The Werewolf of Boggy Swamp

[D E Russell]

A tidbit for Halloween:

Local legend states that during the Revolutionary War, British soldiers were afraid to enter "Boggy Swamp" in Glen Cove for fear that they and their horses would be attacked by a "War Wolf" (werewolf) which supposedly haunted the swamp.

The legend is a bit of an oddity as medieval to Georgian British folk culture never contained a significant folk-belief in werewolves (compared to France, Germany, Switzerland and Romania).

Boggy Swamp is located west of, and roughly parallel, to Dosoris Lane; it discharges into West Island Pond.

The legend was documented in Coles and van Santvoord's "A History of Glen Cove" published in 1967.

[Curly]

Very Cool! I like hearing the local ghost stories. A War Wolf! HA

[ChrisF202]

A War Wolf! HA

Sounds like an urban legend. The 1770s British Army was notorious for it's tough discipline and extreme courage in action. I don't think a story about a werewolf in a swamp was enough to scare them.

[SkiesMostWanted]

I'm surprised I haven't heard this ghost story. Very cool!

[The Commish]

Long Island was probably a creepy place in many parts before the McMansions and strip malls took over...

[ChrisF202]

Probably a good point. In the 1790 Census the entire population of Long Island was just 37,108 ... that's pretty sparsely populated for what is now one of the most densely populated islands in the world with a population of almost 8,000,000.

[Curly]

Long Island was probably a creepy place in many parts before the McMansions and strip malls took over...

They did call the island “The Barrens”…..