SUTTON, W.Va. — Many West Virginians have heard of a mysterious incident in Braxton County that involved a possibly celestial creature known as the Flatwoods Monster.
It was alleged to have appeared in the darkened woods behind the local grade school in 1952, only moments after a "flying saucer" had been sighted scooting over the trees.
Though the encounter was brief, it earned national headlines and has since puzzled cryptid enthusiasts and monster hunters worldwide. A museum has even been established to explore the legend.
Kathleen May and her two sons were present that day, and they recounted the event often over the years. But was what they saw really an alien creature?
Andrew Smith, executive director of the Braxton County Convention & Visitors Bureau (and curator of the Flatwoods Monster Museum), says he believes May.
“I know Kathleen May very well,” Smith stated. “She’s not one to make up things, and I believe her.”
May was present, along with her cousin Gene Lemon and a small group of boys, including her sons Ed and Freddy May, who had gone hunting for an object they saw float across the tops of the trees—something that they said resembled a saucer!
“The witnesses described a floating apparition with a big red face and a larger spade-shape behind it. It had a long, thin body,” Smith explained, noting that the creature appeared to possibly change color from black to green or to be colorless.
“In my mind, they can all be accurate descriptions.”
Its body was also possibly metallic. “Depending on the light, you could either get black or green or maybe no color at all—almost like it was camouflaged.”
May also described what could have been pleats on the creature’s lower half, somewhat like a skirt, although Smith suspects this might have been metal strips.
“It almost sounded like folded metal or pipes," Smith said. “Possibly, this was some propulsion system, but now we’re getting close to guessing.”
The boys quickly turned and ran back down the hill when it began moving toward them.
This was the only sighting of the Flatwoods Monster, now known as the Green Monster, the Braxton County Phantom, and the Phantom of Flatwoods.
The weirdness and mismatched description, coupled with the fact that the entity was only briefly seen hovering over the ground with limited movement, might suggest something more sinister: Was the sighting the result of a prank? Was it nothing more than an elaborate hoax?
Smith likes to believe otherwise. “I was friends with Freddy May,” he said. “If he says that’s what his mom said, then that’s all the evidence I need to believe her.”
But what if it was something else? What if it was a dummy tied to a clothesline with someone pulling it along?
“Well, then you’d also have to tie that in with some sort of aerial phenomenon,” Smith countered.
The sighting of the saucer before the entity's arrival was not observed only locally, which adds logical credence to the tale. Reports of the flying object came in from other regions.
“I’m sure it’s possible,” Smith added. I’m sure there have been bigger coincidences than that.”
The History Channel reports, "In the days following the initial sighting of the Flatwoods Monster, the story gained national attention, with newspaper and radio reports spreading the news.”
Despite this, there were no other confirmed sightings of the creature around the same time, and no similar reports exist.
Precisely what the Flatwoods Monster was will remain a mystery, lost to the receding folds of time until it chooses to grace mankind with another appearance.
The Flatwoods Monster Museum is located at 208 Main Street, Sutton, WV 26601. It is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends. Admission is free.
VIDEO: Ted Fauster interviews Andrew Smith regarding the Flatwoods Monster encounter
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