Anyone ever hear of a 25,000 year old pre-historic carved rock called "The Malakoff Man".

Many years ago Bop saw it on display at the Texas Memorial Museum in Austin. It's most likely now in storage.

(Unearthed near Malakoff, Texas.)

[This message has been edited by BeBopAg (edited 1/6/2012 10:53p).]

Bebop, there were two stone heads unearthed in the clay quarry just outside of Trinidad in the Trinity River bottom. I'm from the area and always heard the story growing up; actually heard it being talked about the other day on NPR in Austin

CivilAg10...
Recall there were once three (3) head-like stones with facial carvings.
Stirred quite some controversy in the 1930's Texas archeology profession.
Of course, professional pride and reputation is (was) a very touchy subject.

Thanks for posting this kind of stuff BeBop. The East Texas board is pretty dead, but you usually dig up some pretty interesting stuff to share. I for one appreciate it.

I read about the Malakoff carvings for about 30 minutes this morning. Very interesting.

Bop has located the Malakoff Man (prehistoric stone head, or perhaps three heads) in Austin.

Moved from the Texas Memorial Museum to Texas Archeological Research Lab on t-sip campus.

Bop will report back ASAP if they are on display or can be viewed by the general public.

Perhaps there's someone out there (an Indiana Jones Ag) interested in archeology ?

quote:

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Bebop, there were two stone heads unearthed in the clay quarry just outside of Trinidad in the Trinity River bottom.

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The pit (which I think was gravel, not clay) is now under Cedar Creek Lake. The pit was located just a few yards inside the Cedar Creek Lake dam (not to be confused with the spillway on Highway 274). The dam can be seen by driving on Forehand Road, which runs between Trinidad and Mankin.

The rumor around Malakoff was that they were fake, and were carved by the Cuban immigrant workers who found them. A UT archaeologist reported finding them "in situ," though. There is still controversy as to whether they are real.

There were once replicas of the heads located in the Malakoff elementary school. I have no idea where these replicas have gone (the school itself burned a few years ago -- not the rock building, but the 1973 building).

The heads were indeed stored in the basement of the Texas Memorial Museum on the UT campus for many years. My father once asked how they could be viewed (they were not on exhibit), and was told that Malakoff residents who wished to see them could write a letter to the museum director to set up a viewing. We never did so.

Turns out the Malakoff Historical Museum has set up an exhibit with the three heads, which they note "will be the first time that the heads have been together in Malakoff since their discovery."

I have not gone to view them, but something tells me these are not the real deals, but instead, the replica heads that were displayed at the elementary school.

Here's a link about the exhibit. I'm not sure whether the heads (real or replica) are still there, though.

http://canton.kltv.com/news/arts-culture/74695-open-house-malakoff-historical-museum-dec-10

Here's some pics of the heads:
http://www.utexas.edu/tmm/exhibits/glen_evans/archeology/malakoff_heads.html

The reason that they are called "Malakoff Men" instead of "Trinidad Men" is because the pits were owned by the Bartlett family of Malakoff who owned the Texas Clay brickyard in town, which is now owned by Acme. That's just the way it goes sometimes.

Speaking of the Bartlett family... Thomas Bartlett invented a method of coloring brick while in Malakoff in 1904.

Their home, which still stands in pretty bad shape just outside the brick yard has been bought by the local garden club and is supposed to be fixed up to its former splendor.

Here's some pics of the Barlett house in Malakoff. My grandfather said that they used to dance on the roof and have some pretty good parties there.

http://www.greenpickup.us/genealogy/histories/t_a_bartlett_house_in_malakoff.php

Actually there was a third Makakoff Man found and it can be viewed at the Navarro College Library (Hwy 31 west - Corsicana).

Possibly around 25,000 years old.

Can be viewed by general public in a nice glass enclosed case.

kas1950.smugmug.com/Travel/2008/Texas/.../319330266_V4wG

For photo: type on search engine "Navarro College Malakoff Man".

[This message has been edited by BeBopAg (edited 1/6/2012 10:54p).]

Archeology anyone ?

Talk about...CLOSE ENCOUNTERS ?????
So, Bop goes out to local Navarro College Library in person for a look-see at the "third" Malakoff Man of stone (two located in a somewhat inaccessable Austin t-sip archeology bldg's storage basement).

After a while, and some serious cogitation, Bop tells the librarian the following:
"Honey, if you ever see some somewhat thin, green-like little humanoid figures, those with bald-heads, slant-eyes (with no ears) and they come wanderin' into your library, well, give 'em back this stone if they ask for it."
No kidding folks.

On first look Bop says to himself, "Bop's seen this guy somewhere BEFORE !"
That #3 Malakoff Man looked very, very kindred to the spaceship alien from the 1977 Richard Dryfess movie, "Close Encounters of a Third Kind".
Bop's gotta a whole new theory which is:

Around 25,000 years ago aliens just may have landed on this planet. Some of our more artistic Texas cave men, and/or women ancestors, saw 'em, welcomed 'em, were impressed, and thereafter tried hard to memoralize, in stone, that "close encounter."

The Navarro College Malakoff Man of stone was uncovered in 1935 on the property of Judge and Mrs. W.R. Bishop near Malakoff. The specimen was a gift to Navarro College from their grand-niece. The stone face is one of three classified in 1935 by Dr. E.H. Sellers, of the University of Texas Geology Department, as "probably the earliest attempts of prehistoric man to reproduce his likeness ever found on this continent."
Dr. Sellers estimated that the Malakoff Heads were more than 25,000 years old.

According to an article published in AMERICAN ANTIQUITY this Malakoff Head weighs 63 & 1/4 lbs., and measures 12" x 15" x 11". The specimen is carved in "a calcareous, more or less ferruginous, sandstone concretion."
A coating found on the specimen in 1935 "is indisputable evidence that the carving was done previous to the time when the stone was included in the grave deposit." 1

Sellars, E.H.; "Stone Images from Henderson County", AMERICAN ANTIQUITY, 7 (1941): 29-38.
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To read more about the "Malakoff Heads" and related topics, the recommended resources are as follows:

Nahn, Paul G.; THE CAMBRIDGE ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF PREHISTORIC ART. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1998.

PEOPLE OF THE EARTH: An Introduction to World Prehistory, New York: Harper Collins College Publishers, 1995.

McIntosh, Jane.; THE PRATICAL ARCHAEOLOGIST: How We Know What We Know About The Past. New York: Facts on file, 1999.

Sellars, E.H.; EARLY MAN IN AMERICA, A Study in Prehistory, Austin: University of Texas Press, 1952.

Wormington, H.M.; ANCIENT MAN IN NORTH AMERICA. 4th ed. Denver: Denver Museum of Narutal History, 1957.

[This message has been edited by BeBopAg (edited 1/6/2012 11:04p).]

Gentlemen all,

I know this thread is many years old, but I would like to attempt its resurrection for some research I am working. I am trying to construct as accurate collection of facts about the Malakoff Man (MM) discoveries. At nearly 100 old, even if they are fakes, the artifacts have a historical significance all their own.

If any of you have any knowledge you would like to share, I would be very grateful if you would ley me know.

Many thanks!

Pearce Museum at Navarro College in Corsicana.
https://www.corsicanadailysun.com/news/malakoff-man-picking-up-the-trail-to-premiere-at-pearce-museum/article_c91da1e0-993b-11ed-817b-b7542d1b0f6f.html