City Hall

BREAKING NEWS FROM THE DISTANT PAST

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Bat in the Belfry
Legend has its roots in a 1976 Bicentennial interview.

The story of the devil-bat is documented in a 1976 publication titled “Alexandria Ghost Stories,” written by Eric Segal and published by the Alexandria Youth Bicentennial Committee. Segal's account stars an Old Town character Louie Robert, who worked in a framing shop.

"As Louie continues delving into his memory, we watch him, pointing and gesticulating in the muted light of his Alexandria framing ship," Segal wrote in 1976. "He is a favorite with the Old Town clientele, having always displayed the attractive moodiness we now see."

Puffing on a pipe in his frame shop, Robert tells Segal the legend of the devil-bat:

“Well, I guess one of the oldest stories goin’ back I don’t know how long is the story of the devil bat of Market Square,” Robert told Segal. “They say it lives up there in the belfry of City Hall. I don’t know much about the story, and I don’t know if anyone says they seen it. But I thought I saw it once.”

According to Robert’s account as relayed by Segal, one account of the devil-bat involved a boatload of rowdy men arrived late at night. The men were whooping and hollering, making quite a ruckus. As the rioting crowd caroused up King Street, breaking windows and screaming wildly, the men apparently stirred the ire of the devil-bat.

“I heard ‘em saying something, believe it or not, about tearin’ down City Hall,” Robert said. “All of a sudden, for some reason, I still don’t know why, I said something like Devil bat, devil bat, keep this crowd back!”

From out of nowhere, according to Robert’s story, a giant devil bat appeared from the clock tower on the Royal Street side of City Hall and attacked the rioting crowd. Seeing this frightening creature, they scampered away. And thus the mysterious animal saved the municipal building.

“I was scared, but I was curious too, so I checked to see what it was and there in the middle of the street was the biggest darn skunk anybody ever saw,” Robert said. “Some say that proves the devil bat doesn’t exist; it’s just some skunk. But other say that it proves it does, it just turned into a skunk to protect its old home. I’m not sure, but, as far as I know, that’s the closest anyone’s ever come to really seeing it.”