The state of West Virginia in the United States has a dark reputation for being one of the most haunted places in the country, with hundreds of sightings of mysterious, supernatural, and unidentified entities. Some say that this state is under the influence of dark energies, while others are certain that most creatures sighted here are the result of classified government experiments. The true reason may never be known, but researching the many monsters reported to have lived in this state is a fascinating and mind-bending experience that can intrigue even the most sceptical minds. One of these creatures is the Flatwoods Monster.
The location of Flatwoods, West Virginia (USA)
The Flatwoods Monster is a cryptid sighted in the town of Flatwoods in Braxton County, West Virginia. The unidentified creature, assumed to be of extraterrestrial origin, is one of the most notorious cases of close encounters of the third kind and for many years, was the focus of investigations by local police and ufologists. Also known as the Braxton County Monster or the Phantom of Flatwoods, the entity made contact on September 12, 1952 and its origin has never been conclusively determined or explained.
Sighting
The eyewitnesses of the Flatwoods Monster encounter in 1952
The story begins at 7:15pm, on the evening of September 12, 1952 when three little boys aged between 10 and 13 were out playing. Edward and Fred May, and their friend Tommy Hyer then noticed that something bright streaked across the sky, and what looked like a flying saucer landed on a field nearby. The unknown object had crashed south of Gassaway, on the property of G. Bailey Fisher.
Frightened by the shining object descending from the sky, they quickly ran to get their parents and to investigate the scene, thinking perhaps it was a crashed airplane. Hearing the story, one of the boy’s mothers, Kathleen May, decided to go to scene to investigate. She was accompanied by the kids, two other neighbours (Neil Nunley and Ronnie Shaver) and West Virginia National Guardsman Eugene ‘Gene’ Lemon, aged 17.
Kathleen May and Eugene Lemon posing with a New York artist’s rendition of the Flatwoods Monster, based on their description. On the right is the original drawing that they are holding up.
As they got closer to the farm, Lemon’s dog ran barking ahead, only to return to the group with its tail between its legs. Then, about 400 metres in front of them, they saw the site of the crash: a 15-metre-high “pulsating ball of fire” was on the ground, surrounded by a mysterious mist that made their eyes and noses burn. In Mrs May’s own words,
“…the night was foggy and there was a mist in the evening air…the air had a metallic smell which burned our eyes and noses.”
Not far from the ball of fire was an oak tree, and Lemon noticed two small red lights under it. As Lemon moved his flashlight there to investigate, the Flatwoods Monster revealed itself. Letting out a spine-chilling hissing noise, it started gliding towards them, but then suddenly changed direction and went towards the red pulsating sphere. Afraid that they would be attacked, the group quickly fled.
Appearance
The Flatwoods Monster is a cryptid shrouded in mystery, particularly when it comes to its appearance. Because it was only sighted twice and there are no pictures taken of it, locals have different descriptions of what it looks like. All eyewitnesses agree that it is at least 7 feet tall and has a long, lean black body, with gleaming and bulging non-human red eyes.
An artist’s rendition of the Flatwoods Monster, according to eyewitness accounts. No photograph has ever been taken of the monster, which has only been sighted twice in history.
The Flatwoods Monster has an elongated head and behind it, a cowling shaped like a heart or ace of spades. In the words of one of the boys, it had “…a bright red face, bright green clothing, a head which resembled the ace of spades, and clothing which, from the waist down, hung in great folds”. The face, in fact, is said to have glowed red from within. Its body was not covered in skin or fur. Instead, it seemed to be made of a dark and tough matter, and was irregularly shaped. This description has led investigators to believe that the Phantom of Flatwoods is of extraterrestrial origin.
There are opposing views as to whether or not the creature has arms. In one police sketch it has no arms, while in another it has short arms with long, thin, robotic and claw-like fingers.
The Flatwoods case was investigated on and off for decades after the sighting, even though no additional encounters were reported. Paranormal investigators compared the description of the monster with the barn owl and noticed some similarities. The hissing noise that the group reported they heard also seemed to resemble the sound of a barn owl. When presented with the theory that they had seen a bird, locals were sceptical because the entity was simply too tall and had an unearthly body.
Events After the Sighting
As soon as she got home, the mother of the boy called both the police and local journalists to investigate the situation. Authorities, led by Sheriff Robert Carr and his Deputy Burnell Long, went to the site that very night accompanied by curious locals and some members of the local press. Although there was no mysterious object or creature there, the acidic and pungent odour still lingered in the air.
The Flatwoods Monster compared to the size of an average human adult.
Such an unusual event also drew the attention of the local media, and the story was later picked up by the national press. The first reporter to publish the story, A. Lee Stewart of the Braxton Democrat, interviewed the witnesses himself. He would later state that all of them were extremely frightened by what they had encountered. Stewart even went back to where the Flatwoods Monster had been sighted. Accompanied by one of Kathleen May’s sons, upon approaching the site, Stewart noted an overwhelming odd smell but observed nothing unusual.
Upon further inspection the next morning, they saw some traces of disturbances in the mud. Stewart himself observed “skid marks” where some object had been. This was peculiar, because that patch of land was not usually circulated or used by vehicles. The initial hypothesis put forward by the police was that of a UFO landing, but this was later disproved when they found out that a local driver had been there with his car to see what had happened. Sheriff Carr himself believed that the group had actually seen a meteor or comet landing on earth and upon reaching the top of the hill, the group had seen a local animal’s eyes in the dark, thus mistaking it as a monster.
Although the explanation seemed plausible, it was not enough to explain away the many eyewitness accounts that followed. The event caused a stir in the local community and more people came forwards to add to the story:
- A mother and her 21-year old daughter from nearby Weston supposedly went through an identical encounter with the creature one week before that day. According to the mother, the young woman had been much more affected by the irritating mist, such that she needed a three-week stay in the hospital to recover.
- The evening after the original sighting by Kathleen May and her group, a couple claimed to have encountered the Flatwoods Monster. They had been driving 10 miles southwest of Flatwoods when their car stalled. At this point, a 10-foot tall creature approached their car before returning to the woods. A pulsating sphere then rose into the sky and disappeared. The couple told the investigator, John Keel, that the creature had a foul odour.
- The mother of National Guardsman Eugene Lemon told investigators that at the time of the encounter, her house was shaken violently and that the radio signal was out for nearly an hour.
- The director of the local Board of Education said he saw an unidentified object taking off from the site of the crash the morning after the encounter.
- A resident of Birch River testified that he had seen a “bright, orange” object circling overhead the Flatwoods area.
Sickness
A preliminary sketch of the monster based on the eyewitnesses’ descriptions. Those who encountered the monster were very young and after they were exposed to the mysterious gases, suffered illnesses for, in some cases, many weeks afterwards.
The group that came into contact with the Flatwoods Monster on September 12, all showed similar symptoms in the following days. These symptoms were attributed to exposure to the mysterious mist, and included nose and throat swelling and irritation.
Eugene Lemon, the 17-year old National Guard, seemed to be more affected than the rest of the group, because he also experienced violent convulsions,vomiting and irritation which persisted in the following weeks. His dog would also fall ill and pass away two days after the incident. According to a doctor who treated the entire group, exposure to mustard gas produces similar symptoms.
Possible Explanations
Interest in the Flatwoods case only increased as weeks went by and until today, paranormal investigators continue to speculate and conjecture as to what the entity was. In 2000, the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry suggested that the flying object the locals had seen was actually a meteor and that the pulsating red light was an aircraft beacon. Their theory is supported by the fact that on September 12, 1952, a meteor was seen across three states: Maryland, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
Some sceptics have dismissed the sightings as nothing more than encounters with a barn owl. They say that shock has led the so-called eyewitnesses to believe they had had an encounter with an extraterrestrial being.
As for the monster itself, investigators rejected the idea of an extraterrestrial being and said the group was in shock. They said that the group had actually seen a barn owl sitting on a tree stump which would explain the height. The leaves of the underbrush could have been confused for irregularly-shaped green clothing, and the hissing sound they heard could have been the startled call of the owl. Barn owls also have a heart-shaped face and in their fear, combined with the effects of the gas, the eyewitnesses could have been led to believe that they were face to face with an extraterrestrial being.
While this theory appealed to sceptical minds, it did not convince the locals or the families of the people involved in the sightings. The people in Flatwoods, Braxton County, are still convinced that on September 12, 1952, their small town was the site of an UFO landing or a government experiment gone out of the control.
The Flatwoods Monster in Pop Culture and the Local Community
Although the Flatwoods Monster has only been witnessed a couple of times, its impact has reverberated throughout the small town and the monster has become its symbol. The Braxton County authorities promote the Flatwoods Monster as a local attraction (http://www.braxtonwv.org/FlatwoodsMonsterInfo.aspx) and to this day, locals still organise an annual festival for what they nickname “The Green Monster”. During this three-day event, participants listen to live music, go to the Green Monster Museum and plan trips to the site of crash.
Flatwoods in West Virgin is a small town of just 423 acres, with a population of just 279 people (in 2013). Back in 1952, the Flatwoods Monster incident would bring this small town to the attention of the nation.
The case of the Phantom of Flatwoods made it onto national television and the entity became a topic of national interest. Therefore, it is only natural that the monster has also become a part of pop culture. Although it is not as notorious as the Mothman, another West Virginia cryptid, the Flatwoods Monster continues to be depicted many times in media, in video games, anime series and, of course, paranormal investigation TV shows.
Over the years, renowned investigator John Keel would also hold his own investigations into the Flatwood incident. He found another couple who had observed the monster, and had also seen unusual objects over the area. They claimed to have witnessed the same monster the evening after the original Flatwood incident involving Kathleen May and the children. The mystery of the Flatwoods Monster would also be investigated by naturalist Ivan Sanderson, who took soil samples and recorded eyewitness reports but his findings were never made public. Hence, to this day, the 1952 events of Flatwoods continue to remain a mystery, capturing the imaginations of people the world over.
Newspaper article from the era, covering the Braxton County residents’ encounter with the Flatwoods Monster
A newspaper clipping from the time. Click to enlarge.
In a photo taken in Charleston, one of the eyewitnesses, Mrs Kathleen May, poses with an artist’s rendition of the Flatwoods Monster based on her account. The group gained some notoriety after the signing, and were invited to speak on a number of shows about their experiences, including on “We The People” filmed in New York.
Resources:
http://cryptidz.wikia.com/wiki/Flatwoods_Monster
http://www.ufoevidence.org/cases/case535.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flatwoods_monster
http://www.csicop.org/si/show/flatwoods_ufo_monster
http://cryptomundo.com/cryptozoo-news
For more interesting information:
- The Bigfoot category on my blog
- The Science and Mysteries category on my blog
- The study of cryptozoology
- What is Area 51?
- The Devil
- Ogopogo: The Canadian Water Dragon
- The Legend of the Mermaid
- The Curse of Otzi, the Iceman
- Hunting for the Yeti!
- Bizarre Cryptids
- Mysteries of the Goatman
- Tales of the Mystical Firebird
- Do Giants Exist?
- Spectacular footage!!!
- 10 Weird Facts About Bigfoot
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According to legend, the Flatwoods Monster, also known as the green monster while others name it as the Phantom of Flatwoods. The Flatwoods monster, in West Virginia folklore, is a creature reported to have been sighted in the town of Flatwoods in West Virginia. The Monster was said by some as about 12 feet tall with a head shaped like the ace of spades having glowing reddish and green in colour. People in the nearby community of Flatwoods had an unusual experience that was burned forever into their mind. Residents had witnessed this phenomenon and discovered a hideous monstrosity with fiery red eyes and ran for their lives. Repulsed and fascinated by the Green Monster the town of Flatwoods has embraced the folktale. Today, the Flatwoods Monster is considered the second most popular monster in West Virginia.The legend of the Flatwoods monster has inspired media beyond.
Thank you Rinpoche for this interesting of a green Monster.
Always love a mystery but scared. Just like watching the Dracula movie as a kid. So many incidences or sighting out there that I have never heard of until now. Like the Roswell stories, there seems to be some evidences of something unusual but cannot be properly explained.
My one question is, if there have been aliens visiting us, why have they not decimated us to take over the planet? Maybe we are just some experimental creatures of theirs and they are like the shepherd. Or as in the movie “Jupiter Rising”, humans are merely commodity raised like cattle for harvesting of enzymes when the time is right.
Maybe it’s just the overactive imaginations of rural folks with their superstitions and clouded sight on a misty night as there always seems to be a mist around when the creature is sighted. Maybe it’s the swamp gas that’s making them sick.
No one wants to say anything about the soil tests and other evidences found. Another dead end.
“The mystery of the Flatwoods Monster would also be investigated by naturalist Ivan Sanderson, who took soil samples and recorded eyewitness reports but his findings were never made public. “
This is something very extraordinary and i have never heard of. Very interesting. Thank you Rinpoche and writers for this research and article.
This is the first time that I hear about the Flatwoods Monster but reading about Area 51, where they experiment supposedly with flying saucers, the “atomic fuel” element 115 they are said to use, could be the cause of the illnesses and smell. https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/paranormal/aliens-paranormal/what-is-area-51.html
It must be very scary to witness these encounters. And the fact that many people speak about it, having encountered them in different situations is revealing. Why should people start to talk about it all of a sudden.
There are many things we don’t know about, and just because we usually don’t see it, does not mean that it is not real.
I like the paranormal articles here because they open our mind to a broaden vision of what we are used to know about.
Luckily we know Dorje Shugden and can recite Dorje Shugden’s mantra if we encounter scary situations! OM BENZA WIKI BITANA SOHA! Be safe always!
I believe the Flatwoods monster was probably an extra terrestrial sighting. I wonder if advanced aliens has some ‘Prime Directive’ like star trek that they never revealed themselves to those much less technologically advanced to them.
I do hope we can find out the reality about aliens, and what do they want to do on our Earth. The universe is so vast, there is space for everyone, and I think there is space for aliens and humans to co exist on planet Earth.
Prior to this article, I knew nothing about the Flatwood Monster. It is such a strange and interesting creature that I did further reading but I am still not certain if it is an alien, monster or an urban legend.
I did find the mysterious mist unusual as no other monster or alien that I’ve read about has emitted something like that. This mysterious mist might be a defence mechanism for the creature to protect itself.
Unlike other monsters and aliens, this one spooked me out for some reason, especially the large bulgy eyes.
This is a very very strange creature/alien indeed. I have never heard of an alien looking in such a manner but I suppose this is why they are known as aliens. It is interesting to know that these strange things exists and it goes to show that other lives, beings and other realms, planets definitely exist.
Buddhism seems to be one of the religions in this world where by it actually mentions and acknowledges there is such an entity and such beings around. And of course logically speaking definitely so because we cannot possibly be the only beings on this universe. Sometimes I do wonder what I would do when and if I do encounter an alien? Why do they visit earth, what resources do we have that they are so attracted towards?
This is interesting article as I never heard of the Flatwoods monster before. The imagery of the alien/monster is quite bizarre and quite hard to picture as a real entity. I guess its because of its bizarre appearance and that is somewhat conventional that follows the mould of alien entities of that particular time period.
Aliens seem to follow a certain trend these days and they always appear in a certain way that somehow conform to what is expected of an alien of that particular period of that time. I am not saying that this is fake because I don’t have evidence but I am just presenting an observation of mine.
I wonder why they always make it the same design, i.e.always with a head, torso, two eyes, at least 2 limbs. Can’t they be more creative? Lol, if they come in different, off the beaten track forms and patterns, that would be much more interesting!
Or maybe we perceive them as having a human likeness, or different people will perceive a different shape, a Buddha will see a completely different object. Maybe what we see is what we reflect! If we see something sinister, maybe that’s because we are sinister. You’d never know.
The Flatwoods Monster looks like an alien to me. There are numerous sighting of UFO around the world, i believes the existence of UFO, the universe is huge, and is logical to have other species of intelligent existed in one of the billions planets. There are lots of rumours and speculations lately on Area 51, people believes that US government has been working with alien secretly at this area for some time already. I just hope that these aliens comes to visit planet earth with friendly terms, who knows perhaps there is already a universe law governing all the aliens from invading other planets?
Interesting article…..with Virginia been the most haunted place in American and now the sighting of the Flatwoods Monster nickname Home of the Green Monster. even more interesting.. All the gruesome murders, tragic suicides, violent massacres, horrible accidents, and creepy medical experiments that have happened in Virginia many many decade ago. No wonder the sighting of Flatwoods Monster was seen by some of them.Interest in the Flatwoods case went on till now without any explanation .Those who witnessed the Flatwoods monster were exposed to the mysterious gases, suffered illnesses.Since then no additional encounters were reported.by the people.
Flatwoods continue to remain a mystery, people over.the world had been fascinated by the Green Monster.mystery.Each of them having a different story to tell.The story had passed down through the generations and becoming part of the oral folklore.
Thank you for sharing these interesting article..
It is interesting that the one major sighting of the creature dubbed as Flatwoods Monster by these 6 individuals can culminate to some many theories to explain it, amongst them:
• The Flatwoods Monster being widely claimed to be some form of extra-terrestrial, primarily because it has been sighted nearby a large unidentified flying object (UFO). In fact, due to the nature of the sighting, it is deemed to be a close encounter of the third kind by many ufologists i.e. UFO encounter in which at least one animated creature is present and such animated creature is in the form of humanoid or robot or even human form who would likely either be the pilot or the occupant of the UFO.
• Then, there are still those who maintain that the Flatwoods Monster is indeed a monster per se and that it came from another realm despite not much explanation, elaboration or corroboration being afforded to support this stance.
• There are also those who weave in the element of government conspiracy and insist that the Flatwoods Monster is but another top-secret US military technology testing gone wrong.
• Last but not least, there are the sceptics who dismiss the Flatwoods Monster as a figment of all the witnesses’ overstimulated mistaken perceptions of an ordinary meteorite and a barn owl. Some even downright called it a hoax.
Regardless of the answer, undoubtedly, there is no question that something weird transpired on the night of 12 September 1952. The Flatwoods Monster remains one of the weirdest incident involving an alleged close encounter with an unidentified exotic creature in the small town of Flatwoods, in Braxton County, West Virginia. Whilst this story has been widely retold in popular books and magazines over the years, it remains as one enigma that defies simple classification, whether or not its subject was indeed out of this world.
Thank you for such a fascinating read.
Wow, this is an interesting article which I have not heard of, the Flatwood Monster. With only two sightings, I wonder if there is any truth in it or is it just as the investigators had suggested, a Barn Owl on a tree stump. In 1952, it was few years after the World War II and sudden burst of industrialisation with fierce competition between America and Soviet Union in the race to space. It seems that quite a lot of activities of spaceships, UFOs, Martians, etc. were reported. Maybe it stemmed from the fever pitch of the researches into aircraft & rockets that triggered the over-imagination of the people. If I am not wrong, this was the time when Civil Rights Movement was active and marches, etc. So with this kind of mentality, there may be higher mass belief especially when these sightings gave a small village some prominence on the map of the country.
However, having said all that, as a Buddhist student, I would like to say that anything is possible in our existence. Buddha had seen universes beyond ours and as such living beings from other systems or galaxies or even other dimensions would exist. Thank you Rinpoche for sharing all these interesting articles with us which helps us expand our minds beyond our worldly limited perceptions.
It is interesting to read about Flatwoods Monster that happened in the 1950s. Even though there was no concrete evidence i.e. photo or video of the monster, but there are several eye witnesses who recounted the encounter, and they vividly described the look of Flatwoods Monster. They also generally encountered a similar experience. Whether the Flatwoods Monster is an alien, a mutated experiment, or an owl, it certainly put Braxton County on the map. Thank you for this interesting article.