Ashley McPhaul’s new book, 'Lower Alabama Bigfoot: No Longer a Myth,' contains much of local interest

If you enjoy a good book, I highly recommend that you check out Ashley McPhaul’s new book, “Lower Alabama Bigfoot: No Longer a Myth.”

Released on Jan. 31, this 128-page book includes a wide variety of local Bigfoot stories and reports as well as McPhaul’s personal experiences with these mysterious Bigfoot creatures. Most of the reports detailed in the book come from Monroe and Conecuh counties, with many of them occurring just 10 miles apart. Chances are, the book contains a Bigfoot story that took place close to where you live.

Many in the reading audience will know Ashley McPhaul, who is our area’s biggest and best-known Bigfoot enthusiast. In addition to his Bigfoot research efforts, he also works as a nurse anesthetist at the hospital in Monroeville. Ashley, a U.S. Navy veteran, also owns McPhaul’s Mercantile in downtown Excel and is a bigtime hunter and fisherman.

Stories in the book come from a wide variety of Monroe County locations, including Pine Orchard, Goodway, Burnt Corn, Frisco City, Perdue Hill, the Alabama River and the railroad tracks at Drewry Road. Almost all of these stories took place within the past several decades and include first-hand accounts from people you probably know. Locals mentioned in the book include Loretta and Steven Bradley, Rocky Burch, Marcus Lee, Lavon Tolbert, Luther and Ricky Upton, members of Ashley’s family and many others.

Readers unfamiliar with local Bigfoot reports will likely find Ashley’s story of a video shot in the Perdue Hill area very interesting. That video purports to show not one, but two, Bigfoot-type creatures drowning a deer in a creek between Perdue Hill and Claiborne. A man working on the property happened to catch the incident on video, which went on to be examined by famous Bigfoot film expert, M.K. Davis.

Ashley’s book also contains tales from Conecuh County communities that aren’t far from the Monroe County line. Between the covers of his book, you’ll find Bigfoot tales from Repton, Lenox, Range and other small communities just a short drive from Monroe County. Evidence from these communities include first-hand accounts as well as photographs of mysterious footprints.

While I enjoyed reading Ashley’s local Bigfoot reports, my favorite chapter was about a trip that Ashley’s family took to Fouke, Arkansas. This little town is where the famous Bigfoot movie, “The Legend of Boggy Creek,” was filmed in the 1970s. During his family’s road trip to Fouke, Ashley even got to meet Smokey Crabtree, a central figure in the “Boggy Creek” movie and a legendary figure among Bigfoot enthusiasts.

Another interesting chapter details how Ashley became an official member of the Gulf Coast Bigfoot Research Organization, called “GCBRO” for short. Through this organization, Ashley has investigated Bigfoot reports across the Southeast and has become friends with the cast of the TV show, “Killing Bigfoot.” In the years since their first meeting, the GCBRO has visited our area more than a few times to investigate Bigfoot sightings with Ashley.

In the end, I highly recommend that you read McPhaul’s book, especially if you’re interest in local Bigfoot reports. You can buy a copy online through www.authorhouse.com or you can swing by Ashley’s store in Excel to pick up a copy. Even if you’re on the fence about Bigfoot, I believe you’ll find Ashley’s review of local Bigfoot lore very interesting.