Overview
On the evening of September 12, 1952, a group of boys in Flatwoods, a small town in Braxton County, West Virginia, saw a bright light streak across the sky and come down on a hilltop farm. They gathered more people, including Kathleen May, the mother of two of the boys, and a teenage National Guardsman, Eugene Lemon, and went to look.
On the hill, they said, a flashlight beam picked out a figure about ten feet tall with a round, blood-red face inside a tall, pointed, hood-like shape often compared to the ace of spades. It had small claw-like hands and seemed to glide toward them with a hissing sound. The group fled. Several later reported nausea, throat swelling and an oily film on their faces.
The next day, local newspaperman A. Lee Stewart Jr. reported finding skid marks and a gummy residue at the site. The story spread across the country, and the Air Force's Project Blue Book later looked at the case. Other sightings were reported in the region around the same time. Skeptics, led by Joe Nickell, explain the event as a meteor, a red aircraft beacon and a startled barn owl, magnified by fear in the dark. Braxton County has turned the story into a tourism draw with a free museum and giant monster chairs.
Timeline
- September 5, 1952A woman and her mother in Weston report a cloaked figure (told story).
- September 12, 1952The Flatwoods encounter on the Fisher farm.
- September 13, 1952A family reports a giant figure on a road near Sutton (told story).
- 1950sThe Air Force's Project Blue Book reviews the case.
- 2000Joe Nickell publishes his owl-and-meteor explanation.
- 2019A Flatwoods Monster convention begins; the History Channel's Project Blue Book features the case.
Reported sightings
Weston, West Virginia
September 5, 1952 Told story
A 21-year-old woman and her mother reported a humanoid figure with blazing eyes, cloaked in black, gliding above the ground near a church, with a foul smell. The younger woman was said to have been hospitalized for weeks afterward. The story is told in later collections of Flatwoods lore and lacks contemporary documentation in sources seen.
Source: spookyappalachia.comG. Bailey Fisher farm, Flatwoods, West Virginia
September 12, 1952, about 7:15 p.m. On the record
Brothers Edward and Fred May, Tommy Hyer, Neil Nunley, Ronnie Shaver, National Guardsman Eugene Lemon and Kathleen May climbed the hill after seeing a bright object land. Lemon's flashlight revealed a towering figure with a red face, a spade-shaped hood and glowing eyes. It hissed and moved toward them, and everyone ran. The dog fled with its tail between its legs. Several witnesses later reported nausea and swollen throats.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgRoad between Clay and Braxton counties, West Virginia
September 13, 1952 Told story
George and Edith Snitowsky, driving with their baby, said their car stalled and a ten- to twelve-foot figure with long arms approached before leaving in a glowing craft. The account appears in later retellings of the Flatwoods story and is not backed by documents seen.
Source: spookyappalachia.comBraxton County, West Virginia
Mid-1990s Told story
A later story from Braxton County tells of a fireball that came down and turned into a giant animal and then a huge black humanoid before vanishing. No physical evidence was reported. It shows how the legend continues to attract new tales.
Source: spookyappalachia.comEvidence
Skid marks and residue Unexplained
Newspaperman A. Lee Stewart Jr. reported skid marks and a gummy deposit the next day.
Witness symptoms Disputed
Nausea, swollen throats and an oily film reported by several witnesses.
Meteor and owl explanation Disputed
Joe Nickell (2000): meteor for the falling light, aircraft beacon for the red light, barn owl for the creature.
Project Blue Book Explained
The Air Force concluded meteors and an owl were the likely causes.
What each side says
What witnesses and researchers report
Seven people and a dog saw the same thing at the same time, and the witnesses were frightened enough to run. A. Lee Stewart Jr., who arrived soon after, said people do not invent that kind of story so quickly.
Decades later, the May brothers still described the same experience. Freddie May has said it doesn't matter to him whether people believe it.
What skeptics and scientists suggest
Joe Nickell proposed that the falling light was a meteor, the pulsing red light an aircraft beacon, and the creature a barn owl whose silhouette created the illusion of a tall figure.
Project Blue Book reached a similar conclusion. Skeptics also note that fear, darkness and the expectation of a crashed craft would make an ordinary owl look terrifying.
Open questions
- What left the reported residue on the hill?
- What caused the witnesses' symptoms?
Visiting
Where: Flatwoods Monster Museum, 208 Main Street, Sutton, WV, which is also the Braxton County visitor center.
Access: Free; Tue-Fri 9-5, Sat-Sun 10-4, closed Mondays and major holidays. About two miles from I-79 exit 62.
Events: A Flatwoods Monster convention has run since 2019. Giant monster chairs are placed around Braxton County for photos.
Did you know?
- The witnesses' dog was named Rickie.
- The case is nicknamed the 'Braxton County Monster' and locals call it 'Braxxie'.
- The creature's hood is often compared to the ace of spades.