[piano intro] - Next on "North Carolina Weekend," join us as we explore oddities across the state.

We'll explore the Devil's Tramping Ground, a museum about bears, and learn all about the House in the Horseshoe.

Coming up next.

- [Announcer] Funding for "North Carolina Weekend" is provided in part by Visit NC, dedicated to highlighting our state's natural scenic beauty, unique history, and diverse cultural attractions.

From the Blue Ridge and the Great Smoky Mountains across the Piedmont to 300 miles of barrier island beaches, you're invited to experience all the adventure and charm our state has to offer.

[uplifting music] [uplifting music continues] [uplifting music continues] - Welcome to "North Carolina Weekend," everyone.

I'm Deborah Holt Noel, and this week we're exploring oddities around the state, destinations that are sure to pique your interest.

Our first stop takes us to Chatham County, where the legend of the Devil's Tramping Ground has drawn curiosity seekers for generations.

[enchanting music] - The Devil's Tramping Ground is a clearing in the woods where nothing grows.

There's two paths that go off the Tramping Grounds itself.

One of the legends, I think, that most everyone knows is that the devil comes up after midnight, comes up one path, tramps around, and he's conjuring up, you know, like evil thoughts, and then he will eventually go back down the other path.

My name is Tamara Dowd Owens.

We are on my family's farm here in Bear Creek, North Carolina.

My husband Keith and I, we have about 60 head of beef cattle, so we still continue to raise.

It's an active working cattle farm.

The Devil's Tramping Ground is actually located in the furthest corner of the property on the backside.

It's about a hundred feet off of the main highway.

I think a lot of people think that it's much further back in the woods, and they're very surprised to see that it's really not.

When I'm there, I feel uneasy.

It's like a really kind of a sinking feeling.

I've never been up there at night by myself.

I've never stayed up there, ever [laughs].

I go during the day.

You know, once it starts to get dark, I leave.

Sometimes I'll stand in the middle of the circle and just look up at the trees and think, gosh, this is like, I mean, who in the world would ever have come across, you know, anything like this?

Over the years there have been soil scientists that have come out and actually taken, you know, different samples.

- When I first investigated this site over 15 years ago, I was theorizing that there was some natural cause that would've done that.

What we found out here last time is that we did have some elevated readings of certain things inside here, but none of the readings, none of the data we got showed us that plants could not live there.

- So, there's really no... doesn't give us any explanation of why it's like it is now today.

So, what's in front of me right now is actually some newspaper articles that I found in a folder that my dad had.

This really shows how long the Devil's Tramping Ground has been documented, and it even, you know, speaks to, I mean, Chatham County, you know, being an historical county was settled in 1771, and even then there was Chatham natives that were already speaking about it, and there was documentation at that time of this cleared spot surrounded by trees and very barren area.

So, this was another letter that I found in my dad's files, and I don't know, this looks like it may be my grandmother's handwriting.

"Origin of the Tramping Grounds is speculation, but in the fall year 1746, a party of surveyors were in the area.

They made a mark of reference to a point, the center of a circle, and modern maps show it today as the Tramping Grounds."

I mean, it just is astounding that there would be such a reference dated all the way back to 1746.

We developed a website for the Devil's Tramping Ground to educate people on the fact that it is private property, things that we want people to do when they do visit, things not to do when they visit, and have people know that it is, you know, it's very important.

It's a very special place and, you know, we just don't want you to go out there and trash it.

We had so many people visiting it and, you know, people trashing the place.

So, here's some examples.

You can see this brown is actually where I painted.

There's still some remnants of some of the blue spray paint, but there was 666 on this tree, and there was also a tree right there that had the all-seeing eye on it that was facing the circle.

[eerie music] I contacted the state historical group over in Raleigh and had asked if there was any possibility if the Devil's Tramping Ground could be part of the historical sites in North Carolina.

And she said that I should contact this Legends and Lore Society, and it was accepted.

So, it was very, this is just really exciting.

The really sad part of this is that I have not been able to actually install it at the Tramping Grounds just because of concern that somebody would actually steal it.

So here, unfortunately, it continues to sit.

[eerie music] As far as where the Devil's Tramping Ground is today, I feel like I'm more ingrained in it, probably because of social media.

You know, I've seen all these podcasts and YouTubers.

- Are you trapped here?

Okay, step away.

Oh, oh no!

Oh, no way.

- I mean, it's very astonishing that it would have that much of a far reach.

It's like the mystery, I feel like, will continue on.

[enchanting music] - The Devil's Tramping Ground is on Devil's Tramping Ground Road in Bear Creek near Siler City.

The site is open daily, all year long, but overnight stays require a reservation.

There is a fee to visit, and to find out more, go to originaldevilstrampingground.co.

You don't have to travel the world to see exotic animals from places like Africa, Europe, and New Zealand.

You can see them in Washington County.

Producer Clay Johnson takes us to Plymouth and a museum you wouldn't expect to find in a small eastern North Carolina town.

[intriguing music] - [Clay] Plymouth is a small town of just over 3,000 people.

Its quiet, quaint downtown is right on the Roanoke River, and in the middle of it is a place called Bear-Ology, part of the larger God's Creation Museum.

- Well, this is our North American exhibit with animals from Mexico to Canada and Alaska.

And this is our touch table, which we created so people can actually feel what it would be like to pet a bear or to pet a beaver or an otter.

- [Clay] Tom Harrison is the owner and curator of the museum.

- I had collected a number of mounted animals as I traveled around the world.

I decided to move the animals into a museum setting where the public could come and see these animals.

And it's been very popular.

So, it is a rare opportunity to get an up-close examination of these animals that you're not gonna see anywhere else in a public setting.

People seem to be pretty stunned when they walk in because they're not expecting to see, you know, hundreds of animals mounted, you know, in a building in downtown Plymouth.

Well, this is my trapper's cabin, and when we go inside, we're actually gonna change continents.

- [Clay] The trapper's cabin leads to an Africa exhibit that includes varieties of antelope, a forest elephant, and lions.

The multinational exhibit features animals from four continents, including an antelope called the Greater Kudu, with its unique spiral horn.

- So, when you look through it, that's what you see.

It's a perfect round circle.

- [Clay] Harrison founded the Plymouth's Annual Black Bear Festival in 2015.

- [Harrison] And the whole purpose of the festival was to educate the public about these magnificent animals that we have.

- [Clay] His Bear-Ology exhibit is an offshoot of the festival, allowing visitors to dig deeper.

- It gives people the opportunity to learn so many amazing facts about these animals, to see mounted examples of them, and find out what makes them so unique and amazing.

- [Clay] Plymouth is in a five-county region between the Albemarle Sound and Pamlico River that has the highest black bear density and some of the largest black bears in the world.

Two large wildlife refuges surrounded by fields of corn, soybeans, and peanuts make it the perfect habitat.

- We do a lot of myth-busting in Bear-Ology.

People ask me, "What should I do if I see a bear?"

And I say, "Enjoy the moment because it'll soon be a memory."

We're not on the menu, fortunately.

- So, but how much you think that bear is?

- 775 pounds.

- [Clay] Matt Little likes to bring his sons Hayden and Grant to this museum.

- I've watched kids just in amazement that have never seen stuff like this before.

Been able to get this close to something like this.

And that's what I enjoy about coming in here.

- Before I ever came here, I had never seen half of these animals in my life, you know.

- I like to come and see the snakes because like all the patterns and different signs on the snakes are just cool to look at.

- [Matt] It's something truly great for Washington County and Plymouth and something people should definitely pull off of 64 and see.

- We're hoping that people will have a greater appreciation for the beauty and unique character of the wildlife on this planet and tell others about it.

[lively music] - The Bear-Ology and God's Creation Wildlife Museum is at 111 West Water Street in Plymouth.

Both museums are open Monday through Friday from 9:00 to 5:00 PM.

To find out more, give them a call at [252] 793-6627 or go online to bear-ology.com.

Cryptozoology is the study and research of animals who may or may not be real, like unicorns or Bigfoot.

Well, there's a museum in Littleton that claims to have proof of this mystical creature, and we sent Chelsea Goodnight to check it out.

[intriguing music] - Ever wonder what goes bump in the night?

Well, according to Steve Barcelo, a lot of things.

We're here in Littleton to find out who or what is making such a big impression.

And this weekend we're getting weird.

We're at the Cryptozoology and Paranormal Museum.

Hopefully, things don't get too hairy.

[intriguing music continues] - Cryptozoology is a study of creatures not proven by science: Bigfoot, Jersey Devil, Mothman, things of that sort.

I'm telling the stories of things that have been around here for well over a hundred years, and people seem to be enjoying the heck out of it.

My name is Stephen Barcelo.

I'm a commissioner in the town of Littleton, North Carolina, and we are at the Cryptozoology and Paranormal Museum, which I run.

- [Visitor] Saw the sighting of Bigfoot.

[eerie music] - [Stephen] Tell us what you saw.

- [Witness] I know I saw Bigfoot."

- [Stephen] Did it scare you?

- Yes.

- Now, since I've been here, and I've only lived here eight years, I've had four separate sightings on Moore Street.

Bigfoot, we're not sure exactly what it is now.

We have a lot of folks that come in here who feel they're interdimensional or they're tied to UFOs.

You know, basically, it's kind of like the alien's pet.

Personally, I lean towards the fact that these things are flesh and blood.

This is the closest we've got to what they're seeing in here.

And now these things are seen moving in family pods.

It's not just one creature.

So, you have some of the large, big prints that are got the splayed toes, and you can see some are just downright kind of odd-looking, almost alien-looking.

As far as casting the prints, we actually sell the material in the museum.

We have Bigfoot go-bags, we have evidence kits.

- This is what you catch the Bigfoot in?

- Yeah, if you can.

If you can stuff 'em in there, you're doing good.

And then of course we give you information on places to go in the area so you can go out and do your own investigating.

- All right, Steve, hopefully you'll hear from me again.

- [Stephen] Well, I'll be beating you down there.

- Okay, well that's good.

- [Stephen] I'll be the guy hiding in the tent.

[playful music] Believe it or not, Bigfoot has really helped the town out, the sightings here.

We have a restaurant in town, Littleton Food and Spirits, that actually sells a Bigfoot Burger.

Now the home of the Bigfoot Burger.

We have a bakery in town, Daphne's, and they actually make Bigfoot cookies occasionally.

It's great.

I'm happy to see people embracing the fact and the tourism coming in.

I'll be happy when there's a Bigfoot on the water tower.

- I think if you're a tourist and you have any interest in Bigfoot or any of the paranormal activities, this is the place to go, Littleton.

It's just amazing the amount of activity that's going on in this location right now.

- Thanks for inviting me to this meeting of Bigfoot Hunters Anonymous.

I appreciate it.

So, you've had a sighting recently?

- Yes, I have.

First time I ever seen one.

It floored me.

I mean, it really did.

I was probably like a little teenager screaming when The Beatles first came to America.

- Yeah, you'll have to take me to where that was and we'll see if we can get him to come out.

- Sure, absolutely.

- When we go out, you know, myself, Johnny George, we take it very serious.

We'll go camping and we're not there to camp.

We're there to investigate all night long.

We end up carrying a ton of equipment out there.

We're gonna have parabolic dishes.

Okay, here's the parabolic dish.

You just wanna put the headphones on.

- Okay, what am I listening for?

- [Stephen] You're listening for anything unusual in the background.

- Ooh, I can... I'm picking up a strong George walking through the grass.

- We bring out FLIR scopes so you can look for heat sources.

I gotta show you, look at George walking away.

- [Chelsea] It looks like he's a hostage with his hands on the back of his head.

Yeah, this is very "Blair Witch."

- [Stephen] Yeah, especially with the scopes on.

We'll show you just some techniques and how to look for things.

Look, the Illuminati comes here.

[Chelsea laughing] [suspenseful music] The odds of finding something... I can't guarantee you're gonna find anything out there.

- [Chelsea] I heard a pop.

Did anyone else hear that?

- It was me.

- Okay [laughs].

This thing's working.

- [Stephen] Oh, you gonna have a good time no matter what.

- Ooh!

[enchanting music] - Ooh!

- [Stephen] That sounds like a female Bigfoot.

- [Chelsea] I heard it, they said, "Good job, Chelsea."

- I guess the moral of the story is don't give up.

Well, we're lucky to have a place like this around us.

So you go outside, camp, you get to come out here and hike, and Littleton has that to offer to everybody.

We help get people out to nature, you come out here, we can show you some things and tell you things that are happening.

It's all positive, nothing negative.

- The Cryptozoology and Paranormal Museum is at 300 North Main Street in Littleton, and they're open daily from 1:00 to 6:00 PM.

To plan your visit, give them a call at [631] 220-1231 or find them on Facebook.

Now for a destination that's a little more grounded, but still fascinating.

Back in the Revolutionary War era, a house near Sanford came under siege by a militia loyal to the crown.

The house is situated in the bend of the Deep River, and as producer Rick Sullivan discovered, that's how it got the quirky name of the House in the Horseshoe.

- We're kind of between Sanford and Carthage.

So, about 10 to 12 minutes from either town.

Yeah, right on that line between Lee County and Moore County.

So, this house was built in 1772.

The first owner was a guy named Philip Alston.

He was the Colonel of the Patriot Militia.

So, it gets the name House in the Horseshoe because it's located in the horseshoe bend of the Deep River.

- [Rick] That original owner of the house, the Whig Colonel Philip Alston, was constantly at odds with a local band of British loyalists or Tories during the Revolutionary War.

Alston's House in the Horseshoe came under attack by Tories early in the morning of July 29th, 1781.

It might've looked something like this, a reenactment performed on the anniversary of the event.

[weapons firing] - The skirmish lasted about three, three and a half hours.

And we know that at one point the loyalists, one of 'em, hops the fence, runs at the house, shot and killed.

Another one jumps the fence, runs at the house, shot and wounded.

- Good shot!

[weapons firing] - So, David Fanning changes tactics and lights a cart of hay on fire and brings it over to the house with the intent to burn it down.

- [Rick] That brought out the white flag from Mrs.

Alston, who opted to save the house and the Patriots and children inside.

David Fanning, who directed the assault, was a notorious leader of the Tories, known for his cleverness, but also ruthlessness and lawlessness.

Nonetheless, Temperance Alston successfully negotiated for her husband and his forces to be spared from fiery deaths that day.

After the war, House in the Horseshoe was purchased by Governor Benjamin Williams and a succession of others until the 1950s, when the state purchased the home and preserved its history.

- This would've been the family room as well as the master bedroom.

This is where Philip and Temperance were either awoken or they were just starting their day when the house was ambushed.

And this is the fireplace where Temperance hid three of her children.

- [Rick] Research continues to refine the historical and forensic information about the house.

Of great curiosity to visitors and historians are the bullet holes still visible from the skirmish more than 240 years ago.

- The things that we did with the State Bureau of Investigations when they came out to do that ballistic study was to try to figure out the directions of where the loyalists were shooting from and even the angles that they were shooting from.

So, how close were they to the house?

From what direction were they shooting?

And so we were actually able to learn a lot about it.

We were able to tell that on this side of the house, the loyalists that would've been shooting from this side, most of them were actually coming from around this corner here that we're standing in.

- [Rick] This newly discovered evidence will factor into the next reenactment at the house, which would typically be in July of 2026.

But currently, House in the Horseshoe has begun construction of a new visitor center, which will keep the site closed to the public until 2027.

This much-anticipated visitor center will greatly enhance the history experience at the site.

- It'll be 3,000 square feet.

We're gonna have a brand new exhibit space inside.

We're gonna have an audiovisual room, an introductory video, a bigger gift shop.

It's really gonna give us a lot more opportunities for programming, specifically educational programming.

With field trips, we'll be able to have more children out, and we're really excited about that.

- The House in the Horseshoe State Historic Site is at 288 Alston House Road in Sanford.

There are renovations being made at the site, so give them a call at [910] 947-2051 or visit their website at historicsitesnc.gov.

Well, that's it for tonight's show.

We've had a wonderful time bringing you these North Carolina oddities.

Our state is full of fascinating places to visit, isn't it?

And remember, if you've missed anything in tonight's show, you can always watch it again online at pbsnc.org, and you can find all of our stories on our YouTube channel.

Have a great North Carolina weekend, everyone.

[uplifting music] [uplifting music continues] [uplifting music continues] [uplifting music continues] [uplifting music continues] [uplifting music continues] [uplifting music continues] [uplifting music continues] [uplifting music continues] - [Announcer] Funding for "North Carolina Weekend" is provided in part by Visit NC, dedicated to highlighting our state's natural scenic beauty, unique history, and diverse cultural attractions.

From the Blue Ridge and the Great Smoky Mountains across the Piedmont to 300 miles of barrier island beaches, you're invited to experience all the adventure and charm our state has to offer.

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