# The Goat Man (If Your Too Young This Will Sound Crazy)



## Tim L (Nov 25, 2008)

When I was a kid in elementary school in the mid 1960's, one of the highlights of the year was when the goat man would come through Whitesburg, with his wagon pulled by the goats, all the goats that followed the wagons, and all his "treasures" hanging from the wagon...We thought a true king was eating supper with us one evening when daddy gave the goat man some old tires and he agreed to eat supper with us....For a little kid in the country, that was like having the president or Eddie Matthews come visit their house, as could as it got....

But I was thinking this morning, whenever the goat man came through Whitesburg, our teachers would let us out of class, the streets would be lined on both sides between the school and the railroad and we would listen to the goatman preach.....Does anyone else here remember hearing the goatman preach and know his denomination??  Again, if your too young or are not from this part of the world you may think this is all a joke, but just google the goatman, you will be shocked.


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## Banjo (Nov 25, 2008)

I have heard of the goatman.....but don't know the answers to your questions concerning him.  I am curious as to the answers.


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## letsemwalk (Nov 25, 2008)

pops told me to ask how you put up with the smell of b.o. at the dinner table with him.


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## Tim L (Nov 25, 2008)

letsemwalk said:


> pops told me to ask how you put up with the smell of b.o. at the dinner table with him.




I'm sure he stunk but that wouldn't have mattered, HE WAS THE GOAT MAN!  That ol guy had post cards, car tags, and alot of the cheap stuff you would find at fairs in those days......His life would make a great movie....was a man about town in New York City when young, married a professional knife thrower, has a falling out with her, she goes to Iowa and he leaves New York and becomes the goatman!!  Think of all he saw in those 60 or 70 years he rode that wagon all around America!  What a movie it would make!


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## W4DSB (Nov 25, 2008)

I remember him comming thru Lawrenceville when I was much younger


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## WTM45 (Nov 25, 2008)

W4DSB said:


> I remember him comming thru Lawrenceville when I was much younger




I remember watching him pass our house on Hwy. 20 near Azalea Rd.


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## Ta-ton-ka chips (Nov 25, 2008)

I bought a book about the life of the Goatman but I think i gave it to my Dad for Christmas a few years back


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## Ta-ton-ka chips (Nov 25, 2008)

*Here you go*



> "In those days, Highway 41 was a major route for Yankees traveling to Florida, but it did not have nearly the traffic it does today. By the time I was a teenager, he quit coming through. I heard he died.
> 
> "I would be interested to know what became of the Goat Man."
> 
> Well, Troy, according to old newspaper articles, Charles "Chess" McCartney spent 57 years, beginning in 1930, wandering 100,000 miles with his goats across 49 states, preaching the Gospel. He died in a Macon nursing home at more than 100 years of age



http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/042907/cit_126530.shtml


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## JustUs4All (Nov 25, 2008)

I am 61.  I remember him coming through my area when I was a kid.  There was a spot on US 78 west of Augusta where he would camp for a week or so every year on his rounds.  I never heard him preach though and can not help with his denomination.

Look at this site for help:  http://www.thegoatman.com/story.htm

Good Luck


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## KDarsey (Nov 25, 2008)

I have ate with him several times as he came thru our area. I used to sell watermelons out by the road in front of my grandparents house between Cochran & Hawkinsville and he would stop by and grandmother would fix him a plate and we'd sit out there and listen to his stories. 
   I was around 8 or 10 then I think.
There are some pictures of him & I together somewhere in my grandparents stuff.


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## gordon 2 (Nov 25, 2008)

Sounds to me like this gentlemen was an irish tinker, (pots and pan seller, tinsmith, live stock trader,  a traveler. Most I believe were/are RC.

This is very interesting because we had the same sort of gentleman here in the sixties when I was a boy. Only he would not preach. He would do tricks and had trinkets on his wagon for sale. People would pay him in eggs and a pocket change. They would invite him in for meals and give him to drink.

He had a little wooden man ( a toy) who could articulate all its limbs and he would make it dance. He had some for sale. I think that in the winter he would wittle them and put them together for his travels. He had them tied on his wagon so that they would dance as he went along, pulling his load.

Here is a song about people like him in Ireland, by one of their own Mr. Pecker Dunn. He sings of the trouble of the travelling people.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8Cr5lbjfso&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oNQmfKpdRg&NR=1

The traveler here where I lived in Nova Scotia met his end when young men robbed him ( he was elderly) and beat him for his money, and he died from injury.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Traveller


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## Luckybuck (Nov 25, 2008)

I do remember him and saw photos of him but that is about it.


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## CAL (Nov 25, 2008)

I remember him also.


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## Dogmusher (Nov 25, 2008)

Never heard of him or the legend.  Googled it, though.  Pretty cool.

Some other cool stuff under goat man.  Like the legendary creature who allegedly haunts the backwoods of Maryland.  I watched a couple of you tube clips.  

Course, being that close to DC, that goat man may be real.  Could be Barney Frank out on a Saturday night.


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## squirreldoghunter (Nov 25, 2008)

Here's a short article on the Goatman from the New Georgia Encyclopedia.

http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?path=/Folklife/CustomsandLocalTraditions&id=h-3467

Undated pic (either in the 30's or 50's - from the Georgia Digital Library) taken either in Bleckley or Twiggs County.


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## Tim L (Nov 25, 2008)

gordon 2 said:


> Sounds to me like this gentlemen was an irish thinker, a traveler. Most I believe were/are RC.
> 
> This is very interesting because we had the same sort of gentleman here in the sixties when I was a boy. Only he would not preach. He would do tricks and had trinkets on his wagon for sale. People would pay him in eggs and a pocket change. They would invite him in for meals and give him to drink.
> 
> ...



I may be wrong, but I don't believe he was a "traveler"; from what I remember the "travelers" were pretty slick talkers and would always give you a "great deal" on something like a new roof or fresh asphalt (they were also sort of clannish and a somewhat closed society to outsiders.....the Goatman was a different animal altogether....I never heard any stories of him offering to do odd jobs and you pretty much new what you were buying if you bought something from him, junk (old post cards and such) but it was junk that came from the goatmans wagon....as for his preaching, thinking back it was pretty much garden variety fire and brimestone (but at that time in my life I thought the entire world was either Baptist or Church of God.....he did fit that mold but it would still be interesting to know if he did follow a particular faith.  

But he was a real piece of Americana, a legend in rural areas of the country in the mid 20th century.....Today someone like that would be arrested on site if he tried to travel as he did then....but there was a time when business in a small town would literally come to a halt when the Goatman went through a town....people lined the streets, left their jobs, homes, just stood out on the street marveling (in a happy way) at what they were seeing...I mean think about it, he starts off the 20th century by leaving the farm in Iowa, goes to the big apple, becomes a man about town and marries a professional knife throwing woman....then ends his run in the 1980's when he leads his goats to hollywood because he believed he could convince Morgan Fairchild to become Mrs. Goatman....someone should make a movie or mini series....his like won't pass through again (at least in this life) that's for sure.


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## gordon 2 (Nov 25, 2008)

Rouster said:


> I may be wrong, but I don't believe he was a "traveler"; from what I remember the "travelers" were pretty slick talkers and would always give you a "great deal" on something like a new roof or fresh asphalt (they were also sort of clannish and a somewhat closed society to outsiders.....the Goatman was a different animal altogether....I never heard any stories of him offering to do odd jobs and you pretty much new what you were buying if you bought something from him, junk (old post cards and such) but it was junk that came from the goatmans wagon....as for his preaching, thinking back it was pretty much garden variety fire and brimestone (but at that time in my life I thought the entire world was either Baptist or Church of God.....he did fit that mold but it would still be interesting to know if he did follow a particular faith.
> 
> But he was a real piece of Americana, a legend in rural areas of the country in the mid 20th century.....Today someone like that would be arrested on site if he tried to travel as he did then....but there was a time when business in a small town would literally come to a halt when the Goatman went through a town....people lined the streets, left their jobs, homes, just stood out on the street marveling (in a happy way) at what they were seeing...I mean think about it, he starts off the 20th century by leaving the farm in Iowa, goes to the big apple, becomes a man about town and marries a professional knife throwing woman....then ends his run in the 1980's when he leads his goats to hollywood because he believed he could convince Morgan Fairchild to become Mrs. Goatman....someone should make a movie or mini series....his like won't pass through again (at least in this life) that's for sure.




As you say he is problably not a tinker, but I tell you we had his bros ( except for the preaching) and a similar story here where I live. Books have been written about him! He was also much as the goat man was etc...


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## oldmanbill (Nov 25, 2008)

I can remember him well, but I am old too.


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## Six million dollar ham (Nov 25, 2008)

gordon 2 said:


> Sounds to me like this gentlemen was an irish tinker, (pots and pan seller, tinsmith, live stock trader,  a traveler. Most I believe were/are RC.
> 
> This is very interesting because we had the same sort of gentleman here in the sixties when I was a boy. Only he would not preach. He would do tricks and had trinkets on his wagon for sale. People would pay him in eggs and a pocket change. They would invite him in for meals and give him to drink.
> 
> ...



"Traveler" carries a very negative connotation, as they are traveling con artists.  By all accounts, that wasn't the goat man's m.o.  It's a lot easier to get out of town quick in a pickup than it is in a goat wagon.  Not sure where to find it now, but the state of Ga actually issued a bulletin warning of Irish gypsies/pikies/travelers a couple years back.


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## THREEJAYS (Nov 26, 2008)

yes I remember.


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## dpoole (Nov 26, 2008)

Saw him one time.


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## Redbow (Nov 26, 2008)

I remember the old Goat man, he came through our town on highway 301 headed north when I was a boy! Oh Lord,,,that was a long time ago now!


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## Hal (Nov 26, 2008)

I had a friend that lived off of Highway 80 (Jeffersonville Hway) between Drybranch and Jville, in th late 70's. I was staying with himone weekend and it was a Church weekend, you know, 1st and 3rd Sunday type of church. We were sitting in there, all 8 of us and in came an old gentleman with a long white/grey beard and as neatly combed long hair as I suppose he could manage. We all new it was the Goatman because he lived just a few miles down 80 in an old school bus. He had on an old what would have been a bright red coat but it had been faded by time. The front of the coat had all types of differet medals, campaign buttons and other pins on it. He eased in and sat on the front row not making a sound. He sang the hymns and listened to the preaching occasionally reaching up to stroke his long beard. When the service was over he spoke to the preacher and shook everyones hand and then headed back out the door, I guess to go back to the bus.  
   I saw him occasionally after that, sometimes in Macon, sometimes out hiway 80. At this time he no longer travelled with goats but I believe he kept a few at the bus. He had 1 or 2 sons living either with him or near him and I am not sure what became of them.
   Oh yeah, the church if I recall correctly was Rosebud United Methodist Church. I am not sure if he was Methodist or just wanted to get out of the cold that morning but I know I will always remember the morning I went to church with the Goatman.


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## Branchminnow (Nov 26, 2008)

Im not old enough to have seen him, but he came through our area enough that I have heard alot of stories about him.


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## deedly (Nov 26, 2008)

I remember him well. My grandfather knew him, and when I traveled with my "PaPa", and we saw the Goatman, we would always stop and visit, no matter when or where. My mother would also stop and give me a dollar to donate to his cause. The man was full of stories and I always enjoyed listening. The book about the Goatman is on sale at Old Clinton BBQ, in Gray GA. What I remember most about the Goatman, was his aroma.


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## Manonriver (Nov 26, 2008)

I remember seeing him many times. We lived all over Ga. growing up and it seemed he would come through most places we were sooner or later. I do remember traveling to my grand parents for Thanksgiving in a new 56 Ford and traffic coming to a halt with cars backed up for a quarter mile. Dad was saying it was probably a bad wreck. As we approached the "scene" it was the Goatman. I remember him pulling over to let everyone pass, but we all pulled over with him and spent a short time listening to his tales. I was more interested in the goats to remember what he talked about.. I do remember him making quite a fuss over his old lead goat..


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## KDarsey (Nov 26, 2008)

If you are interested try this link.....


http://www.thegoatman.com/story.htm


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## crackerdave (Nov 27, 2008)

I remember him.It's a little sad that there aren't any more like him now,and if there were,he'd be arrested and hauled off - especially if he was preaching the gospel.


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## Back2class (Nov 28, 2008)

http://www.ghostvillage.com/legends/leatherman.shtml


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## olcowman (Nov 28, 2008)

Oh yeah, the Goatman was big as Elvis in the rural south back in the day. Someone mentioned above about them closing the schools down...the teachers never had a choice when it came to the Goatman. I can remember somebody running up old college street one spring day, next to the elementary school, a screaming like a maniac that the Goatman was coming up hwy 41. About 90% of the kids in that school went out the windows that instance, the other 10% out the doors and commenced to running around hollering and gnashing their teeth like they was possessed "Goatman!! He's coming!!! Goatman!!!" 

It made us kids crazy like dope or something, I reckon cause we didn't have much for tv or none of them video games back then, it just didn't take much to set us off. All we could think of was the Goatman from that point till weeks after he done left, trying to school any of us was useless right after he passed thru. I figure it was a good thing he came thru town in the late spring or we'd all ended up heathens or democrats or something?

I remember that year primarily because of the whooping I got when my third grade teacher, Ms Hopper showed up at the house that night to give my Granny the shirt she had pulled offa me whilst trying to hold me back from jumping out of the second floor window of the school house. Well at least she kept me from landing directly on my head....I think?


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## radams1228 (Nov 29, 2008)

I was born in McRae, GA and I remember the Goat Man coming through there. I moved to Royston a few years back and came across a picture at one of the local festivals. It's a copy, and the quality is poor. If I can figure out how to scan it in and post it, I will share it later.


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## olcowman (Nov 30, 2008)

When I was a little kid and someone asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up...it weren't no astronaut or policeman. It was either the Goatman or a garbage man. I loved the Goatman and my great uncle Otis drove the garbage truck, a great ol' big un that he'd let me climb up in and blow the horn on. They were my idols growing up I reckon.

I failed miserably at becoming either, but still dream of what might have been.......


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## tuffdawg (Nov 30, 2008)

I met the old man back in the early 90's before he passed. He was a very unique character than definately held my attention, even as a teenager. Sweet ole guy. He sure had lots of stories.


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## bad mojo (Nov 30, 2008)

J C HAMMETT  made a documentery movie about his life  google JCH enertainment he also made some coon huntin movies  these are for sale in vhs or dvd


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## Twenty five ought six (Nov 30, 2008)

I can remember seeing the goatman.  I believe that I saw him in more than one state.

Trouble is that I can't remember exactly where I saw him.  I'm pretty sure that one time was in the Madison-Eatonton area along 441, and another time was in the Forsyth area along 41.

I agree that he wouldn't get past the first city limit sign before he'd be thrown in jail today.  Sad commentary.


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## radams1228 (Jan 2, 2009)

Finally figured out how to get a pic posted.  I may be slow, but I'm steady.  this is the pic I mentioned in an earlier post.


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## MX5HIGH (Jan 2, 2009)

I remember a few times the Goat Man came through Rome in the 60's.  Quite a character.


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## momabare2 (Jan 2, 2009)

my grandfather had a photo of him when he came through rabun. He said he smelled like a goat but was very nice and wise.


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## firebiker (Jan 3, 2009)

*I remember seeing him in the 60's as a kid when i was with my family in the Smokey mtn's he was traveling on hwy 441*


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## DROPPINEM (Feb 2, 2009)

I am only 26 years old but i have heard plenty of stories of the goat man coming thru acworth.I believe my dad has an old picture of him and his wagon with the goats.


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## shawn mills (Feb 2, 2009)

Man I'm gettig old. I remember him coming down the access road on I-20 in Covington. I was a kid but I still remember all the hype associated with his celebrity like presence!


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## Davis31052 (Feb 2, 2009)

*info on his son*



Hal said:


> I saw him occasionally after that, sometimes in Macon, sometimes out hiway 80. At this time he no longer travelled with goats but I believe he kept a few at the bus. He had 1 or 2 sons living either with him or near him and I am not sure what became of them.
> Oh yeah, the church if I recall correctly was Rosebud United Methodist Church. I am not sure if he was Methodist or just wanted to get out of the cold that morning but I know I will always remember the morning I went to church with the Goatman.



Gene McCartney, Ches' son, was murdered in 1998. He was found slain in the woods behind the bus that he called home. Only 5 months later, the Goat Man himself died in Eastview Nursing Home. He was belived to be 97, but was rumored to be as old as 120. No one realy knows. More than 65 friends and acquaintances gathered to bid him farewell.


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## celticfisherman (Feb 2, 2009)

Rouster said:


> When I was a kid in elementary school in the mid 1960's, one of the highlights of the year was when the goat man would come through Whitesburg, with his wagon pulled by the goats, all the goats that followed the wagons, and all his "treasures" hanging from the wagon...We thought a true king was eating supper with us one evening when daddy gave the goat man some old tires and he agreed to eat supper with us....For a little kid in the country, that was like having the president or Eddie Matthews come visit their house, as could as it got....
> 
> But I was thinking this morning, whenever the goat man came through Whitesburg, our teachers would let us out of class, the streets would be lined on both sides between the school and the railroad and we would listen to the goatman preach.....Does anyone else here remember hearing the goatman preach and know his denomination??  Again, if your too young or are not from this part of the world you may think this is all a joke, but just google the goatman, you will be shocked.



I've heard the stories but have no idea of the background. My great grandfather told stories like that of the Tinkers in the mountains.


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