Velociworld

For those of us in the under-40 crowd, I submit to you that Jim Breuer is, and will always be, the living version of Goat Boy.

Baaaaaah! Perhaps the genesis of the character was Goat Man, one can never tell. The spawn of Goat Man....Goat Boy!

Pluperfect, eh? I didn't know you were such the Latin scholar...

I remember the goat man, he loved highway 17 south and Ogeechee road. I saw him many times when I was a child. Mama took me to Lukes fruit stand to buy her some cane juice every fall.

There are times when I am absolutely stunned by your gift of writing.

People like you make me want to try harder.

LOVED this post.

If I can find it, I have a newspaper article about him somewhere. I don't know if it'll OCR or not, if it will, I'll send it to you

I saw the Goat Man.
And my pillar turned into a shaker of salt.

the frist time my mother told me the story of the goat man I was in awe of him. I Couldnt believe this man traveled all over the country and still stettled down here in the south georgia 45 miles north east of me I vowed to vist him before he left this feeble world. The only true possions he ever owned where but a bible an old railroad wagon and his ever loving goats. A man who followed the teachings of our lord jesus as best he could. He is the true essance of American Freedom. Thanks for letting me get that off my chest, I respect him far greater than any president we have ever had I wish u could still live a life like his.
Jeorge ann carter, Bonaire Ga 31005
if any one has More information on the Goat man and you read this please email it to Jeorge_ann_carter@yahoo.com, I plan to write an Essay for my college lit class on him

I too just had a goatman flashback and decided to do a websearch on him. When i was a boy in Atlanta, Georgia, the Goatman would bring his smelly entourage by my grandfather's house every few years or so. He was indeed quite a character, but a very kind spirit. I can still remember the jolly look in my grandfather's eyes when we would hear the jingle-jangle of the bells of the Goatman. They would sit around and talk for hours about all that the Goatman had seen during his travels. People such as The Goatman are the people that makes life worth living for.

Your description of looking out the station wagon windows, drign through GA, then seeing the Goat Man, is so perfect that it really took me back to the three times I saw him in GA: 1956, 1961, and 1964.

If you'll take that naughty word off of hre, I'll proudly print this out for my kids.

Thanks for posting this wonderful story.

are you real

I recall the Goatman in KY as a very young person. The year was 1953, dad took me to see him on hwy 31W north above Elizabethtown, KY. Dad had a 1950 Studebaker; I recall seeing dad speak to him and I still have a couple of the postcards he sold. God bless!

I seen the goat man and his son one summer in the early 1950 fiftys.he came through catawba county here in north carolina.traveling on old highway u.s.70 east of hickory,n.c. he parked his wagon by the side of the catawba river.Ican rememenber the smell of the goats.I can still see the stack of head ache powders he carried with him.

I seen the goat man and his son one summer in the early 1950 fiftys.he came through catawba county here in north carolina.traveling on old highway u.s.70 east of hickory,n.c. he parked his wagon by the side of the catawba river.Ican rememenber the smell of the goats.I can still see the stack of head ache powders he carried with him.

Oh My God - after reading your story I too had a Goat Man Flashback!!! It was in Toccoa, GA across from the "Wig Wam" the only drive up restaurant in town - I remember being in awe of him. My Mother heard he was driving thru town and took me to see him.
Thanks for the memory
Sally Murray Lamperti

I remember the Goat Man (perhaps there were more than one?)in the '50's while I was growing up in Key Largo. On several occasions he passed through town on his way south towards Key West, then back again later because the road dead ends there. As children we would walk along with him (I never saw him ride in the wagon) until we had to turn around for home. My mother knew him from an earlier time when she was younger. She grew up in central Georgia and I think she knew him then. I saw him once in GA while I was a kid visiting Grandma's near Macon.

i remember him from several visits when i was a child in cartersville ga. he camped once a quarter mile from my house

I have a picture of the goat man that I found at a hole in the wall antique store. Its got the artists signature, the goat mans signature and his thumbprint.

Anyone have any idea on its value ?

And I, too, saw the goatman in 1954 or 1955 traveling by our home west of Jacksonville, Alabama. I told my Dad I saw him when he got home from work and he took me and my brother down near Ohatchee where he was camped for the night. Must have been 10 or 12 carloads of people there to visit him. I was truly in awe of all the great "plunder" he had in his wagon and hanging all over his wagon. There were car tags from most states and hub caps and jugs and all sorts of neat stuff. One of his goats had no front legs and she rode right up on the wagon seat with the Goat Man. My imagination soared that night with thoughts of traveling freely about the country like him. I guess that is the first time I ever was inspired to such dreams.

One correction: The little goat with no front legs did ride on the wagon seat, but Ches McCartney (the Goat Man) walked along beside the wagon. It is believed that he walked over 100,000 miles between 1915 and 1987. There are certainly few regions of this country and Canada that he did not visit. Needless to say, he must have had many different goats over that 70 or so years. I'm sure people would give him one or two when he needed more. I know for sure that the ate very well. The visitors to his camp every day would bring food for him and for his goats. The only time I heard him orate at his camp in Ohatchee, Alabama that night, he was campaigning for President and making all kind of promises as to how he would straighten out this country.

There is a gfreat story about the goat Man in "Reminisce" Extra issue August 2005

I remember the GoatMan very well, I grew up in Macon in the 70,s and early 80's My father has always been facinated with the GoatMan and has researched his entire life, My father used to take me and my little brother out to visit him and his horse Lady Bird. There is a newspaper article with a picture of me and my little brother playing on his wagon. We are now in the process of writing a book. Maybe people will find it interesting.

The Goat Man was something to see all through the South. I saw the Goat Man in Decator, AL. about 1949, and again in Sweetwater, TN. around 1958. My sister sent me a VHS tape of the Goat Man a few months ago that tells of his life on the road.
Ron Owens
Anchorage, AK.

Yes I remember him on the south part of Macon at seven bridges and I believe that his main place of stay was on US 80 this side of Jeffersonville but passed the Dry branch area.

I remember seeing him many times ever since I was very little all over, even in FL, with the goats and wagon and his trove all dangling and clanging.

And that init self brings back memories of how people spoke of and about him. From a harmless ole coot that never bathed, to tales of you kids better stay away and steer clear that he�ll eat un-minding children.

I feel fortunate that I was able to meet and speak with him when I was older I can�t remember the year but it was around when the music industry was king around here but just starting to wind down.

There was going to be a wedding and party of some of the in-crowd that I got invited to and the Goat Man was going to preside yes he was a minister I belive but not sure.

I thought how chic is that, not to say of the fun and of my head swelling to be invited.

Every thing was great it was party city, of course I had to make my way over to speak to the Goat Man. Bathed and dressed up by the way. We spoke for a short while and to my amazement found him to be well read and spoken at least in my opinion. I remember him saying something through the course of our conversation to the effect of. (Have confidence in your own judgment; that I shouldn�t give undue deference, to the opinions and feeling of others). That had a very profound effect on me and this is why.

After a short while the ceremony started and the Goat Man stated that he was proud to be chosen the preside over the ceremony the vow�s took place and the applause was rising when the bride and groom shouted out April Fools yep they got everybody, by saying eariler only fools get married so why not today.

That�s when I noticed the look on the Goat man�s face he was truly astonished and let down I felt for him he knew that he was a butt end of a joke. I was so sad, he didn�t see it coming he was serious about his pride and of it being an honor to preside.

Well the morrow of this little story, which is true, by the way, and laugh if you wish but my eyes are whelping up as I write this. I left having little respect for people that have fun at the expense of the feeling if others. But I left as a more knowledgeable, therefore a happier well-rounded and profoundly thankful individual to having met him. You never really know how someone will positively affect you or someone�s life even by what the masses may consider a crazy, dirty, abnormal, eccentric, even what boogeyman stories are made from. Like an ole coot, the GOAT MAN.

My mom and dad, Hilda and Clifton Edens ran a country store and service station on hwy 17 about 22 miles north of Wilmington,NC near Hampstead. This is where I was born in 1951. Growing up I remember seeing the goatman pass by our place at least twice during my childhood in the 50's and 60's. It facinated me to see him coming down the road .As I recall there were goats ahead of the wagon and behind as well as all over the wagon. I remember also the long beard he wore as well as all the pots, pans and tubs hanging all overthe wagon. I can't imagine how he was able to keep all those goats headed in the same direction and in one lane of a then three lane highway. It goes without saying that with the traffic we have today he probably wouldn't have survived many miles. It reminds me of a much more peaceful time in many of our lives who are old enough to remember it.

The Goat Man is a true American folk character and I truly enjoy knowing him and have many pictues.

Oh what memories this stirs. I remember a cold winter day in 54 or 55 atop Monteagle Mountain in Tennessee. Mom, Dad and me in a 49 Merc, going from Chattanooga to McMinnville and there was the Goat Man, he had set up amp under icilces hanging off the rocks. I begged to stop.God he smelled worse than the Goats. I saw him maybe a dozen times in the 50's.
Another piece of Americana gone!

MY CHILDREN DID NOT BELIEVE ME WHEN I TOLD THEM STORIES ABOUT THE GOAT MAN. THEY THOUGHT I WAS MAKING UP THE STORY. MY DAUGHTER ELLIE DECIDED TO DO A SEARCH ON LINE AND LO AND BEHOLD TO HER AMAZEMENT SHE FOUND HIM.I CAN REMEMBER IN THE 50'S AND 60'S SEEING HIM COME THROUGH THOMASTON GA. AND STOPPING FOR AN OVERNIGHT STAY AT THE COURTHOUSE. MY DAD ALWAYS TOOK ME TO SEE HIM AND ALL OF THOSE GOATS HE HAD. I ALSO REMEMBER THAT HE HAD AN OLD BARREL FILLED WITH POST CARDS FROM ALL OF THE PLACES HE HAD TRAVELED. OLIVIA AND ELLIE NOW BELIEVE THE STORIES ARE TRUE. WHAT A TIME THAT WAS TO GROW UP IN A SMALL TOWN IN RURAL GA.I DON'T BELIEVE THERE WILL EVER BE ANOTHER FREE SPIRIT LIKE THE GOAT MAN. THOSE DAYS ARE GONE FOREVER BUT THE GOAT MAN LIVES ON IN THE STORIES WE TELL OUR CHILDREN.

I grew up in Micco, FL., 15 mi S of Melbourne in the '50's. 'Saw him twice. Once, while waiting for the school bus with a pod of other urchins one AM, he stopped in front of us and picked-up a flashlight that had fallen from a passing car. I, much later, as an adult, read that he had been killed when struck by a car in TN or KY? Is that correct? I was in the Army at the time this lengthy article appeared and virtually everyone in the barracks knew of, many had seen, The Goat Man.

The Goatman was a real person. As a kid in the 50's and later 60's, my father would always carry me to see the Goatman as he traveled down Hwy. 301 in Weldon, N.C. He was never too busy to talk to you or anyone. I remember the sound of the bells on the goats and I would always bring food for the goats. He was a very nice and intelligent man. He was a regular on Hwy 301 and in North Carolina. I've still got postcards of him that he sold on the road.

While haveing nothing to do this winter I have been on the computer a lot==Just putting in a word or two and see what will come up==I put in goatman and here is where I landed=Have read the whole page and do believe many people have seen the goat man== I myself am related to the goatman==I am a second cousin of his and visited his place many times befor he became a world traveler=He first started out with a team of horses and a pickup cab on four wheels==He and another big husky bearded man traveled together==When it came meal time and they were in a town ,Charley would put a chain around his partners neck and they would go down the street with him pulling at the chain and acting like he was wild==People would stop to look and Charley would tell them that he was responsible for this wild man and they were both hungry=Would someone please give them money so they can go eat==People would kick in some money and they would head for the resturant with Geo still fighting and raising cane all the way.=Then when they got in the resturant he would tell them that the wild man was hungry and was liable to tear the place up if he didn't get any food so they would feed them for free==The money he collected would buy feed for the horses==He only traveled that way for about a year when his partner got sick and later passed away==Then came the goats==

Yes,yes,yes! I remember the Goat Man. It was in Lincolnton, N.C., where I was born and grew up. It must have been in the 1940s since I believe I was about five years old. He camped beside the South Fork of the Catawba river, located at the V junction of Highway 127 and the "Cherryville Hwy. 150", a spot locally known as Riverside. My father took me there to see him and they talked while I wandered among the goats. I remember him as being burley and bearded, wearing bib overalls. After all these years the memory is vivid, less for the spectical that he and his goats certainly were, but for the sense of him that stayed with me, of a gentle, interesting man, who by living a strange life on his own terms, left his mark.

Add Monroe, GA to the list of the Goat Man's travels. He treked up and down Georgia Hwy 11 on his many trips to who knows where. Great memories!

You can also add Lenoir City, Tennessee, specifically Eatons Elementary School on Highway 70. Several times in my childhood the Goatman camped next to our school and became an instant magnet for all the children. Much to the unhappiness of the teachers. When we heard that the Goatman had returned, it turned a boring day into something special.

Since we are in an addition mode.....I saw the Goat Man traveling down 5th Street (US Highway 15)in the heart of Hartsville, South Carolina. Also saw him stopped outside of McBee, South Carolina across from Jimmy Johnson's Restaurant (no longer there)on US Highway 1. Don't want to leave out my brothers and sister.....Felix, Mike, and Dianne.....which also witnessed what now appears to be a somewhat historic event.

Finding your postings has truly been a trip( or should I say Voyage) down memory lane. I was born in Macon, GA and have lived here for 53 years. I recall seeing the Goat Man on several occasions in and around Macon as I was growing up. Needless to say, he was a source of endless fascination to my older sisters and me. I wanted to somehow acquire my own rig just like the Goat Man's and set off to see the world!
We once made a special trip to see his home near Jeffersonville,GA. His " farm " had the same ramshackle appearance as his wagon. Patchwork fences enclosed goat pens in every direction.
My special memory of The Goat Man occured in 1970 when I was a senior in high school. My best friend had heard that The Goat Man was in Macon and, being of a somewhat more adventurous nature than myself, he decided that we should pay him a visit. We eventually located him parked on the side of the road out Riverside Drive on the north side of town. We stopped and talked with Mr. McCartney for about two hours. We even ended up sitting with him in his cramped and decidedly odiferous wagon. He talked of his travels and I found my childhood desire to emulate his free-spirited roamings return. He also spoke repeatedly of his son whom he claimed had been in the first wave of the Normandy invasion in WWII. Whether this was true or not I never knew. I do know, however, that he was a fascinating man and I wouldn't take anything for the experience. I have thought on that evening on many occasions over the years with great fondness. Chess McCartney was truly a folk legend and in his own strange way, a real gentleman as well as a "gentle" man.

I have a picture of the bus the goat man lived in in Macon, Georgia area. I saw him numerous times as a child.

If interested email me.

R

I saw him come through Loudon TN on Hwy 11, sometime in 81 or 82. Does anyone know where I can get a copy of the video "Goat Man - the Life and Times of Ches McCartney?" Please e-mail me if you do.

The Goat Man spoke with me and my brother in Glencoe Alabama sometime in the early 60's. We were wading or fishing at a spring on Hwy 431 and he stopped for the goats to drink and cool off.

I too, remember the Goatman. It was probably 1967 or so. He was camped on the side of Hwy. 70 in Midtown, Tn..

My Dad took me to see him and I remember the smells and the oily black fire he was sitting beside. (burning an old tire) I sure wish my kids could have the childhood I had. I thought about the old Goatman for many years, wishing I could go with him and camp out with the goats.

goat man you cool, are you a hippy? If you lived in Pennsylvania I would chill with you and your goat. Drink iced tea and keep on rockin goat man. you recently new fan, McNichol

I remeber seeing the "goat man" as a child on the west side of Atlanta off Bankhead hwy U.S. 78 every spring as he headed north from Fl. where he would spent the winters. This was in the middle 40's. The last time I saw him was in the middle 70's in Alpharetta where he would camp for several years in a row. He had old car tags from every state on his cart.

I asked my Yankee husband if he had ever heard of the Goat Man. He had not, so I looked him up on the internet and was very happy to find this site. Our family usually traveled to Florida once a year in the 50's for vacation (from Winder GA) and I'll never forget the first time we saw him! I can still close my eyes and hear the clanging of the pots and pans on his wagon as we slowly passed him on the road. What a treat for any child!

I can remember the Goatman when I was small in the fifties. We would go to the North Georgia mountains to spend the weekend. It seemed we always saw him clanging down the road with his goats and bells and junk. (Treasures to him i'm sure.) When we could get my father to stop it was always exciting to me. As I write this the smell comes back to me of goats and smoke from his fire.I saw him maybe 3 or 4 times in the mountains but it was always a treat to hear those bells even before we saw him. Thanks for the memory.

I WAS 5 YEARS OLD WHEN I FIRST SAW THE GOAT MAN..I AM 64 NOW..HE WAS ON HWY.41 IN GEORGIA..MY DADDY ALWAYS SEEM TO KNOW WHEN THE GOAT MAN CAME CLOSE BY AND WE ALWAYS WENT TO SEE HIM..HE AND DADDY WOULD TALK ABOUT ALL KINDS OF THINGS..I WOULD LOOK AT THE GOATS..I REALLY LIKED THE BABY GOATS..I WISHED HE WOULD GIVE ME ONE..BUT NO LUCK THERE..BUT WHAT WONDERFUL MEMORIES OF SUCH A SPIRITED MAN..LIVED HIS LIFE HIS WAY..

I am 21 years old and I know of The Goat Man. I do however have a question and wonder if anyone will know the answer: there is an old bridge, overtaken by vandals and a haven for drunk drivers, nicknamed "Devil's Bridge". It is a concrete bridge on a dirt road in Hawkinsville, GA. I have always heard that there was a connection between this bridge and the goat man. Anyone know of it

this doesnt reeally look like goat man i hear he is a kiler and has dark red eyes!

I woke up this morning, and for some reason I thought of the Goatman. I was thinking it's a shame the kids growing up today didn't have a chance to see him and his goats. I lived close to hwy. 41 in Calhoun Ga., and when he came through our area we always went to visit him. It was a wonderous sight to behold.. him and his entourage.
I jumped out of bed and decided to see if I could find anything about him on the web and found this site. I'm glad to see his memory is still alive.
smiling at the fond memories and the free spirit he instilled in me.

I saw him twice. Once as a kid in WV. He camped near my family's store on the edge of a cornfield. My Grandpa said he came through every 5-6 years and had for decades. He said he was "shell shocked" and to stay away from him.

The last time I saw him was east of Marion,SC in the fall of '81. I looked down a side road and there he was. A string of goats pulling the wagon and him up on the bench with an umbrella for shade.

The Goat Man was a passenger on a Greyhound bus taking me from Macon to Savannah back in the early 80's. I described his stinky, Rumplestiltskin-like self to my grandfather and he said, "That's the Goat Man!" I will never forget our stopping on the side of the highway to drop him off at his home: a broken-down school bus. My brother and sister and I still talk about our GM encounter.

I saw the Goatman in 1965 when I was in the first grade. I remember the teachers telling us about him, and how they made him seem pitiful. When he would come through town, (Alcoa, Tennessee), the local paper made a big deal out of his trip through. I then thought, "how could anybody that's famous enough to be in the paper be as pitiful as the teachers made him out to be?" I remember seeing him, but I don't recall the road. I do however remember all the trinkets and pots and pans hanging all over his wagon. Made me sad when I heard of his death. He could never survive todays' traffic---especially Alcoa Highway, one of the nations' deadliest roads. Rock on Goat-dude!!

I too recall seeing the Goatman in the mid sixties in Cochran, GA. My family and I were driving through Cochran when we came upon this man, wagon, and all those goats. We stopped and chatted with him. However, he didn't have much to say. I guess he was about the most unusual character I have ever seen to date.

The Goatman was also regular along US #1 and #74 in the piedmont area of North Carolina. I saw him, and his son, numerous times, the most memorable when followed Santa Claus at the end of a Christmas parade in Rockingham, NC, receiving more cheers and waves than Santa!
In the mid eighty's, Radio Station WBZ Boston, Mass. took call in's from all over the east coast telling their experience with The Goatman; they allowed me 15 minutes to tell of my tales, I could have gone on longer!
My Daddy was a businessman in Rockingham, he always spoke to The Goatman when he came to the area, mentioning that local business folk always loved it when The Goatman set up shop in their parking lots, atracting crowds that would often shop in their stores; Daddy said the merchants would "take care of the Goatman" ($$$ and feed) before he left. Perhaps postcards were not his only source of income.
In his later years, before living in a nursing home around Macon, Ga, he somehow got involved with a woman from the West coast, traveling there with her. This relationship turned sour, and Atlanta Radio Starion WSB arranged free air travel on DELTA Airlines back to Atlanta. Radio personality Ludlow Porch kept everyone posted on this event, and Ludlow, I suspect, had something to do with promoting a video, or a book, that cronicled The Goatman's adventures in life.
Oh what memories, thanks for all these posts, The Goatman, a humble man, would be humbled!
Best Regards to all, Paul, Madison, GA

As a young reporter for The Anniston (Ala.) Star in the early 1980s I traveled to Jeffersonville, Ga., to interview the Goat Man, by then retired from his wanderings and living in an abandoned school bus with his son. The great Star photographer Ken Elkins went along and took a magnificent photograph of Chess that is featured prominently in Elkins' book, "Picture Taker," published last fall by the University of Alabama Press with a wonderful foreword by Rick Bragg. (A large print of that photo is framed and hangs on the wall of my study in my home in California, a gift from Elkins and one of my most prized posessions.) The story-and-picture package Elkins and I produced for The Star was picked up by the Associated Press and ran in hundreds of newspapers around the world. The Goat Man was real, and he was one wonderful, ornery, idiosyncratic piece of work.

I remember the Goat Man from the 1950's & 60's. I was born in 50. I lived in Avondale Estates, Georgia and from time to time the Goat Man would set up camp for a couple of days on a grassy area on Memorial Drive in Decatur, Georgia. This allowed his goats to graze.
To me, he was bigger than life. Even scary. People came from miles around to talk to him, have their picture taken with him and buy items from him (including postcards).
There were no interstates to clutter his way and when people encountered him and his team on the roadway they would give a friendly "toot" on the horn and a wave. He was a traveler who left good memories where ever he ventured.

I remember the Goat Man from Haywood County NC sometime before 1957 because that's when we moved away from there. A couple of years later I saw him again near Jacksonville, Florida. A number of years later, probably mid 60's or so I saw him again, twice I think near Columbus, GA. Something on TV this afternoon made me think about him and I told my wife. She's not from the South and didn't believe me when I talked about him, the wagon, the goats, etc. I told her I was going to look him up on the internet. Found this site and called her to look. She was amazed... a more interesting person would be difficult to find. Whatever else, he certainly was a free spirit. Probably wouldn't be allowed to do his thing in todays society. Just remember, a person is never really gone as long as someone remembers him and this man represents a segment of Southern culture that should be remembered. Not necessarily because he contributed to society or culture, but because he was a common denominator as someone said "for the over 40 crowd". Just about everyone has a "Goatman Sighting" or two .
Rock On !!

Iremember going to see The Goat Man when i was a child cars were parked along HWY27near sale creek we were in an old 40 chevy we stopped my dad talked to him Iremember him telling the goats to get out of his bed which was on a lower level of his wagon any one with any info please email me this is so interesting thanks

I was talking to one of my co-workers on the railroad a few days ago and the subject came up. I was a small child when the Goat Man came through our small town of Cedartown Ga and remember him well. When my co-worker mentioned the Goat Man, a stream of memories came rushing back. I could almost hear the sound of all the bells and the bhaahs of the goats. What a wonderful time it was. If any one has pictures that can be scanned and sent as attachments, I would be truley grateful. I would treasure any and all. God bless the Goat Man, a true american legend.

I saw the Goat Man as he came through Collegedale, TN (near chattanooga) two times in the 60's and probably early 70's. He burned tires in the middle of what is now a very busy road and camp for the night. Locally it known as four corners. All of the post bring back memories. The sound of all the pots and pans, goats, bells, etc., and smell was hypnotic. A lot of the post talk about their dad or mom hearing about GM at work and taking the kids to see him. Me too. It is amazing that one man, a bunch of goats and a pile of gunk on a old beater wagon can have such an effect so many people. Enjoyed reading the post.

Suddenly I am transported into the '60s with my three young sisters and baby brother in our tan chevy station wagon, gawking again at the Goat Man on Hwy 17 South somewhere in South Ga. It was for us a regular part of our vacation. We always expected to see him and somehow always did. What I remember most: the bells and smells, baby goats munching on kudzo, Goat Man's long white beard and an old brown wagon with pots and pans tied up with vines. Thanks Y'all!

I grew up in Montgomery during the 50's and 60's and met the Goat Man several times. Somehow my father would hear that he was around, and we'd make a special trip to the edge of town to see him. We'd go up and talk with him for a while, pet his goats, buy something we didn't need (used post cards come to mind) and then leave. It didn't seem too odd--certainly no stranger than thinking the Civil War had been lost, or that segregation was normal or coming upon KKK meetings from time to time.
I remember the scents and sights of the Goat Man, just a part that time.

I also remember seeing the GOAT MAN in Athens, Tn. I was a young child, but I remember the goats & smelley long haired man. I was happy to sit & view this video Saturday during Pumpkinton @ Athens,Tn., October 14th. I encourage anyone that remembers their early years to see this film & to copy a page of information to leave their children as a page for history.

Last night, something on tv reminded me of the Goat Man, and I feebly attempted to describe to my wife this phenomena which our family had encountered on at least two trips trips in the early 1950's, from Wilmington, NC to Moultrie, GA. She had doubts, and I grasped at the only straw I knew, the Google internet. Man alive, look at the postings of shared interest and nostalgia of those lucky people who witnessed this sight! The very size of the wagon and its inhabitants would have stopped traffic on a modern interstate. NOW, to show all this to my wife.

My name is Kathy. I am 48 years old now. I remember, as a small child, 3 and 4 years old, of seeing the Goat Man. We grew up quite poor so we really thought it was a treat to see the goat man. Usually it was between Shannon and Armuchee Ga. on hwy 140. A couple of years ago, i asked one of my friends if she remembered the Goat Man. That year for Christmas she got me a book about the Goat Man. I still have it and it is a treasure to me.

I grew up in Macon, Georgia. We owned a small grocery store on spring street across the road from Baconsfield Park (no longer there). Iremember my father taking us to see him every time he came to his home camp out on the Jeffersonville hwy. The first tike he loaded all us kids up in the station wagon and said we're going to see the goatman I was so excited, not just to go see the goat man but, to go antwhere with my father. About half way there it dawned on me I didn't know who or what the goat man was. I asked "Daddy why do they call him the goat man?" Dad answered not wanting to spoil the surprise "you'll see". I asked again "is it because he is half man and half goat?" Suddenly both my parents were roaring with laughter and I almost cried from the shame.

But with every visit (dad always took him a little something from the store I never knew what or asked why or what. I remember loving to pet the sweet goats and hear my father swap tales with this man. They seemed to know one another but,I can't guess how. The sound and the smells of those visits are in my memory as sweet fragile cord to an innocent time in my life that only lasted a heartbeat. How nice to have others know what I mean.

We saw the "Goat Man" on several occasions in the late 50's and 60's. He came through our town, Ellijay, Georiga, once and we saw him another time on Hwy 5 in Woodstock, Georgia. It was always amazing to see him with all the goats and the little covered wagon with all the pots and pans hanging on the sides.

He was very dirty, but anyone that ever saw him will never forget him.

I too remember the Goat Man. Our family lived on Hwy 247 in Kathleen, Georgia. Ches McCartney and his goats traveled on this highway several times. On one trip he pulled off the highway in front of our home and camped overnight. I too remember the ringing of the pots and pans that were hung on the outside of his wagon and the baby goats in his wagon. I will admit these are special memories of my childhood.

found 8x10 black and white negative in an office in west anniston that i was remodling pictures goatman with wagon and goods and goats on noble street in anniston alabama its bound to be old due to cars parked on street.think its worth anything????found in late 70.

My good friend Jimmy Hammett knew the Goat Man has produced a couple of Goat Man documentaries. Everything you want to know about the Goat Man, including movies and video of him traveling, stories, etc. You can get DVD or VHS tapes from him here:

"Goat Man, The Life & Times of Ches McCartney" or

"Goat Man 2" Video or DVD - $26.00 each includes S&H

"Goat Man" & "Goat Man 2" Combo - $46.00 includes S&H

VIDEO or DVD

Send check or money order to:

The FunSeekers Special

834 Mountain View Rd

Molena, GA 30258

Or call with credit card 770-884-0669

Thanks, Mitch.

I remeber the goatman coming through Aiken , SC off US Hyw 1 in the early sixties. my dad carried the entire family out to see him we all sat and talked for what seemed like hours.

I am 20 years old and live in northern middle Tennessee. When I was a kid I remember listening to my uncles and grandparents tell stories about the goat man coming through our area. I'd love to know more about him.

Oh my! The Goatman was part of my life as a child. Yearly, we would travel a few miles to Gloverville, South Carolina Hwy 421 to see the Goatman and his goats. I have always told my kids this story and now passing it on to my grands. What sweet (smelly) memories!!

The goatman would make his way through Stone Mountain in the early 60's on his way to who-knows-where. My father would load us up in his truck to "go see the Goatman". That was always a very big deal. Every time I pass the spot on Hugh Howell Road, I remember that man. I know that I am a part of an elete club....I remember the Goatman.

I grew up in Summerville, Georgia! Many times as a child I remember seeing the Goat Man and being completely amazed by him! What memories!

I grew up in Summerville, Georgia! Many times as a child I remember seeing the Goat Man and being completely amazed by him! What memories!

REMEMBER THE GOATMAN STOPPING AT MY GRANDFATHERS
FARM OUTSIDE OF REGISTER , gA. IN THE LATE 50'S
AND EARLY 60'S HE ALWAYS STAY AT LEAST ONE NITE
AND TALKED WITH ALL THE CHILDREN. THERE WAS ALWAYS AT LEAST 16 TO 25 GOATS WITH HIM

REMEMBER THE GOATMAN STOPPING AT MY GRANDFATHERS
FARM OUTSIDE OF REGISTER , gA. IN THE LATE 50'S
AND EARLY 60'S HE ALWAYS STAY AT LEAST ONE NITE
AND TALKED WITH ALL THE CHILDREN. THERE WAS ALWAYS AT LEAST 16 TO 25 GOATS WITH HIM

I met the Goat Man in the mid 50’s, when I was 5 or 6. He came to our family dude ranch in central Wis. My father collected odd characters like some people collected knick-knacks, they just showed up at our door. The Goat Man showed up with a miniature “Gypsy Caravan” type wagon, pulled by a herd of goats. He was treated like the celebrity he was. He got fed, his goats got fed, and the Chicago tourists got to fawn over him for a couple of days. I remember my dad introducing me and shaking the Goat Man’s hand. It was a solemn occasion, like meeting Royalty. Finally, he went on his way, the departure marked by the bleating of goats and the tinkling of various treasures hanging from his wagon.
For health reasons, my father could not spend the winters in Wis., so every fall our family went to the gulf coast of Florida, south of Venice. This is pre Interstate, so it took 8 or 9 days, pulling a travel trailer at 45mph. For a kid, that was forever.
We had settled in to Florida life for a couple of months when the Goat Man showed up at our door. He and my dad were old buddies, so of course he got fed, and his goats got fed. It boggled my young mind that he had walked from central Wis. to SW Florida. I knew how long it had taken us in a car, I could not imagine the enormity of walking the whole distance.
We met him in Venice later, and people were crowding around like the circus was in town. That clinched it for me, I knew he was a famous somebody.
I saw him a couple of times more in the following years, then he and his memory faded away. I found the Goat Man by accident on Google, and it brought back memories of a sweeter time.

The Goat Man was in Conecuh County, Alabama several times -- on US Hwy 31 South -- there were 2 general stores where he would stop -- Lemley's Store and Vickrey's Store. If we asked our bus driver very nicely, he would stop and let us get off and pet the goats. We all looked forward to seeing him again.

I am amazed that so many people have memories of the Goat Man. I remember seeing him many times in Moody and Leeds, Alabama. He was smelly and scary and intriguing at the same time.
He had a little tin cup with a few coins in it and he shook it at me one time- scared me to death. His presence took on an almost spiritual quality- made me feel like I was going straight to hell right then if I didn't fill his cup.

Things that you can't remember at 67 years like what you had for supper the night before but remb the goat man in the 1950's when he came thru Lumber City Ga and all the kids walk him all the way to the river bridge going to Hazlehurst better than if the fair was in town. holding our nose. all old people should learn to use a comp in stead of watching T V and read reminisce mags. thanks everyone for all the memmories

After I read the initial story, it occurred to me that I would have written the very same recollection. Perhaps a bit less eloquently. I grew up in Cleveland, GA and we would hear of the Goatman coming through Toccoa, Cornelia, Cleveland, Helen and Dahlonega (sp) quite regularly. I could not have been more than 6 or 7 years old the first time I saw him, the rolling shack with pans, teams of goats and other curiosities.

I too tried to tell my children about the Goatman. It seems that they would have accepted the stories better than they did admidst all of the sci-fi movies and make-believe Nintendo RPG's. I guess the simple concept of a simple life is too unbelievable now days? I was glad to see that other people had similar childhood memories of the Goatman and are posting living proof that such a man existed. I wonder what he would think of the world today. It would probably make him sad. I'm glad his memory still brings happiness to others, as it does to me.

What memories are stirred! He was our entertainment. The first time Daddy took us to see The Goat Man must have been in the late 40's, then the 50's. Anytime he was rumnored to be around we had to go see him. I just loved his life style. I have sorta picked that up, hard to stay one place. Thanks for the memory jog!
Jack

I, too, as a kid saw this man in Macon, Georgia around the Seven Bridges area. It happened such a long time ago and I had forgotten the wonder I felt when seeing him. Thanks for the memories.

My father took me to see the goat man in Camden, SC, when I was about 10 or 11 years old (approximately 1959 or 1960). The goat man was parked in the parking lot of the shopping center where the bowling alley was. He was selling pictures of himself. He smelled just like his goats.

I still recall the first time I saw the Goat Man south of BlueRidge(or maybe Blairsville) GA in what must have been 1969-1970. I was about 11 years old. He was something else. He had stopped for the night and his goats were scattered everywhere but gentle and well-behaved. My mother has some pics somewhere-I'll have to see if I can find them. Thanks for the memories!

I remember seeing the Goatman in the late 50's and have postcard photos he gave to my Grandmother, I remember you could hear the clanging of the pot's and pans seemed like miles away before he showed up. Does anyone know where he was originally from and what happened to him or the little boy?

If anyone's interested, there's a song about the Goatman on a CD entitled "Color Came One Day" by Chuck Brodsky. It's a folk song, as I suppose it would have to be. Most of the info in the song seems to marry up with the info on this thread.

I remember seeing the Goatman on highway 341 between McRae and Lumber City Ga. I was on the schoolbus on my way home. Isaw him at least three times. This was between 1948 and 1952.

I remember as a young girl in the 1960's as the family would travel in our local surrounding area (Hyw. 17) my father pointing out Ches, the Goat Man, to us children. We lived in Savannah, GA in the Ogeechee Farms Neighborhood. My curiosity sure was peaked by the sight of him. I often wondered what it was like to not have a home and never know just where you may settle for the night.

Goat man made lots of trips through th Spring City, Tennessee area on Highway 27. He referred to Watts Bar Lake as his bath tub. BUT my favorite true story about him is when a rich man and woman (hey they had a caddy in 1958) and that made you rich. Any way the woman looked in his wagon and there was a young female goat in it. She asked why the goat was in there and the goat man immediately replied "I sleep with her." The lady said if my husband slept with a goat I'd never let him sleep with me again. Goat mans reply? ' Lady if your husband slept with ome of my goats, he'd never want to sleep with you again"
God bless you Goat Man.

January 1, 2008
It's the first day of 2008, and I'm reviewing this past year where I lost my Mom, among too many others. My Daddy, an 'ole Georgia boy that died about 13 yrs. ago, was on my mind too. During my childhood, every Easter, we would go back to his small hometown of Forsyth, Ga. As I remembered, the Goatman popped up in my memories. Him and his gypsy wagon pulled by goats, pushed by goats, hauling goats..and all those bells and clanking pans and "treasures."We would grab our Easter baskets (funny, the Easter bunny didn't seem nearly so magical those years the Goatman showed up) and head down the hill. I was so young, but still remember how gracious he was as he accepted the boiled eggs, making sure the goats got their share. As I grew older, I stayed in touch with my Ga. kin, but it wasn't until one of my aunts, who was in a nursing home near Macon, told me that the Goatman had moved in, and offered to introduce me, that I found out what had happened to him. Aunt Doris was a great flirt, a real southern belle, and I asked her why she hadn't snapped him up yet, and she said, (and I quote) "Why Patsy, Honey, he's too old to do me a bit of good now..". I believe my aunt was about 80 then. Until reading this website, I had no idea the Goatman had traveled so much, so far, and was so well know. I have since traveled much of the world, seen strange and wonderous things, but the Goatman was the first magical being I ever encountered, and he will always be the one that counts the most.You just never forget your first Goatman.

I rember the goat man when I was 10 or twelve years old. I lived in tennessee off of hwy 27 north.I lived on a mountain there. I rember some one say he was coming up the mountain. I waited seems like hours on hours for him to pull the five mile mountain,but finally about sunset that day I could hear him at the top of the mountainwhere I was raised. He camped that night on our place next to hwt 27. I still think of him from time to time. fond memories Walt

I would like to submit that he travelled our country more than Dan'l Boone or any other human being. He passed our house on Hwy. 61 in Cartersville, Ga. several times in the '60's.

One more thought. I couldn't figure out why I would always get a lump in my throat when the thought of the Goat Man came up. "Be ye diligent to entertain strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unaware." - Simon Peter. Think about it.

seems i heard about a goatman that practiced as a root doctor in the mountains of north carolina. legand has it that people with metal detectors found several thousand dollars in silver dollars near his home. has anyone ever heard of this tale?

Like several others here, I saw him passing through the Maryville/Alcoa, TN area many times throughout my childhood while growing up there. To me seeing him was as much a part of the local culture as seeing barns painted with "See Rock City" and Cas Walker's Farm and Home Hour on TV. He seemed to like our area, as much as he was seen there. It's in the foothills of the Smokeys, and I guess that's where he was headed. 'tis true, we kids thought he was very fanciful and loved seeing him when he'd pass through town on Highway 411.

I grew up in Montrose Georgia. Highway 80 runs through Montrose. I remember seeing the goatman in Dry Btanch as well as Jeffersonvile. He was definitely a mystery as well as a legend to me growing up.

As a child in the 40s I remember seeing the GOAT MAN. Evidently he made his way up to YANKEE country because I saw him on the dixie hiway in ILLINOIS! At that time he had two waggons in tandom and the waggons rolled on rubber car tires. a step up from iron wheels! I know it was the same goatman because of the pictures of him on other sites. My dad bought the picture postcards that he sold, but they are gone now Like the goatman! Bless his soul!!

I recently found two reels of home movies from 1957 to 1959 that I thought had been lost. On one is footage of the Goat Man in 1958 when he passed by my home outside of Greenville, North Carolina. He was going towards Washington, North Carolina. My husband (now deceased) took the movie and there are wonderful pictures of the Goat Man, his many goats, the pots and pans, etc. on the wagon and there is one goat on top of all the "stuff" on the wagon. At one point he stopped to rest and people passing by on the highway stopped to talk to him. I had the film transferred to DVD and although the film is grainy and jumpy in places its wonderful. At the time I was pregnant with my second child (who is now 49 years old) and there are pictures of family that are priceless. The young men at InMotion in Greenville, NC copied the film onto DVD and were absolutely astounded by the Goat Man. They had never heard of this man and his travels. I will be giving them this website so they can read about him and all his travels.

As a youngster I remember the Goat Man comming through McMinnville, Tennessee several times. He came up hwy 70 and always camped there. People would come and see him. He was a local attraction. What a memory!

Charles Page
Collierville, Tennessee

There has been some old 8mm footage of the Goat Man at the following web address:

http://www.everythingmotion.com/inmotion/Fun_Flicks/Fun_Flicks.html

Kinda cool to see him again.

I too remember the Goat Man, I share the sentiment expressed by the others here. He has forever become a part of my childhood memories. My summer vacations at my grandparents in Lavonia Georgia often included a visit from this fellow. He was famous, to us.

I was raised in central Florida and my mother's parents lived in Lynchburg, Va. On our trips to visit my grandparents we saw the Goat Man somewhere north of Valdosta. It seems like it was US highway 441. The experience sowed seeds that mature even today. Years later in the early '60's as a student at Georgia Tech I saw him again in the same area on a trip back to school from home.

Who can know how the seeds grow, but grow they did, and after years of chasing and accomplishing the worldly aspiration of being an architect, I was done with civilization, and moved to southern Colorado, and bought a dozen goats and became my own goat man. But that didn't assuage the longing for the milk of heaven that had become my desired destination.

So on the road I went, minus the goats, but in an old converted school bus, which finally found its homeport here at Strong City, where the fires of God's love burn continually, and the Goat Man took Azazel to his eternal fiery home in the wilderness, and Michael took me to His home of love.

How mysteriously it all moves, and how sweet the fruit of the abandoned life. Live forever, O' Goat Man.

I remember when I was about 13 years old my daddy took me and my sister to see the Goatman near our house in McDonald, Tn at some picinic tabels. He was a jolly man and his goats were well trained. He could talk the horns off a billy goat. I have fond memories of him, I will never forget him, someday we will see him in heaven. Sleep tight and sleep well with your goats Rachel Thurman Goodwin McDonald, TN. APRIL 5, 2008 6:30am.

In reading about the famous Goat Man who I too, remember so well, I also reminisced about the fact as I tell everyone, that Highway 247 between Macon and Warner Robins was literally called "Seven Bridges Road". (My mama and daddy with me as a baby, lived in one of the two white and green houses, right there beside the lower bridge where snakes crawled in onto the rafters!)The Goat Man was usually at the intersection where the truck stop restaurant and truck repair shop was, just below the Bibb Skating Rink. My son and I sing the song entitled "Seven Bridges Road" as our signature song. He has a band (Eddie James Gang in Warner Robins) and I have one where I live now in Dallas, GA (Vicki Lynne & the neXt eXit band). We tell people that's the road the song is about, but we know there are other ones. Seeing the tales here brought back some of that childhood "peaceful easy feeling" as well!!! I loved getting to see the Goat man. HE and his goats were like a landmark in life! Thanks to all of you for sharing your stories!

My Dad and Mom ran the Blair Rest. in Blairsville, Ga. around l950. I remember when the Goat Man was passing thru town on Hwy l29 headed South. I was about 6 or 7 and I could hardly wait when my Father told me he was taking me to see the Goat Man. What a celeberty he was. He had to cross the large mtn. between Blairsville to Cleveland. I'll never forget the smell of the goats and how hard they must have had to pull in order to get the wagon across the mt. I was amazed at the baby goats and how they tried to keep up...if they could not the Goat Man would put them on the wagon to ride for a while. He finally came to a stop and camped for the night with his young son. I remember people saying that he was sometimes ill tempered with his son. I thought that was the neatest way to see the world. My Father always gave him some money everytime we saw him. He always seemed to be a humble man and kind to the animals. He would build a fire at night and camp. He would cook on the fire and he kept his frying pans, plates, and all kinds of cooking accesssories hanging on the side of the small wagon...the pots and pans would bang back and forth when he was traveling and you could hear him coming up the road for about l/2 mile or so. He was always the highlight of the year. I loved seeing him come to town. I'll bet it would not be allowed to travel that way anymore....he truely was one of a kind...B.B.Major

I live in Morristown, TN in East Tennessee. I barely remember seeing the Goat Man. It was in the early 50's and I was born in '48. Word came around that he was in White Pine some 7 miles away, so we all loaded up in dad's '50 Plymouth and went to see him. I was so young that maybe I remember being TOLD that is what we did, but I don't remember being told I saw the Goat Man, I remember SEEING the Goat Man. What kid today can get that kind of experience from a video game? Today's youth have missed the best of America. Two-lane roads that showcased the real country, full-service gas stations that gave away dishes to get you to stop, collecting S&H Green Stamps,and the Goat Man.

I too have memories of The Goatman. I lived in Huntsville, Alabama. When I was about 10 years old, my father heard on the radio that The Goatman was passing through Huntsville. He loaded my brother and I in the old Chrysler and hurried to the Highway where The Gostman was headed down. I was one experience of my life that I will never forget. My father also carried his 8mm movie camera and made between 5 to 10 mins footage as he passed by us. I still have those film and have copied that footage on to a DVD along with other family memories. My brother ran up to his and gave him a couple of dollars and The Goatman gave him a picture postcard of him, his goats and wagon. I still have that card. He was being escorted through town by the local police. I recall all the thing he had hanging all around the wagon.

The children of today don't know what they are missing.