported in
- North Carolina
What witnesses describe
About six feet tall and roughly 200 pounds, covered in dark hair, with a small head and flat face; some later witnesses describe lighter, blond hair. Reports differ on whether it walks upright or on all fours. Its cry is a scream that rises from a low growl to a high wail, sometimes with a yodel-like ending.
Where and when it’s seen
The wooded ridges, hollows and creek banks around Carpenter’s Knob and the South Mountains in northern Cleveland County, near Toluca, Casar and Belwood; usually at night, especially in winter.
Notable sightings
- December 21, 1978Minnie Cook’s sighting Near Toluca, Cleveland County, North Carolina
The 88-year-old went outside when her dogs were upset and reported a large, dark, hairy animal near her home – the first widely reported Knobby sighting.
- January 14, 1979A goat found dead Upper Cleveland County, North Carolina
Forest Price found his goat with a broken neck days after something spooked his animals. His brother Sammy reported seeing the creature, and a Casar search party found tracks and a den two miles away.
- January 18, 1979The radio search Carpenter’s Knob, North Carolina
Shelby radio station WOHS broadcast live from a hunt on the mountain that drew hundreds of people. Nothing was found, and the station acknowledged the event was mostly a publicity gimmick.
- June 5, 2010Tim Peeler’s 911 call Near Casar, North Carolina
Peeler called 911 around 3 a.m. to report a giant ape-like creature bothering his dogs. A sheriff’s deputy found nothing, and the county later released the recording.
What could explain it?
- A state wildlife protector who searched the area in 1979 found bear tracks and was convinced Knobby was a black bear that had wandered in from the mountains.
- Other locals suggested a mountain panther (cougar), whose screams can sound like a woman crying out.
- Media attention – newspaper features, a radio search and a TV special – fed a classic “monster flap” and encouraged hunters and pranksters.
- No body, clear photo or confirmed physical evidence has ever been produced.
Legend, culture and tourism
Knobby is a beloved piece of Cleveland County folklore. It inspired a 1979 local film, Knobby the Belwood Wampus Cat, songs and magazine stories, and after the 2010 sighting Casar businesses sold Knobby shirts, buttons, walking sticks and even sandwiches.
Where it’s reported
Knobby in the news
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Sources
First published · Updated
