WILLIAMSBURG:
CLERMONT COUNTY'S OWN LOCH NESS MONSTER?

The little village of Blowville no longer exists. But when an enormous snake reported creeping through the surrounding lands and waters, the village existed around the intersection of present Jackson Pike and state route 133. For years, stories appeared in area newspaper about large snakes scaring and actually attacking Clermont Countians.

Some of the stories included the snake of Ricetown, an area located in the vicinity of Bethel. “The Clermont Courier” of August 13, 1890, reported that a farmer “whose veracity was never doubted” beheld “a snake fully 20-feet long and six-inches in diameter.”  He ran to get some friends to give chase and did not find the snake, but “there was a small track in the weeds that looked like a small tree had been dragged along and the track disappeared as if by magic and thus ended the snake hunt.”

“The Clermont Sun” of May 16, 1900, reported a big snake seen in the Franklin neighborhood (this village stood along Franklin-Laurel Road near its intersection at Bethel- New Richmond Road.)  The article stated, “a monster snake, of the black species, made a vicious attack upon the well known farmer W.R. Clark. Mr. Clark says he was working in a potato patch, when he saw the huge reptile going around him in a circle, hastily he raised his hoe and dealt the snake a most powerful blow, but the hoe bounced back as though he had struck the tire of at 20th century automobile. Thereupon the snake placed himself in such a position that he looked like a huge cable and then ran his head about three feet up in the air. Mr. Clark, again drawing back his hoe brought it forward with all his might and caught the snake just below the head as it was springing for Mr. Clark.” The snake got away and a neighborhood search failed to produce the snake.  Clark said the snake was about 12 feet long and about 3 inches in diameter

 “The Toledo Daily News” in June 1900 contained an article, which proclaimed “Clermont County should have a world wide reputation for its big snakes, where there is an unusual amount of smoke, there must be some fire. Where big snake stories break out at regular or irregular intervals there must be some sort of a snake for a foundation on which to build.”

The biggest snake ever reported in the county was seen in 1849 in the area of Blowville.
An article appeared in the August 16, 1849, issue of “The Clermont Courier” headlined “The Big Snake-Again.” The Courier explained that John Waits who saw the snake is a man of respectability. Waits' affidavit filed in the Clermont County courthouse stated, “ On the first day of August, 1849, between 1 and 2 o'clock PM. I was walking down the bank of the race of Hartman's mill, on the East Fork of the Little Miami River, in said county. The creek was full, and the water muddy, and as I am informed by the miller, was between 5 and 6 feet deep where I was. My attention was suddenly grabbed by some unusual object in the water about 80 yards from me in the millrace and was rapidly approaching me.  At first I though it was a wild duck, but it was moving too fast to be one. It came until it was directly opposite from where I was, then went underwater and disappeared. I never believed a snake was in there, until now, I am firmly convinced, as of my own existence that some strange and monstrous animal is there, such as I have never seen or heard of before.  It was, 30-35 feet long and its body as thick of that as a man, and its color was a dark brown or black except a grayish color around its throat and white around its eyes. I couldn't distinguish if it had scales, fins or flippers or not on it.
The motion of it in the water wasn't like a snake, the undulations were not up and down, but horizontal. Its head didn't resemble a snake or alligator, or any other kind of animal I have seen. In shape its head looked like that of a prairie wolf more than anything else I can name.  Its eye was larger than a horse's.
A meeting was held August 20 at Williamsburg to think of ways to catch the monster. It was agreed to have the millpond drained, and Hartman was paid $25 for expenses to repair the dam after it was torn down.
The hunt for the big snake took place August 28. The draining of the pond will take a day or two, and when that is finished, if the snake is there, perhaps he will manifest himself. The search continued until September 6 without a sign of the monster being discovered.  This was the 2nd best-reported sighting of the Big Snake.
Although the big snake was not found when the millpond was drained, a deep hole was discovered near the center of the bed of the pond. Inside the hole, a ledge of rock was found. Could the snake have been hiding under the rock? Just because you can't find something doesn't means its not there.
Some night perhaps you name be traveling along state route 133 nearing Jackson Pike. You may see an undulating creature cross in front of you. Beware! It may be a descendant of the Big Snake searching for its long lost home.