Flatwoods monster
From the UAP Encyclopedia, the open encyclopedia of UFO and UAP history · 🛸 Case
Contents 5
| Type | Case |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Flatwoods, Braxton County monster |
The Flatwoods monster, also called the Braxton County monster, is a creature reportedly seen in Flatwoods, Braxton County, West Virginia, on the evening of 12 September 1952 by a group of local children and adults who had gone to investigate a light that appeared to land on a nearby farm. It became one of the most famous "close encounters" of the 1950s and is now a local tourist attraction.[1][2]
The sighting
At about 7:15 p.m., brothers Edward and Fred May and their friend Tommy Hyer saw a bright object cross the sky and apparently come down on farmer G. Bailey Fisher's property. They went to investigate with Kathleen May, the brothers' mother, local boys Neil Nunley and Ronnie Shaver, and Eugene Lemon, a 17-year-old member of the West Virginia National Guard. On a hilltop they saw a pulsing red light, and when Lemon shone his flashlight toward a tree, they saw a figure about 10 feet tall with a round red face surrounded by a pointed, hood-like shape, glowing eyes, and, according to some, small claw-like hands. The figure seemed to glide toward them, and the group fled.[1][3]
Aftermath
Witnesses reported a pungent mist and later nausea, irritated throats and an oily film on the boys' faces; a doctor found no cause. The local sheriff and a deputy searched the area that night and found nothing. Reporter A. Lee Stewart Jr. later described skid marks and a gummy deposit at the site, which UFO groups cited as evidence of a landing. Writer Gray Barker wrote about the case in Fate magazine in 1953, and Fortean investigator Ivan Sanderson also visited.[1]
Explanations
A bright meteor was seen that night over Maryland, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, probably accounting for the light in the sky. In 2000 investigator Joe Nickell proposed that the pulsing red light came from aircraft warning beacons nearby and that the "monster" was a startled barn owl perched in a tree, whose shape, size and eyes, seen in the dark and amid branches by frightened witnesses, created the impression of a giant hooded figure.[1][3][4]
Legacy
Flatwoods embraced the legend with a sign reading "Home of the Green Monster", and the Flatwoods Monster Museum in nearby Sutton is dedicated to it. The town has held an annual Flatwoods Monster convention since 2019.[1][5]
References
- Flatwoods monster — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org · archived copy
- Brian Dunning, "The Braxton County Monster", Skeptoid #434 · skeptoid.com · archived copy
- Joe Nickell, "The Flatwoods UFO Monster", Skeptical Inquirer (2000) · skepticalinquirer.org · archived copy
- "Monsters of the Mountain State", West Virginia Executive · wvexecutive.com · archived copy
- Flatwoods Monster Museum — Braxton County Convention and Visitors Bureau · braxtonwv.org · archived copy
This page was last edited on 31 October 2026. Articles are written in our own words from the sources listed under References; disputed claims are attributed to the people who made them.
No discussion yet.