The ' Dover Demon ' Bewitches Still, 30 Years Later

This weekend marks the 30th anniversary of the alleged sightings of the mysterious creature known as the 'Dover Demon', described by several witnesses as about 4 feet tall with a thin body and arms, glowing eyes, and a huge, egg-shaped head. The Dover Demon has gained notoriety among paranormal enthusiasts around the United States and the world. "The Dover Demon case is one of the most widely publicized creature sighting reports of all time," said Chris Pittman, a Franklin resident who presides over the Massachusetts UFO Resource Site, a website focused on the paranormal. "I don't think it would be possible for anyone interested in paranormal mysteries not to have heard of this case." These days the creature is included in a number of books and websites about strange creatures right alongside Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster. For example, About.com (a website owned by The New York Times, parent company of the Globe) puts the Dover Demon on its list of the "Top 10 Most Mysterious Creatures of Modern Times," and a Japanese toy company has manufactured Dover Demon figurines. The creature was reportedly seen on three separate occasions on April 21 and 22, 1977. William Bartlett , who was the first person to report seeing the creature, said he wasn't aware the Dover Demon incident was turning 30. "I don't really think about it, unless someone calls me to ask about it," said Bartlett, an accomplished painter in the realist style who lives in Needham but grew up in Dover. When asked, Bartlett stands by his story. Bartlett, who was then 17, said he spotted the creature while driving his Volkswagen Beetle along Farm Street about 10 p.m. that April 21. He got a good look at the creature for 10 to 15 seconds, he said, and knew right away that it was like no animal he had ever seen. The creature's head was nearly as big as the rest of its body, and it had long, spindly fingers, he said. It was walking on all fours atop a stone wall. "As I drove by it turned its head to look at me," Bartlett said in a recent interview. "You get that moment where your eyes meet. I remember that happening. It freaked me out." Bartlett said he went home, told his parents what happened , and immediately began sketching a picture of the creature. He was already an aspiring artist at the time and has always had a good visual memory, he said. Bartlett's sketches have become the most-used representation of the creature. This and information on numerous other creatures of cryptozoology can be found at the website, Unknown Creatures: http://www.unknown-creatures.com