Bigfoot’s Baby Brother
 

 
 
 
 
 
How about them apples?

Meet the Albatwitch, central Pennsylvania’s little
Bigfoot! Short for “apple-snitch”, this hairy, little
hominid is described as “manlike”, between 4
and 5 feet tall, with an insatiable appetite for apples.
Rumored to spend most of their days in the trees,
the Albatwitch are said to inhabit the wooded banks
of the Susquehanna River, with most sightings
in the Chickies Rock area.

A man bears beliefs as a tree bears apples!

According to local lore, Albatwitch sightings were commonplace until the later nineteenth century, at which point they may have been driven into extinction. Many of these tales relate encounters with startled picnickers, who were often relieved of their apples by the hungry, hairy apple-nappers. Others suggest the Albatwitch still exist, in drastically reduced numbers, and point to a spattering of Bigfoot-like encounters reported in both the 1950s and the 1970s in nearby Lancaster and York Counties.

A few bad apples is no reason not to visit the orchard!

There is some debate about the origins of the Albatwitch, with some experts tracing the legend back to the Susquehannock Indians, and others citing roots in Germanic folklore, brought to the area by the Pennsylvania Dutch. The Susquehannocks certainly believed in an ape-like creature, occasionally depicting it on their war-shields. Evidence of a Susquehannock settlement has been unearthed at the base of Chickies Rock.

Why not upset the apple cart?

No matter which sides of the extinction / origins arguments you side with, there is no doubt that the legend is alive and well in the area. In addition to the strange, whip-like noises that are frequently reported coming from the forest at night, the nearby town of Columbia celebrates Albatwitch Day every year. Hosted by the Columbia Preservation Society, the event features cryptozoology lectures, live music, trolley rides and, of course, – Apples!