In the realm of unexplained phenomena and urban legends, few tales have captured the imagination as profoundly as the Flatwoods Monster incident of 1952. Nestled within the heart of the Cold War era, this peculiar event not only seized the attention of the local community in Braxton County, West Virginia, but also became a symbol of the collective anxiety and fascination that defined the era. As the narrative unfolds, the story of the Flatwoods Monster takes us on a journey through a landscape of fear, curiosity, and the interplay of historical circumstances that culminated in a larger-than-life legend.

1. Event Background

The Flatwoods Monster is a well-known Unidentified Mysterious Animal (UMA) topic, and it’s one of the prominent ones from the last century, similar to the Kelly-Hopkinsville Goblins and Mothman.

The sighting of the Flatwoods Monster occurred in the Flatwoods area of Braxton County, West Virginia, USA, on the evening of September 12th, 1952. At around 7:15 PM, three children who were playing football in the schoolyard—Edison May (13 years old), Fred May (12 years old), and Tommy Hyer (10 years old)—witnessed a bright object flying across the sky and crossing over a hill. The object landed on a farm owned by a farmer named Bailey G. Fisher. Edison and Fred, the two brothers, rushed home with Tommy to share this astonishing discovery with their mother, Kathleen May. Kathleen, a former local teacher turned beautician, immediately contacted a young officer from the local National Guard, Eugene Lemon (17 years old). She also gathered three young eyewitnesses and three other local children—Neil Nunley (14 years old), Ronnie Shaver (10 years old), and Teddie Neal (13 years old, note: some reports don’t include this person, such as on Wiki, while Cryptid Fandom replaces them with the aforementioned farmer Fisher). Additionally, Lemon’s police dog joined the group, making a total of eight individuals and one dog. They headed to Fisher’s farm to investigate the situation. This incident left all eight eyewitnesses deeply frightened and panicked.

2. Event Details

After traveling about a quarter mile (approximately 400 meters), the group reached the Fisher farm on the hill where the flying object had crashed. At this point, they found themselves surrounded by a foul-smelling thick mist, which reportedly caused their eyes and noses to sting. They also saw a spherical object hovering about 50 feet (approximately 15 meters) above the ground, emitting pulsating red lights. Just then, Eugene’s dog began barking frantically towards their left, prompting someone to shine a flashlight in that direction (different reports attribute the flashlight to different individuals, with most mentioning Eugene, while some state Fisher had a lantern from his farm, and an alternate version involves Eugene seeing flashes of mammal-like eyes in the forest darkness, initially assuming it to be a raccoon, leading him to shine the flashlight there). The sight illuminated by the light left all the people and the dog astonished: near an oak tree, there stood a colossal creature measuring about 7 to 12 feet (approximately 2.13 to 3.65 meters) tall. The creature appeared to be clad in green armor, with a black cloak draped around it. The cloak’s head resembled a spade shape found in playing cards. The creature’s head was blood-red, and its eyes emitted a red glow. It seemed to have two claw-like hands around its head, with one hand appearing to hold some sort of device. When the creature noticed the group of eight people and one dog, it emitted a piercing screech and began moving slowly towards them. It appeared to lack feet, hovering or gliding forward, moving at a slow pace.

In a panic, Mrs. Kathleen May, with considerable effort, guided the terrified children back along the same path they had taken through the farm’s fence. They rushed down the hill and back into town, where the children dispersed to their respective homes. One child seemed to have been frightened to the point of hysteria, as he went home and turned the radio volume up to the maximum, desperately conveying his experience to his mother. Edison and Fred, the two brothers, accompanied their mother Kathleen home. Once there, Kathleen handed the children over to their grandmother and hurriedly made a phone call to the authorities.

According to the grandmother, both boys’ faces were smeared with an unidentified greasy substance, prompting her to quickly clean them up. Meanwhile, Kathleen contacted both Sheriff Robert Carr and the local newspaper “Sutton newspaper” to report the incident. Soon after, the children began experiencing symptoms of swollen throats, rendering them unable to swallow water. Conveniently, Sheriff Carr was preoccupied with another strange case at the time: a man named Woodrow Eagle had reported an airplane crash near Flatwoods. Eagle informed the sheriff that he had also witnessed a bright light disappearing beyond the Flatwoods mountain range.

After handling the Sutton case, Sheriff Carr hastily returned to Flatwoods to gather reports from the witnesses. Stewart A. Lee, the owner of the “Sutton newspaper,” had arrived and taken oral statements from the witnesses. During this time, the young officer Eugene formed a new team. They armed themselves and revisited the farm for further investigation. However, upon arriving, they found that both the creature and the object had vanished. Only strong sulfur-like odor, indentations on the grass, and some oil stains and unknown black substances on the ground remained. According to Sheriff Carr’s investigation, all eight witnesses experienced more or less the same symptoms: irritation and swelling of the throat, nose, and respiratory system. Eugene even suffered from a sore throat for two weeks after the incident. These symptoms were attributed to mustard gas exposure, likely caused by the mysterious fog the witnesses encountered.

Due to the deepening darkness and the fact that the dog had fled in fear, Sheriff Carr decided not to proceed with further investigation that night. He reassured the witnesses and advised them to get through the night. The next morning, around 6:30 AM, Stewart A. Lee received a call from the local education committee director. The director claimed to have seen an unidentified flying object take off not far from his home. Stewart recounted the events of the previous night and headed back to the farm area for further investigation. Reportedly, the area still emitted a sulfur-like odor similar to Eugene’s description. In this region, which had been untouched for years, the grass grew tall. Some of the grass bore traces as if it had been pressed down, resembling wagon tracks (later confirmed to be caused by another citizen’s pickup truck attempting to track the UFO). Additionally, Stewart discovered strange black substances at the scene, and he noted that this substance couldn’t be ignited. These traces and evidence were subsequently sampled by personnel from the air force base and members of the Citizens’ UFO Investigation Committee.

The Citizens’ UFO Investigation Committee conducted additional peripheral investigations and found two related incidents that had been rarely mentioned. One incident involved Mrs. Lemon, who was at home with her friends drinking coffee when the unknown flying object landed. She reported that their house shook significantly, causing coffee to spill all over the table. Additionally, the radio shut off abruptly and remained off for about 45 minutes before returning to normal. The second incident occurred at the Clarksburg Hospital, located about 11 miles (approximately 17 kilometers) away from the farm. A 21-year-old girl who was hospitalized claimed to have seen the same creature the group encountered a week before the incident. She also detected the same odor. Her mother confirmed her account, and the girl’s hospitalization lasted three weeks due to her condition.

Furthermore, an intriguing but questionable story emerged. On the second day after the Flatwoods incident, September 13th, a couple named George Snitowsky and Edith Snitowsky were driving through Frametown, West Virginia. Suddenly, their car stalled midway. The car then emitted a sulfur-like odor, and they saw a creature outside the car window resembling the Flatwoods Monster. The creature’s lower half was identical to the Flatwoods Monster, while the upper half resembled a lizard-like being. After circling their car a few times, the creature disappeared into the woods, and the car’s engine restarted. This creature came to be known as the Frametown Monster, and some speculated that it was the true form of the Flatwoods Monster after shedding its cloak and armor.

3. Aftermath of the Event

In summary, the events that unfolded in Flatwoods gained substantial attention from the public and even prompted the involvement of the United States Air Force. Additionally, some speculative reports connected the incident to the “Project Blue Book,” which began in March 1952—quite coincidentally, the Flatwoods event took place in September of the same year.

Simultaneously, a wave of enthusiasts, researchers, and investigators from the fields of the supernatural, UFOs, and unknown phenomena poured into Braxton County to conduct investigations. Among these investigators, Gray Barker was the most active. He diligently recorded the testimonies of witnesses and wrote an article for “Fate” magazine. The following year, Barker published his own book, where he collected extensive information and accounts from witnesses in the surrounding areas. He concluded that the incident was a case of extraterrestrial activity. Ivan T. Sanderson, a supernatural writer and naturalist, and Major Donald E. Keyhoe, a UFO researcher, also shared this perspective. These two investigators also visited the Fisher farm shortly after the event and were referred to as “Men in Black” by Barker.

The Citizens’ UFO Investigation Committee dispatched a couple, William Smith and Dona Smith, from California to conduct a private investigation. The couple conducted a detailed inquiry with witnesses, and their investigation complemented Barker’s findings in many aspects.

Of course, skepticism prevailed alongside belief. Particularly, state authorities at the time considered the event a fabricated tall tale. John Gibson, a local resident familiar with all the witnesses, stated, “I was skeptical of the event’s authenticity, but over the past two years, I’ve sold over a thousand sculptures of the Flatwoods Monster” (priced at $30 each, around 200 dollars today). Now 82 years old, Gibson continued, “I never believed in the Easter Bunny or Santa Claus as a child, nor do I believe in the Flatwoods Monster. I just want to contribute to our community’s development.”

Following the Air Force’s investigation, their attitude was equally skeptical. They stated that since 1947, they had been collecting reports of UFO-related incidents from across the United States—over 1,000 cases in total.

Psychologist Clay Routledge noted, “Many UFO enthusiasts might not even believe in UFOs, but they enjoy hearing these stories and may exhibit enthusiasm for them.” Routledge called this behavior a form of “cosmic loneliness.”

According to Andrew Smith, the curator of the Flatwoods Monster Museum and representative of the Braxton County Convention Visitors Bureau, after the event garnered national attention, Mrs. Kathleen May and Eugene traveled to New York for an interview with CBS. Today, among the witnesses from that time, the May brothers, Edison and Fred, both in their 70s, are still alive. Smith noted that they have likely given interviews tens of thousands of times. Despite the passing years, they still stand by what they saw but “no longer care about others’ opinions.”

In Braxton County, the residents continue to receive a steady influx of tourists daily. They capitalized on the situation by erecting signs reading “Home of the Green Monster,” crafting Flatwoods Monster sculptures, and establishing the Flatwoods Monster Museum. They realized that the Flatwoods Monster, once a firestorm of interest, is still a lucrative IP for them. During the tourist season, hundreds of visitors come to buy Flatwoods Double Monster Burgers and Flatwoods Monster sandwiches, enjoying their meals while admiring historical materials and monster depictions plastered around. Locals perceive this as a win-win situation.

4. Conclusion

Analyzing this event, it becomes evident that there are various factors from that era intertwined within it, as Ryan rightly pointed out. The year the Flatwoods event occurred marked the third year of successful Soviet nuclear testing. During that time, Americans commonly spread rumors that the Air Force patrolled the skies over the entire United States 24 hours a day, vigilant for any secret Soviet atomic bomb drops. Furthermore, the American public, living in the anxiety and fear of the Cold War, had to adapt to the rapid technological advancements driven by the era. It was under this significant backdrop that even the most reputable and relatable magazine of that time, “Life,” began publishing articles about UFO sightings (one of which was released five months before the Flatwoods event). Amidst the sweep of major phenomena such as the Cold War, conspiracy theories, the New Age movement, and UFO mania, the seeds of American anxiety began to sprout in the fertile ground of conspiracy theories.

During that era, not only did stories like the Flatwoods Monster emerge, but also infamous accounts of sightings like the Hopkinsville Goblins, the Cassablanca Octopus Man, and the Mothman of Point Pleasant. Additionally, this era witnessed the flourishing of American UFO researchers and the fervent enthusiasm for UFO sightings. According to investigations conducted by the Citizens’ UFO Investigation Committee, over 400 UFO sighting incidents occurred annually in the United States. This trend persisted until the late 20th and early 21st centuries, when remnants of this wave still influenced the United States. During that time, numerous legends of Bigfoot and Chupacabra also emerged. After formally entering the 21st century, due to various domestic factors including policies, legends began to surge into the country like waves, blending with other elements. This led to the emergence of a plethora of roadside literature. Personally, I’ve come across dozens of different versions of “Unsolved Mysteries of the World,” with many cases having given rise to “legends” under the influence of the American UFO mania.

The tale of the Flatwoods Monster serves as a poignant reminder of how historical context and societal currents can shape the perceptions and beliefs of a generation. Rooted in the complexities of the Cold War and the burgeoning fascination with extraterrestrial mysteries, this event reflects a time when the boundaries between reality and imagination were blurred. As the years have rolled on, the legend has not only persisted but thrived, becoming part of the cultural fabric of Braxton County. Whether one views the incident as a product of hysteria or a genuine encounter, the Flatwoods Monster remains an enduring testament to the power of collective myth-making and the enigmatic allure of the unexplained.