Local Lore: The History of Wisconsin’s Elusive Werewolf

I grew up in Walworth, a small southeastern town in Wisconsin, but always a little apart from it. I say apart because we belonged to the uber conservative, Baptist homeschool community. This community consisted of cousins, a few close (like-minded) family friends, and a deep-rooted belief that the secular world was to be avoided at all costs.

You can imagine then, the challenges that arose when my parents’ divorce thrust my siblings and I into the terrifying realm of public school. I spent most of 8th grade stumbling awkwardly through my new environment and it took me a while to find a new sense of community.

When my mom married my stepdad, Terry Mayer, in the spring of 2013, it was easy to see how involved he was in his community. He’d worked at The Week newspaper for many years. During his time with the paper, he met and photographed countless musicians, local public figures, and participated in the occasional investigation into werewolves.

Yes, you read that right. Call it what you want, beast, werewolf, cryptic, but The Beast of Bray Road is a big part of Wisconsin’s folklore. It dates back to its first “sighting” in 1936 and is often described as a towering, red-eyed, humanoid creature covered in thick fur.

A documentary and horror film have been made based on this local lore and the late Linda Godfry, who my stepdad worked closely with, turned her series on The Beast into a book titled The Beast of Bray Road: Tailing Wisconsin’s Werewolf.

I don’t remember who told me about The Beast back in high school, but I do remember being too terrified to ride along with my new friends to Bray Road. They were hoping to catch a glimpse of the creature of legend, I wanted no part of it.

I’d since forgotten about the lore until recently. I was searching for an event to attend and cover for my Digital Storytelling and Social Media class when I stumbled on the 2025 Beast Fest event. I mentioned it to my stepdad and his eyes sparkled as he shared about his time investigating the story alongside Linda Godfry.

So, he agreed to go with me to Beast Fest and even said he would try to find his original “WereWolf Of the Week” shirt as seen in this 15-year anniversary article. Stay tuned for updates this afternoon on my X and Facebook accounts as Terry and I revisit the legend of The Beast of Bray Road. I’m looking forward to an afternoon steeped in community and folklore.

To learn more about the late Linda Godfry, see the articles below:

Tracking down ‘The Beast of Bray Road’

Beast of Bray Road Author Linda Godfrey Has Passed Away