The ultra high-tech American space program is not unfamiliar with strange events. At the Kennedy Space Center in Florida is Launch Complex 34, the location of the Apollo 1 disaster which killed 3 astronauts and is now reportedly haunted.
Then there’s Jack Parsons, a brilliant rocket scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.
Parsons was a follower of British occultist Aleister Crowley and performed rituals before rocket launches. Parsons eventually blew himself up in his home laboratory. The strangest event however may be from NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.
The story involves NASA archivist Frank Shaw and happened on a windy night in 1986. Shaw had an uneventful day of work and when his shift ended he headed for his car.
Shaw said that as he neared his vehicle he happened to glance up at one of the massive buildings at the JSC. What he saw was unlike anything he had ever seen and something he wished he never had. It was perched on the top of the building and instantly filled Shaw with terror.
He described a bizarre creature, a large jet black nightmare with huge bat like wings, reminding him of a gargoyle. Shaw froze in place as the winged beast stared straight at him.
Shaw felt that the gargoyle like creature actually enjoyed the panic that he was experiencing. The gargoyle then spread it wings and with a crackling sound flew off into the Houston night.
Shaw eventually managed to calm himself enough that he could begin his drive home. His family noticed that he was later than usual but thought he probably had to work late which was not uncommon.
When Shaw finally arrived home it was obvious that something was terribly wrong. Shaw was an honest and serious man but the story he had to tell was just not believable.
His family felt that he must have misinterpreted what he had seen. What all could agree on was that he should not tell anyone about his sighting of the Houston Gargoyle.
Frank Shaw kept his word and said nothing about what he had seen for a while but eventually he decided that he could confide in his friend and supervisor and told him what he had seen. The response that Shaw received was a total surprise.
Shaw’s supervisor informed him that he was not the first one to report the strange gargoyle creature. In fact, a file had already been opened dealing with the bizarre creature following a sighting of the gargoyle and the death of 2 German Sheppard’s at the JSC.
Shaw was relieved to know that he had not imagined the whole event but was soon visited by investigators and interrogated about what he had seen. Shaw told them everything he could remember about the gargoyle encounter and investigators seemed to be satisfied.
Before leaving however the investigators gave Shaw a stern warning to keep quiet about the incident. Shaw kept his word and never again talked about the night he saw the Houston Gargoyle.
The story only came to light years later when Shaw’s daughter Desiree told the story to author/investigator Nick Redfern.
