EDITOR’S NOTE: Strangeville explores the curious and unexplained stories that have long defined Asheville and Western North Carolina. The region is full of unanswered questions, from old folklore and local legends to eerie encounters, unsolved moments in history, and the true-crime mysteries that still leave people wondering. Each week, we look back with an open mind and a sense of curiosity, trying to understand why some stories take hold and why some can never be explained.
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW.com) — In the summer of 1928, West Asheville got a visitor that did not belong in the mountains.
It was small enough to fit in a pocket, rugged enough to look like it had been built for desert country, and odd enough that people could not stop passing it along. Someone had found a horned lizard, often called a “horned toad,” inside a corn liquor jar. By the time the animal reached the Asheville Times office, word of the mystery was already traveling fast…