Sykesville Monster
The Sykesville Monster was a big deal about 40 years ago. He was a bigfoot kind of creature and over 8 foot tall. His feet was at least twelve inches long and he was said to look a bit like a Neanderthal. Though the last reported sighting was a long time ago, people still talk about the monster.
In 2014, the monster was the focus of a TV special called “Monster’ and Mysteries in America”. Local pub E. J. Becks hosted a special viewing party for the show on 2/28/2014. The Carroll Count Times provided some background1Carroll County Times, 2/27/2014
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.
Many folks from the area still remember the stories told back in the day. The Sykesville Monster is not the only oddity in Sykesville, though. The Town House also has its own stories to tell.