Sometime around 1900, or even a little before, another piece of western North Carolina folklore emerged. Some believe the legend of Boojum and Hootin’ Annie was used to attract early tourism in the area. The story places a large, Bigfoot-like creature called the Boojum on Eagle Nest Mountain in Haywood County. It’s believed the Boojum stood between seven and eight feet tall, covered in shaggy gray fur.
He would roam the mountainside, looking for gemstones, and would often take refuge in caves. The Boojum reportedly liked to watch beautiful women bathe in the nearby mountain streams. Usually, the women would hear rustling in the woods, become startled, grab their clothes, and run away.
One woman, named Annie, stayed and fell in love with the mysterious creature, even moving deep into the woods with it. Over time, the two developed a strange communication call that sounded like a monkey’s cry mixed with an owl’s hoot. Annie would use the call when Boojum wandered off searching for gems. He would use the same cry to call back to Annie, and some believe the hollering gave rise to the word “Hootenanny.”
Guests at the Eagle Nest Hotel, as shown in the picture below, often heard Annie and Boojum communicating.
No one knows what happened to Boojum or Hootin’ Annie, but it’s a tale that’s forever ingrained in Appalachian folklore. But, hikers who wander deep into the Great Balsam Mountains say that on quiet nights, when the moon is brightly lit, in the distance, a strange call can still be heard echoing through the trees.
Written By John G. Clark Jr.
