Shelbyville 9 foot skeleton

Shelbyville 9 foot skeleton

A Giant Skeleton.

Shelbyville, Ind., August 19. – George Arnold, a farm hand, in the employ of Franklin Boots, who lives about fifteen miles west of this city, made a discovery which has excited widespread interest in this country. The object of this interest is a skeleton of what once was a man of gigantic proportions, which was uncovered in a gravel pit on Mr. Boot’s farm. The skeleton was found in a sitting posture, facing the east and about six feet beneath the surface. Some of the bones were badly broken by a caving of the bank, but the skull and some of the larger bones were taken out intact, and from them may be easy realized the gigantic stature of the being to whom they once gave support. A measurement of the skull from front to rear, the rule passing through the eye socket to the back of the head, shows it to have been about 16 inches, while the breadth of the inferior maxillary was eight and one-half inches, showing that the brain must have weighed four and one-half to five pounds. Careful measurements of the other bones establish the fact that the man when alive was not less than nine feet in height and large in proportion. From the appearance of the teeth, were very large, and do not show the slightest sign of decay, although they are worn down almost to the bones of the jaw, the man could not have been less than 100 years old when he died, and of course he may have been older. The bones of the lower jaw are very large and thick, showing and extent of muscular development in that organ which is far beyond anything of the present day. How long ago the body of this giant was interred where it was unearthed, or to what tribe or nation he belonged when he trod the earth in all his majesty of his strength, it is impossible to say, but it must have been ages ago. as all the indications show that the soil where the remains were discovered had not been disturbed for many generations. Steps have been taken to have casts made of the bones, and they will be placed in the State collection or some of our college museums. [1]

The Anderson intelligencer Anderson Court House SC. Sept. 06 188 Pg 1

Research done by Rephaim23

This is an interesting article first because you have a skeleton that was taller than Robert Wadlow at 9 feet, although there are many such accounts academia contends to ignore them.

Another thing that interests me is that replicas were made. A follow up is necessary, where are the origal bones, as there is no mention of their destination. Also there is no mention of the location of the replicas.

Six and a half is the size of the Turkish Giant Jaw, this one however is 8.5 across the tmj, two inches larger, that’s quite impressive!

~Chris L Lesley

Shelby County 7 footer

1. The Anderson intelligencer Anderson Court House SC. Sept. 06 1885 Pg 1. “a man of gigantic proportions. . .  gigantic stature of the being. . . not less than nine feet in height”
2. The St. John’s Herald. (St. Johns, Apache County, Arizona Territory [Ariz.]), November 24, 1892. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. <http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn94051692/1892-11-24/ed-1/seq-1/>
3. The Sunday Chronicle, September 13. 1883. page 3.