My Favorite Monsters #2
The Flatwoods Monster, aka The Green Monster
People who know me know I’m into monsters. Bigfoot, Mothman, the Jersey Devil, or whatever—if it’s weird, mysterious, and scary, I’m interested in it. I even wrote a book about Bigfoot, for people who may not be familiar with the subject (or who have absolutely nothing else to read).
Recently, I wrote about my favorite non-Bigfoot monster: The Van Meter Visitor. Today, I’ll be sharing the story of another bizarre, unexplainable creature that’s captured my imagination and my heart: The Flatwoods Monster.
On the evening of September 12, 1952, in the small town of Flatwoods, West Virginia, a group of boys—Ed (13) and Freddie (12) May, and Tommy Hyer (10)—were playing outside when they saw a fiery object streak across the sky and crash on a nearby hillside. Before going off to investigate, they ran to the May family home to tell Edward and Freddie’s mother, Kathleen May, what they had witnessed. After enlisting local National Guardsman Eugene Lemon, as well as two other kids, Neil Nunley and Ronnie Shaver, Kathleen led the boys and their dog up the hill to see what they could find.
The lesson here, kids: Never run off to investigate a UFO crash before telling Mom.
Arriving at the property of local farmer G. Bailey Fisher, they first noticed a bright, pulsating red light. Then, as Lemon turned his flashlight in the direction of the light, the group saw something that would change their lives forever. Standing in the wood line was a monstrous, ten-foot-tall, humanoid creature with glowing orange eyes and spindly, claw-like hands. The figure, which was surrounded by a nauseating mist, also had a strange, spade-shaped head and appeared to be wearing a long, metallic dress or cloak.
At this point, the witnesses all pissed themselves and fainted dead to the ground. Ha! Just kidding. That would’ve been my reaction. These brave souls, however, just continued to stand and stare at the mysterious creature. That is, until it made a loud hissing sound and began to glide in their direction, which, of course, sent them running for their lives back down the hill.
After the encounter, some of the witnesses reported experiencing physical symptoms such as nausea and throat irritation, which was attributed to the strange mist they encountered at the site. There were also rumors that the family dog either got sick or died shortly afterward. As word spread, the incident quickly became a sensation and was retold on national radio and in dozens of newspapers across the country.
Despite the credibility of the witnesses and the congruency of their stories, the police dismissed the incident as hysteria. The U.S. Air Force, which had investigated over 12,000 UFO sightings from 1952 to 1969 as part of its “Project Blue Book,” determined that the group had probably just seen a meteor, and that the creature was most likely a barn owl hissing high up on a tree limb.
Makes sense. I can easily see how seven people could all easily mistake an owl for a ten-foot-tall, green, clawed, spade-hooded, humanoid figure wearing a metallic dress. Probably happens all the time.
The day after the sighting, however, near Strange Creek (about twenty miles away), George and Edith Snitowsky and their infant son were driving when their car suddenly died. As they tried to determine the cause, a foul, sulfurous smell filled the air. Just then, a mysterious bright light revealed a towering reptilian creature hovering in front of their car. The creature dragged a claw-like hand across the hood of their car before disappearing into the woods. Only then did the vehicle start again.
My guess: Barn owl.
Regardless of what you believe actually happened in Flatwoods on the evening of Sept. 12, 1952, it left an indelible mark on the town. Still today, it celebrates the incident with an annual Flatwoods Monster Convention and a dedicated museum in Sutton, the county seat of Braxton County.
Sources:
https://braxtonwv.org/the-flatwoods-monster/
https://www.history.com/news/flatwoods-monster-west-virginia
https://www.wvencyclopedia.org/entries/2127
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Valentine J. Brkich is the author of: