The Strange Case Of The Vampire Of Mineral Point, Wisconsin
The Description Of The Vampire Remains Consistent From Sighting To Sighting
One thing that suggests a story is likely just urban legend is how many versions of the story evolve over time. With the Mineral Point Vampire, each witness during the vampire's three periods of activity provides a very consistent description of the undead creature.
Considering the 23-year gap between the first two sightings, it seems highly unlikely that this was a case of one story influencing another. Instead, the description of a tall, thin, pale, and imposing caped figure remains the same. Each person also remarked that what they saw seemed like a vampire.
A Police Officer Saw The Vampire In 1981
The strange case of the Mineral Point Vampire began on a snowy night in 1981. After receiving multiple reports that someone who looked suspiciously like a vampire was haunting Graceland Cemetery, Officer John Pepper decided to go investigate. This was almost certainly a cursory visit meant to placate anxious residents, but it turned into much more when Officer Pepper spotted the vampire. The Mineral Point Vampire realized he'd been observed and fled the scene. Officer Pepper gave chase, but the vampire was ultimately too fast and got away.
- Photo: teodorandersson / Pixabay / Public Domain
The Scene At The Cemetery Made No Empirical Sense
After losing the vampire, Mineral Point Police Officer John Pepper made a report about his encounter. The vampire got away when it made a superhuman leap and easily cleared Graceland Cemetery's six foot tall fence. The next morning, Officer Pepper and a few other members of the police department went to the cemetery to look for evidence. They found snowy footprints leading to the fence, but there was nothing on the other side. This caused other officers to believe the entire thing was a ruse and they dropped the case.
There Were Several Witnesses When The Vampire Returned In 2004
The Mineral Point Vampire was dormant for 23 years after its first encounter with the police officer. By 2004, though, the vampire apparently felt safe enough to resume stalking local residents. Several witnesses claimed that a creepy looking man attacked people residing in a nearby apartment building by jumping at them from a tall tree. Again, the police dispatched officers to check out the situation. When they arrived, they spotted a man who not only fit the description of the complaints but also seemed eerily familiar.
The Trail Went Cold Once Again In 2004
After police spotted the vampire in 2004, he fled again and officers gave chase. This time, they lost their prey when he seemingly flew over a 10-foot-tall wall. Although they saw the so-called vampire and found physical evidence in the form of footprints, they were unable to catch him. Just like before, the footprints disappeared at the wall as if the person making them simply flew away. Perhaps the Mineral Point Vampire took the form of a bat as he leapt clear of the police officers.
A Third Sighting Occurred In 2008
The Mineral Point Vampire may have felt emboldened by his two escapes because he resurfaced for the third time only four years after the second incident. Instead of being out in the open this time, the vampire chose to stalk would-be victims from a more subtle location. A couple fishing heard the vampire before they spotted him. They then watched as he climbed up from under the jetty before running away terrifed. In a moment of pure instinct, Brandon Heinz attempted to defend himself and his girlfriend by throwing his flashlight at the oncoming vampire. Heinz then fled to his car, which enabled the couple to flee mere seconds before the vampire could reach them.
When Police Investigated The 2008 Sighting, They Found One Item Missing
Mineral Point Police received a third chance to solve the vampire mystery when witnesses Brandon Heinz and Jamie Marker reported their run-in with the town's scariest resident. As always, officers dutifully reported to the scene and conducted a thorough investigation. The first thing they noticed was that all the fishing gear was sitting undisturbed on the jetty. A vampire has no use for fishing gear, so this makes sense. The flashlight, though, had disappeared and may still be in use to light up the Mineral Point Vampire's dark resting place.
The Ridgeway Phantom Terrorized Mineral Point Before The Vampire Moved In
The Ridgeway Phantom is yet another odd supernatural entity that Mineral Point residents have encountered. This specific ghost spent much of the mid-19th century haunting Ridgeway and Mineral Point. If early accounts are reliable, the Ridgeway Phantom took on several shapes to terrify people, ranging from a ball of fire to a headless man. Fear of the Phantom became so rampant that citizens requested armed escorts before leaving their homes after sunset. This legend seems to trace its roots to the 1840 murder of two local brothers.
- Photo: carnwrite / flickr / CC-BY-NC-ND 2.0
Mineral Point Is Also Known For The Haunted Walker House
The Mineral Point Vampire isn't the only supernatural entity that calls this Wisconsin town home. The current owners of the historical Walker House claim there's no ghosts in the building. However, many who visited or worked at the house before it changed hands dispute these claims. In fact, the one-time property manager of the house, Walker Calvert, had numerous spectral encounters, including one with a headless man in 1981. Some believe all of this paranormal activity dates back to the 1842 public execution of murderer William Caffee, which took place at the Walker House.
The Vampire And Other Paranormal Activity Drove People Out Of The Town
The population of Mineral Point hit an all-time high in 1870 at 3,275 people. Shortly thereafter, people started moving out. The timing of this seems closely linked to the Ridgeway Phantom. In fact, there wasn't any type of rebound until 1900, but this was temporary. As rumors about ghosts at Walker House began to circulate, Mineral Point's population nosedived. The town's lowest point, in 1980, found approximately 1,000 fewer people living in Mineral Point than in 1870. Is it a coincidence that the town began to empty out after the Phantom, the Walker House ghosts, and the vampire appeared? We may never know for sure, but it certainly seems like supernatural causes are a viable possibility.
A Woman Claims She Saw A Werewolf Around The Same Time As The First Vampire Sighting
In Hunting the American Werewolf: Beast Men in Wisconsin and Beyond, Linda S. Godfrey says a woman she identifies only as Kim contacted her in 2004 about a 1987 werewolf sighting in Mineral Point. Kim says that in the middle of a spring afternoon, just before the full moon, she saw a werewolf running as it was transforming. She says the creature sprinted into a building, clutched a railing, and turned back into it's human form. She said a group of about 15 to 20 people also witnessed the incident, although Godfrey couldn't corroborate Kim's story with any additional sources.
A Local Sheriff Witnessed A Bright, Mysterious Light
In his book The W-Files, Jay Wrath writes that in 1986, a local sheriff as well as several residents witnessed a bright light over Mineral Point. The light "appeared to be motionless... then took off at a high rate of speed, soundlessly." The sighting occurred around the same time as the first vampire sighting and the werewolf sighting. It may indicate that Mineral Point is a hot spot for supernatural activity.
