A typical workday at the Spindletop Boomtown Museum in Beaumont, Texas, took a wild turn last month when a gift shop worker made an unusual discovery.
As she returned from a restroom break, she spotted a peculiar figure crouched in the museum’s doorway.
Upon closer inspection, she realized it was exactly what she thought: an alligator! Jeanna Summy, the museum director, shared in an interview:
“She had never seen anything like that on the grounds. But she was very calm.”
The alligator had wandered into the museum, which recreates life during the Texas oil boom of the early 1900s. Understandably, the staff were caught off guard when the gift shop worker rushed to alert her coworkers. Jeanna admitted:
“I did not even believe her.”
The museum staff promptly contacted the campus police department. Before long, authorities and a game warden arrived to handle the situation safely. As the museum staff shared on their Facebook:
“Unexpected Visitor Alert! 🐊 …an alligator decided to check out the museum grounds. Thankfully, no guests were around, and with the quick response from LUPD and the Texas Game Warden, our scaly friend was safely returned to the wild. Big thanks to our local heroes!”
The warden carefully secured the alligator, taping its mouth to ensure no one was in danger, and transported the reptile to a nearby habitat along the Port Neches River.
Though the incident was unexpected, it was an exciting encounter for the museum staff. Jeanna even admitted, “To me, it was exciting. I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is so cool.’ This is a bucket list thing for me.”
The Spindletop Boomtown Museum won’t soon forget the day their guest list included a scaly, unexpected visitor!