On the night of July 13, 1855, in Perry, New York, two boys and a few men were fishing from a boat on Silver Lake. After several hours of fishing, the men grew tired and wanted to head in for the day. Besides, it was getting late and the sun was going to set. As they began to row the boat in, each passenger watched as a nearby floating log began to move, dipping in and out of the water. Then without notice, the beast leaped from the water, showing itself in all its glory before splashing back into the murky water and disappearing. The men and boys who were struck with awe rushed back to shore and alerted the local authorities. They had witnessed a massive, scaly, dinosaur like creature. The legend of the Silver Lake Serpent was born.

It didn’t take long for word to spread, and people came from far and wide to get a chance to search for the monster. Several expeditions were launched, including a whale-man with a harpoon, a crazed society of men armed with guns, and even companies who spent thousands on employees bent on capturing the creature.

Sadly,nothing was ever found, and the popularity of the creature died with time. It wasn’t until 1857, when a fire broke out at Artemus B. Walker’s house, a local of the lake. Within the burned wreckage of the house was found a serpent like wire frame and some green mesh. It was at this time that Mr. Walker confessed that he had created the monster to attract popularity to the town and its hotels.

Silver Lake 1870

Is the Silver Lake Serpent Real?

Since the release of the hoax however, there has been doubt in the minds of many of the locals. How was a hoax possible in 1855, as it would have been an engineering feat to create a swimming monster in the lake? Furthermore, there were multiple eyewitness accounts years before the incident of 1855, many of which were dismissed on the grounds of insanity or darkness by the police.

Many modern locals still believe that there is a creature in the lake, one so large that it could take out an entire boat. There have been hundreds of unknown sightings throughout the 1900’s and early 2000’s that cannot be explained.

You’ll just have to head there to find out for yourself!

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Dave Shaw, Cincinnati

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I am 73. We vacationed on Silver Lake in Perry yearly in the 50’s when we lived nearby in Wyoming NY. We also went to the Boy Scout Camp on the lake, swam and fished there and played the Silver Lake Golf Club, roller skated at the rink and walked the railroad tracks to get water in one beach cottage we lived in as it had no plumbing and an outhouse. But it did have a dock and we rented power boats. We loved it there and have great memories of it and I always knew the Serpent story and that made it even more special.
8 months ago
Ray

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I grew up in Perry NY. As kids we all took swimming lessons in Silver Lake. I have swam, fished many times in that lake
There are mo monsters there. All the locals know about the hoax perpetrated by Mr. Walker. He did it to create business for his hotel in downtown Perry. It was made of wire and canvas. The up and down motion was controlled by a set of bellows that pumped air into the creation.
11 months ago
DankMemeLord123

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real stuff hear
6 years ago
Rich

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The drawing of the Silver Lake Monster you have posted is NOT the image of the lake ‘monster’. It is the drawing after the description by Hans Egede (JUly 6 1734) of a’terrible creature’ which was sighted of Greenland. Most likely a giant squid having its tentacle mistaken as a head.
The Silver Lake monster was a hoax; see and read http://www.csicop.org/si/show/the_silver_lake_serpent_inflated_monster_or_inflated_tale
6 years ago
Lisa R

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Even though i haven’t seen anything, my grandfather would tell us stories of a real monster that appeared in the lake. He told us it was huge in size and had razer sharp fangs, surviving on fish and turtles. He said that the FBI created the hoax story so that locals wouldn’t uncovered the beast that has survived for hundreds of years
7 years ago

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Haunted Places, Legends and Ghosts

Silver Lake Serpent: Perry, NY

Silver Lake Serpent: Perry, NY

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