The core urban legend centers on a butcher or hog farmer who lived in seclusion. To ward off trespassers, he allegedly lined his property with the severed heads of pigs on stakes. The story escalates to horror with variations claiming the "Pigman" murdered teenagers, replacing their heads with swine parts. This creature is sometimes described as a ghastly, half-pig, half-man specter.

Adding to the road's dark reputation is a documented disaster: the Angola Horror of 1867. This catastrophic train derailment and fire killed nearly 50 people in the nearby gorge. Locals believe the road is haunted not only by the Pigman, but also by the restless, screaming spirits of the victims of this real-life tragedy, forever cementing Pigman Road as a destination of both myth and genuine dread.