Sykesville Monster

If you lived in the Sykesville area in the 1970's and 80's, you might be familiar with a local creature that became known as the Sykesville Monster. He was a bigfoot-type creature, reputed to stand about 8 foot tall with a footprint longer than 12 inches long. Recently, a TV special called "Monsters and Mysteries in America" will be featuring the monster, and local pub E.J. Becks planned a special viewing party for the show, which was due to air on February 28, 2014.

A recent article in the Carroll County Times notes:

In Sykesville, a rash of sightings reported in 1973 led to a creature hunt that included police, a game warden, zoo officials and professional paranormal investigators. A plaster cast was taken of a footprint 13 inches long that zoo officials said could have been made by a sandal.

Although no other proof was ever offered to support the existence of the monster, Main Street Director Ivy Wells, who also leads the Sykesville Ghosts and Legends tours at Halloween, said townspeople took the creature very seriously. After a sighting close to South Branch Park, police restricted access to that side of town, she said.

“The whole town was basically quarantined,” Wells said.

She said no official records of the bigfoot-related investigations that took place from 1973 to 1981 could be found, although police involvement was well-documented by Carroll County Times reporters, other media and eyewitness accounts. Some have speculated the missing records indicate a cover-up of additional information the government had about the creature that was not available to the public.