THE STORY
Reported Haunting
Local folklore surrounding the Great Cypress Swamp tells of a mysterious swamp creature near Selbyville. While some well-known 1964 sightings were later admitted to be a hoax, stories of strange cries and creatures in the swamp are said to have existed before the stunt.
The Selbyville Swamp Monster is a long-running southern Delaware legend associated with the Great Cypress Swamp, also known historically as Burnt Swamp, near Selbyville. Stories describe strange cries, unexplained movement and sightings of a large creature in or around the swamp. A famous wave of sightings in 1964 was later revealed to have included a deliberate hoax in which a local man wore a homemade monster costume to frighten motorists. However, accounts of strange creatures and eerie sounds in the swamp reportedly predate that stunt, so the legend remains part of local folklore rather than being solely a product of the hoax.