Flatwoods monster
 A 3D model depicting the monster's appearance, with a diagram for scaling purposes. | |
| Creature information | |
|---|---|
| Other name(s) | Braxton County Monster, Braxie, Green Monster |
| Folklore | Humanoid, extraterrestrial |
| Origin | |
| First attested | September 12, 1952 |
| Country | United States |
| Region | Flatwoods, West Virginia |
| Part of a series on the |
| Paranormal |
|---|
The Flatwoods monster (also known as the Braxton County monster,[1] Braxie,[2] or the Phantom of Flatwoods),[3] is an alleged humanoid reported to have been sighted in the town of Flatwoods in Braxton County, West Virginia, United States, on September 12, 1952, after a bright light crossed the night sky. In 2000, paranormal investigator Joe Nickell suggested that the light was a meteor and the being was a barn owl perched in a tree, with shadows only making it appear as though it were a large humanoid.[4]
History
[edit source]At 7:15 p.m. on September 12, 1952, brothers Edward and Fred May, along with their friend Tommy Hyer, said that they saw a bright object cross the sky and land on the property of local farmer G. Bailey Fisher. The boys went home and told their mother, Kathleen May. The four of them, accompanied by local children Neil Nunley and Ronnie Shaver, as well as Kathleen's cousin, West Virginia National Guardsman Eugene Lemon, went to the Fisher farm in an effort to locate whatever it was that Edward and Fred had claimed to see. The group reached the top of a hill, where Nunley said they saw a red, pulsating light. Lemon said he aimed a flashlight in that direction and momentarily saw a tall "man-like figure with a round, red face surrounded by a pointed, hood-like shape".
Descriptions of the being varied. In an article for Fate Magazine, UFO writer Gray Barker described the figure based on tape-recorded interviews with the witnesses.[5] The alleged humanoid was said to have stood at a height of about 10 feet (3 m).[5] A large pointed "hood-like shape" surrounded a round, blood-red face, and eyelike features emitted a greenish-orange light.[5] The body was purportedly either dark black or green.[5] The witnesses further claimed that the figure possessed "small, claw-like hands", clothing-like folds,[4] and "a head that resembled the ace of spades".[6] According to the story, when the alleged entity made a hissing sound and "glided toward the group", Lemon screamed and dropped his flashlight, causing all the witnesses to run away.[7]
The group said they had smelled a "pungent mist", and some later reported nausea. A short time thereafter, Mrs. May noticed an oily film on the boys' faces. Their throats became swollen, and a doctor was called to examine them. No apparent cause for their condition was found. The local sheriff and a deputy had been investigating reports of a crashed aircraft in the area. They searched the site where the being was purportedly seen, but "saw, heard and smelled nothing". According to Barker's account, A. Lee Stewart Jr. of the Braxton Democrat claimed to have discovered "skid marks" in the field and an "odd, gummy deposit" the following day.[4][5] These discoveries were subsequently cited by UFO enthusiast groups as evidence of a "saucer" landing.[8][4]
The reported sighting received significant public attention. According to former news editor Holt Byrne, "newspaper stories were carried throughout the country, radio broadcasts were carried on large networks, and hundreds of phone calls were received from all parts of the country". The national press services rated the story "No. 11 for the year", while a Pittsburgh newspaper sent a special reporter to cover the sighting. UFO and Fortean writers like Gray Barker and Ivan T. Sanderson also visited Flatwoods to investigate.[9]
Conventional explanations
[edit source]After investigating the case in 2000, Joe Nickell of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry concluded that the bright light in the sky reported by the witnesses on September 12 was most likely a meteor, that the pulsating red light was likely an aircraft navigation or hazard beacon, and that various aspects of the being described by witnesses resembled the anatomical features of an owl. Nickell suggested that the witnesses' perceptions were distorted by their heightened state of anxiety. Nickell's conclusions are shared by a number of other investigators, including those of the Air Force.[4][10]
On the night of the sighting on September 12, 1952, a meteor had been observed across three states—Maryland, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. According to Nickell, three flashing red aircraft beacons were also visible from the area of the sightings, which could account for descriptions of a pulsating red light and accompanying red tint on the face of the supposed being.[4][10]
Nickell concluded that the shape, movement, and sounds reported by witnesses were also consistent with the silhouette, flight pattern, and call of a startled barn owl perched on a tree limb, leading researchers to conclude that foliage beneath the owl may have created the illusion of the pleated green skirt described by the onlookers present. Researchers also concluded that the witnesses' inability to agree on whether there were arms, combined with May's report of it having "small, claw-like hands" which "extended in front of it", also correlated with the description of a barn owl with its talons gripping a tree branch.[4][5][9]
According to skeptic Ryan Haupt, even though local boy Max Lockard admitted he had driven his Chevy truck around the site "hoping to see something", "paranormal investigators concluded that the tracks, oily residue, and bits of a rubbery substance must have been left by the creature and not the truck". Haupt explains the nausea reported by some of the witnesses as a symptom "consistent with hysteria and over-exertion".[11]
Legacy
[edit source]
Officials in Flatwoods erected a welcome sign which designated the town as "Home of the Green Monster".[4]
Located in the town of Sutton, the Braxton County seat, is the Flatwoods Monster Museum, which is dedicated to the legend.[7] The Flatwoods Monster Museum is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on weekends. The museum also offers free admission to its visitors.[12] The Braxton County Convention and Visitor's Bureau also built a series of five tall chairs in the shape of the monster to serve as landmarks and visitor attractions. The Bureau rewards visitors who photograph all five chairs with "Free Braxie" stickers.[13]
The legend of the Flatwoods monster has also inspired media beyond West Virginia. The video games Fallout 76[14] and Everybody's Golf 4[15] contain references to the legend.
In television, the second episode of the 2019 History Channel series Project Blue Book, titled "The Flatwoods Monster", is based on the Flatwoods incident.[16][17]
Since 2019, Flatwoods, West Virginia, has been hosting a Flatwoods Monster Convention.[18][19]
The Flatwoods Monster is also referenced in the early chapters of the Japanese manga Dandadan (2021–present), as well as the second episode of its 2024 anime adaptation.
See also
[edit source]- List of reported UFO sightings
- List of West Virginia Cryptids
- Dover Demon (another sighting of an alleged humanoid proposed to have been a misidentified snowy owl)
- Kelly–Hopkinsville encounter (another sighting of alleged humanoids proposed to have been misidentified great horned owls)
- Mothman (another sighting of an alleged humanoid proposed to have been a misidentified barred owl)
- Owlman
- Grafton monster
References
[edit source]- ↑ Haught, James (October 31, 1954). "Martian or Mirage? 'Braxton Monster' Shocked a World, And at Least One Expert Says It Came From Beyond". Charleston Gazette. Charleston, WV. Archived from the original on April 7, 2022. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
- ↑ "Braxie helps to promote 'monstrous' tourism in Flatwoods area". Metro News. July 16, 2017. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- ↑ Byrne, Holt (March 6, 1966). "The Phantom of Flatwoods". Charleston Gazette Mail. Charleston, WV. Archived from the original on April 7, 2022. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Nickell, Joe (November 2, 2000). "The Flatwoods UFO Monster". Skeptical Inquirer. Vol. 24, no. 6. CSICOP. pp. 15–19.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Barker, Gray (January 1953). Webster, Robert N. (ed.). "The Monster and the Saucer". Fate. Vol. 6, no. 1. pp. 12–17.
- ↑ Griffin, Buddy (Fall 2002). Lilly, John (ed.). "The Legend of the Flatwoods Monster". Goldenseal. 28 (3). State of West Virginia, Department of Commerce: 56–61.
- 1 2 "Flatwoods Monster". Braxtonwv.org. Braxton County Convention and Visitor's Bureau. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
- ↑ "More On The "Green Monster"". Civilian Saucer Investigation (Winter Edition). 1 (2). Project 1947 (Republished by). 1953. Retrieved 2006-11-01.
- 1 2 Byrne, Holt (11 September 1955). "The Phantom of Flatwoods". Beckley Post-Herald the Raleigh Register. Sunday Gazette-Mail State Magazine, 1966. p. 7. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
- 1 2 Keyhoe, Donald E (1953). Flying Saucers from Outer Space. Henry Holt. ASIN B0007DECOA.
- ↑ Dunning, Brian; Haupt, Ryan (September 30, 2014). "Skeptoid #434: The Braxton County Monster". Skeptoid. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
- ↑ "Visit the Flatwoods Monster Museum". Visit Braxton, WV. Retrieved 2025-12-04.
- ↑ "Free Braxxie". braxtonwv.org. Braxton County Convention and Visitor's Bureau. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
- ↑ Lavender, Dave. "Video game to be based in a post-apocalyptic Mountain State". The Herald-Dispatch. Retrieved 2018-06-12.
- ↑ "There's A Strange Monster Hiding In Hot Shots Golf 4". Kotaku. 24 October 2020.
- ↑ Lavender, Dave (15 January 2019). "Episode of History show to feature the Flatwoods Monster". The Herald-Dispatch.
- ↑ "Watch The Flatwoods Monster Full Episode - Project Blue Book". HISTORY.
- ↑ Gorski, Sam (2025-05-09). "Every West Virginia cryptid festival happening in 2025". WBOY.com. Archived from the original on 2025-05-10. Retrieved 2025-06-24.
- ↑ Hatfield, Maggie. "Monsters of the Mountain State – West Virginia Executive Magazine". Retrieved 2025-06-24.
