As a 23-year resident (my husband has lived there his entire life) of Downs Road, I can most assuredly say I've never seen anything remotely yeti-like. Foxes? Yes. Coyotes walking down my driveway in broad daylight? Absolutely. Bobcats? They're there, so I'm told, though I have yet to see one. We did hear screaming one night, but it turned out to me nothing more sinister than a fisher cat (we found it's tracks in the front yard the next day). My husband has told me the stories, and I did have one eery thing happen to me once back in 1989, but I don't generally think of my neighborhood as "creepy" or "eery". I think of it as secluded and beautiful.

"Anyways" is baby talk. The word is "anyway".

Ha. I couldn't believe someone corrected someone else on proper wording. To much. I've lived here my whole life. Yeah it can be spooky but I've never seen anything out of the ordinary. I don't have spell check on my phone so be understanding please.

Hmmmm. The water up high near road level and at one point on both sides of the road is a bit spooky to me. My teen kids are scared. Ha.

Patricia- not so much anymore:
Definition of ANYWAYS
1 a archaic : anywise b dialect : to any degree at all
2 chiefly dialect : anyhow, anyway
See anyways defined for English-language learners »
Examples of ANYWAYS
Who does that guy think he is anyways?
You're late. Anyways, at least you showed up.
First Known Use of ANYWAYS
13th century
Related to ANYWAYS
Synonyms: anyhow, anyway, regardless [chiefly dialect], whatever

For the record, Downs Road does not end at the Hamden line - it continues into Hamden, crosses Gaylord Mountain Road, and ends at the YMCA camp. HOWEVER, in recent years, the towns of Hamden and Bethany turned over the portion of the road surrounded by RWA property to the RWA, who then gated it off on both ends to keep the kids from partying on the dirt portion of Downs.

I was a "cop" in Woodbridge for 25 years and heard the Downs Rd. story many times. I never saw anything unusual but a friend related that he had taken a date to Downs Rd. but within 30 minutes of parking there heard noises, saw something very hairy and it started to jump up and down on his car. He got out of there and never went back. This person was a Biker and was not afraid of much but he was shaking as he told me the story.
Another night and in my own car, I came across about 7+ guys at Downs and Brook. I got "mooned" by one and was wondering where the Downs Rd. monster was then?
I do know of 2 rapes that have occurred on Downs Rd. and not the place to be for any young Lassie. The best

Recent reports indicate nighttime sightings of a figure dressed in black pushing a small black cart on Downs Road -- seriously folks. Do we have a "nighttime knacker" -- think 19th Century London -- or the Bethany rag and bone man?

what about U.F.O.s sighted around downs road? just curious

I cannot wait to read these stories..I grew up in Bethany and am very curious to say the lest about these stories..looking forward to becoming a weekly reader. Thanks for the article.

This is the funnest thing I have ever heard. Downs road in not "creepy" or "eery." My grandmother lived on Downs road all her life. Also, I was always at her house growing up and I have never heard of something so absurd.

That's so funny about the supposed sightings of the "monster". My husband grew up on Downs Road, and wandered the woods and water company property his entire life, and never once saw anything - not even a bear. Maybe it just doesn't like people coming to have illicit sex in it's territory? LOL In any event, never heard about any rapes, either, but my husband did tell me about the dead body of a hooker from New Haven being found on Hoadley Road. He also told me about the supposed ghost of Woodchuck Doolittle that supposedly inhabited the abandoned house on my mother-in-law's former property. He can't remember how he supposedly died (in the house, apparently), but he does know that one of the Downs family found him.

When I first moved to Bethany and found out so many people here had "haunted" houses I felt kinda left out since we'd had no paranormal experiences at all . . . yet. Soon after we found out we were "mildly" haunted by a ghost named Michael and I felt somewhat better about our 220-year old house. I come from Milford where we have the legend of the "Melon Heads," (maybe our version of the Downs Road Monster) and the ghost of Captain Kidd out on Charles Island, and whether we ever saw any evidence of any of our hauntings or not, we embraced them and bragged about them as part of our heritage and folklore, as we did with more modern "legends" like Doris Gagnon the Chicken Lady of Silver Sands. I have to admit, having some interesting local lore, true or not, makes Bethany feel even more charming for me, and I'm looking forward to reading about it on Monday (or sooner, as is the privilege of the editor!)

I have to say that we are not very happy with the descriptions of "eerie" or "spooky" when it refers to our front yard. We are very happy with the peaceful wooded nature of our neighborhood and would appreciate it being respected. We have lived here for over twenty years and can honestly say that the only scary things on Downs Road are the people who come looking for scary things.

I think perhaps some people are taking or have received the wrong impression from the idea and nature (in more ways than one) that we hope to explore with this upcoming article. The fact is that every town has its legends and lore, and whether it involves supposed hauntings, monsters, or lights in the skies, I have never felt that it paints a negative view on things, but rather adds an unique charm to towns. Growing up in Connecticut, and being surrounded by the supernatural my entire life, I have a huge respect for these stories and for the locations. Local legends always have some roots in actual history - in this case, there's a long history of things that have taken place in the Downs Road area - but that history is wonderful, and it's great to be able to explore it in a different sort of light while still expressing the importance of preserving and remembering the history. Are there spirits or monsters roaming that area? We don't know... but there are stories. And there is reality - let's face it, it's not everywhere in town you have an ax murder that made headlines in the New York Times. No matter what, that's a pretty creepy and startling story! But, like it or not, it's part of the history - and, over time, has become part of the legends of the area.

“Like it or not “– your research is lacking any historical reference to our end of the road where all of the curiosity ends up. Since you are chasing monsters your statement about “growing up” seems to be premature. “Reality, lets face it”? – give me a break.

This has just gotten ridiculous, pathetic stories written in books like "Weird New England" launch a collection of often intoxicated thrill seekers to our area at all hours of the night. They stumble about and ultimately scare themselves into driving away panicked by their own shadows leaving bottles and cans in their hasty exit. After all our time here I am supposed to believe there are half heighted big foot rummaging about that have miraculously avoided detection. We have enjoyed hiking both on and off trail throughout these woods to the point where I can say I know them better than most anyone, and they are full of wonder but there is nothing to even remotely indicate monsters. We have never had so much as a turned over trash can let alone tracks or sightings. The late Bob Brinton told a history related to the monster lore that involved an old white horse that retired to a life of a common family dog. It wandered freely at all hours without regard to yard or fence, and that it's sighting at night was the start of the monster stories.

The idea that a series of articles will be written on the character of this road without any basis in fact will only add to its silly notoriety. If you must seek the paranormal go to where it at least has a historical reference. Go research the Wakemanites and their rituals in Hamden, or where they started in New Jersey - they were the historical cause of the murders in 1856 not Downs Road. Document Midnight Mary in New Haven, or channel the spirits of the thousand unclaimed graves left under the New Haven Green after Hillhouse moved the family sponsored bodies to the Grove Street Cemetery. You could even research the mountain goat that some hunter killed on West Rock in 1890, or the lost souls that were killed as they labored in the quarries on the same mountain. Better yet, go stare into the woods of Mad Mare, and ponder the rage that overtook the horse that trampled its owner to death there. There are plenty of historical suicides and murders on West Rock if you choose to focus on the macabre rather than the historical significance of Judges Cave, the abandoned road system of a long closed park, or the geological wonder that is West Rock. Honestly, there are many more scary histories in Bethany that have confirmed historical fact that would at least be logical to pursue. The effort in making a study of a quiet road simply because it is accessible and uniquely quiet is a waste of time and a distraction at our neighborhoods expense.

The old dirt Downs Road is a wonderful hike, and a unique piece of preserved nature that should be studied and enjoyed for that uniqueness.

This is not a matter of a place to party – this is about people traveling to a destination based on lousy stories. I know this fact because I talk with the people who show up here. My exact point is that these stories bring exactly the wrong people to our neighborhood at all the wrong hours and for all the wrong reasons.

The woods off of Downs Road on the Bethany/Hamden line will be soon be filled with the sound of chain saws. If you've walked there recently you probably noticed that many of the pines and hardwoods to the west side are tagged to be cut down. Enjoy it while you can. Maybe the noise will scare away all of those nasty creatures!

Downs Road is NOT the creepiest road in Bethany.

Old Sperry Road off Dillon Road is the creepiest.
Lots of similar stories.

does anybody even care that a man jogs with a machete on downs road thats creepy to me why would someone need a machete no good can come of it!!!!!