German-American culture in Maryland

town in Maryland, United States

town in Carroll County, Maryland, United States

In American folklore, the snallygaster is a bird-reptile chimera originating in the superstitions of early German immigrants later combined with sensationalistic newspaper reports of the monster. Early sightings associate the snallygaster with Frederick County, Maryland, especially the areas of South Mountain, Braddock Heights and the Middletown Valley. Later reports would expand on sightings encompassing an area to include Central Maryland; Berkeley County, West Virginia; and the Washington, DC, metro area.