During October, the Ice House Museum will host an event that deals with a legendary monster — just in time for Halloween.
The Big Foot in the Big Thicket event will feature a presentation and book signing by Michael Mayes, author of the book, “Valley of the Apes: The Search for Sasquatch in Area X” at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 21 at the museum. Tickets are $15 per person and will be sold by Eventbrite.com.
Mayes was born in the Piney Woods of east Texas. While growing up in Big Thicket country, he heard tales of the ghost lights, wild men, and black panthers said to haunt the woods in his corner of southeast Texas.
After nearly 30 years, he retired as a history teacher and coach in Killeen ISD to spend more time for writing.
An avid folklorist, he has long been fascinated by the ghostly tales of historical and contemporary Texas as well as mysteries of the natural world. Mayes has authored two other books (Patty: A Sasquatch Story and Shadow Cats: The Black Panthers of North America) and is the owner and writer of the Texas Cryptid Hunter blog.
He has been a member of the North American Wood Ape Conservancy since 2005 and currently serves as chairman of the group’s Board of Directors.
He has appeared on numerous internet podcasts and radio programs, including Expanded Perspectives, Coast-To-Coast AM, The Paranormal Podcast, Beyond Reality Radio, Bigfoot and Beyond, and Sasquatch Tracks to discuss his research, as well as an episode of The Lowe Files on the A&E Network.
According to Mayes, for thousands of years sightings of hairy man-like creatures have been reported by Native Americans in the area. As more and more wilderness disappears, roadside and wilderness encounters are increasing.
He states that pioneers reported the “wood ape” creatures.
Naturalist Lance Rosier, who is credited with the founding of The Big Thicket, wrote about finding the body of an ape during his studies. A unit in the Big Thicket National Preserve named for Rosier has reported sightings, as have the Turkey Creek and Sandy Creek Units.
The museum is located at 818 Earnest Ave., Silsbee.
For more information, visit IceHouseMuseum.org or their Facebook page.