“the creature cannot be an Octopus, but is of cetacean nature,” Verrill going back on his initial estimation. Add the first question. Travel back in time to check out the early roles of some of Hollywood's heavy hitters. Later, it turned out he would be the only person of an academic background to see the specimen in situ. Then, taking a page from the movie Twister – “it’s the same cow” – someone smacked the populace into reason. He sent them out to different authorities on the subject, among them Joel Asaph Allen if the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard. His impressions? By now, thanks to a short article published in the Pennsylvania Grit of Williamsport on December 13, the word “sea monster” was starting to make the grounds. on December 13, the word “sea monster” was starting to make the grounds. Two others, one on each side, protrude from beyond the monster’s neck and extend fully 15 feet along the body and beyond the tail. The St. Augustine monster was discovered by two young boys on Anastasia Island, Florida in November, 1896. A mass pilgrimage to the site started to knee its way down the coast. The “breadth” is evidently that of the softened and collapsed body, and would represent an actual maximum diameter in life of at least 7 feet and a probable weight of 4 or 5 tons for the body and head. Aside from Margaritas, girls in bikinis, and a bizarre electoral system, and, of course, Disney, there’s something else the Sunshine State is known for, The Florida Monster… and I’m not talking about Gators, or the couple of times Joe Exotic came to visit. , Edgar Van Horn and Ernest Howatt, to photograph the mass. By the summer, Webb decided the body should be moved inland. BUT, before all of that, before everyone started disagreeing on what the heck that large ball of mass was, before fisticuffs ensued between fringe groups, before bigfoot lovers went medieval on the taxonomy “fun sacks”, before all that ball and yarn, two young boys were kicking the proverbial can on the shores of a Floridian Institution. The eyes are under the back of the mouth instead of over it. Netflix wasn’t a thing and you needed something to entertain yourself with, so off to St. Augustine the curious went. . Folks who had never seen the mass were giving preposterous accounts of the creature. Webb once more took photographs – the famous ones posted all over the web. . In a nutshell, in case you want to skip most of the article and simply get a quick retelling of the whole episode, the St. Augustine Monster is the portmanteau given to a large carcass, originally thought to be the remains of a. in 1896. The Florida Monster or more to the point The. Nationwide, newspapers began printing drawings, sketches, and overinflated written accounts of the beats. “It’s another one!!! The boys went back to St. Augustine and told the local physician, Dr. DeWitt Webb about their discovery. Their plan? On Crescent Beach is where scientists and academics started to get in on the action. National Museum Curator William Healey Dall accepted the material as Accession 31678: “Sections of the muscle envelop of the body of Octopus giganteus verill”. . The carcass was initially believed by scientist A. E. Verrill to have been part of a giant octopus, which the scientist in question gave the scientific name Octopus giganteus. whale blubber. How many are there?”. Around the same time, a certain Mr. Wilson wrote a letter to Webb, telling him of the results of his observations. Folks who had never seen the mass were giving preposterous accounts of the creature. A massive squid? A giant Octopus? “The head is as large as an ordinary flour barrel and has the shape of a sea lion head. They applied to the Smithsonian and took samples from the original specimens Webb had sent Verrill. He sent them out to different authorities on the subject, among them Joel Asaph Allen if the, “The proportions [given by Webb] indicate that this might have been a squid-like form and not an, . Produced by the Smithsonian Institution Archives. Looking for some great streaming picks? This FAQ is empty. Attendance of a 120 minute … St. Augustine, FL Read More » They assumed it was a whale, and reported their find to Dr. De Witt Webb, the founder of the St. Augustine Historical Society and Institute of Science. “The proportions [given by Webb] indicate that this might have been a squid-like form and not an Octopus. On the night of November 29, 1896, something strange washed onto the beaches of St. Augustine, Florida: a giant octopus with telepathic powers. Nationwide, newspapers began printing drawings, sketches, and overinflated written accounts of the beats. Correspondence and Memoranda of the Assistant Secretary of the US National Museum, Record Unit 189. The man, the founder of the St. Augustine Historical Society and Institute of Science, came to the beach the next day, December 1, to examine the remains. Between January 9 and January 15, a massive winter storm hit St. Augustine and dragged the carcass out to sea. is a key component of the regional lore and one that every true Floridian is well-versed on. It was the same mass, a little worse for wear, but the same one. = “ear”; “giant-eared octopus”)… mind you, not by learned academics but by the plucky aluminum wearing foot soldiers of the outlandish. The St. Augustine Monster was a cryptid carcass discovered in 1896 on Anastasia Island in Florida, though it was later washed ashore on Crescent Beach,in St.Agustine Florida. . With Joshua Kennedy, Kat Kennedy, Gus Kennedy, Tom Pearson. Richard Ellis, author of the 1994 book, Monsters of the Sea, was quoted in the New York Times, “I’m crushed. When the sun hit it, it reflected a silver shine. The St. Augustine Monster is the name given to a large unidentified carcass, originally postulated to be the remains of a gigantic octopus, that washed ashore on the United States coast near St. Augustine, Florida, in 1896.It is sometimes referred to as theFlorida Monster or the St. Augustine Giant Octopus and is one of the earliest recorded examples of a globster. The tail, which is separated and jagged with cutting points for several feet, is flanked with two more tentacles of the same dimensions as the others and 30 feet long. A globster or blob is an unidentified organic mass that washes up on the shoreline of an ocean or other body of water. The first impressions were that the surf was full of sea monsters and there was an epic undersea battle taking shape just below the surface of the Atlantic. According to Wikipedia, it was a globster—“an unidentified organic mass that washes up on the shoreline of an ocean or other body of water.” This great-grandaddy of globsters kept cryptozoologists speculating and scientists testing for  a century—and a piece of it lives at the Smithsonian. He also contacted Prof. Addison Emery Verrill of Yale, at that time the foremost authority on cephalopods in the country. View production, box office, & company info. The St. Augustine monster was discovered by two young boys on Anastasia Island, Florida in November, 1896. A mass pilgrimage to the site started to knee its way down the coast. What was the Saint Augustine Monster? It is unknown what happened to the carcass afterward. Fate, it seemed, had the boys back; that fickle dame smiled and gave the tikes something truly magnificent to poke with their stick. . St. Augustine Monster. Filmed in the style of the horror films of the 1920's. On the evening of November 30, 1896, Herbert Coles and Dunham Coretter, went out bicycling along Anastasia Island. The Doc scratched his head and labeled the thing a giant dead octopus. Gennaro Jr., discovered stories of the St Augustine sea monster in old newspaper clippings. Netflix wasn’t a thing and you needed something to entertain yourself with, so off to St. Augustine the curious went. Webb also sent photos and a specimen to the Smithsonian in 1897. He concluded that it was the remains of a gigantic octopus, and contacted Yale’s Professor Addison E. Verrill, who went to press in 1897 declaring the discovery of what he named Octopus giganteus verrill. The “breadth” is evidently that of the softened and collapsed body, and would represent an actual maximum diameter in life of at least 7 feet and a probable weight of 4 or 5 tons for the body and head. Later, it turned out he would be the only person of an academic background to see the specimen, A few days later, on December 7, Webb contracted two. On the evening of November 30, 1896, Herbert Coles and Dunham Coretter, went out bicycling along. A Luska? BUT, before all of that, before everyone started disagreeing on what the heck that large ball of mass was, before fisticuffs ensued between fringe groups, before bigfoot lovers went medieval on the taxonomy “fun sacks”, before all that ball and yarn, two young boys were kicking the proverbial can on the shores of a Floridian Institution. While all of this was going on, no one had secured the specimen. Check out some of the IMDb editors' favorites movies and shows to round out your Watchlist. For years there were debates on what the creature was. It is perhaps a species of Architeuthis.”. A few days later, on December 7, Webb contracted two hobbyists, Edgar Van Horn and Ernest Howatt, to photograph the mass. Dish on their latest crush, sneak in a smoke, poke something with a stick. Now it was in tatters and completely destroyed. During the 1970s and 80s, in the wake of the popularity of the book Chariots of the Gods (1968) and TV programs such as the BBC’s series Arthur C. Clarke’s Mysterious World, monster once again captured the public imagination.