The Flatwoods Monster, aka Braxton County monster, Braxie, or the Phantom of Flatwoods, is famed to hail from the town of Flatwoods in Braxton County, West Virginia, United States. Some claim it is real, while other retort that the original sighting was nothing more than a barn owl, with a large cast shadow and reflective eye-shine. The mystery continues though and it is, after all, up to you to decide if this creature is real or just fantasy.
First the Stats…
Scientific name: Sanguifacies cucullatus
Weight: Up to 1,247 lbs.
Length: Up to 10 feet
Lifespan: Unknown
Now on to the Facts!
1.) At approximately 7:15 p.m., on September 12, 1952, 2 brothers, Edward and Fred May, along with their friend Tommy Hyer, stated that they saw a bright object streaming across the sky and land on the property of local farmer G. Bailey Fisher.
2.) After returning home and talking to their mother Kathleen May. The 4 of them, accompanied by other local children Neil Nunley and Ronnie Shaver, and Kathleen’s cousin West Virginia National Guardsman Eugene Lemon, trekked to the Fisher farm in an attempt to locate whatever it was that Edward and Fred had claimed to witness.
3.) When the group reached the apex of a hill, Nunley said they saw a pulsing red light. Lemon stated he aimed a flashlight towards that direction and briefly saw a tall “man-like figure with a round, red face surrounded by a pointed, hood-like shape”.
4.) According to the tail, when the figure made a hissing sound and “glided toward the group”, Lemon shrieked and dropped his flashlight, which struck fear into the hearts of the posse and resulted in the group running away.
5.) A pungent mist filled the air which caused nausea in some of the individuals.
But wait, there’s more on the Flatwoods Monster!
6.) Per Barker’s account, the very next day, A. Lee Stewart Jr. of the Braxton Democrat proclaimed to have discovered “skid marks” in the field and an “odd, gummy deposit” which were later attributed by UFO enthusiasts as evidence of a “saucer” landing.
7.) In 2000, after investigating the case, Joe Nickell of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry came to the conclusion that the bright light in the sky reported by the group was most likely a meteor, the pulsating red illumination was likely an aircraft navigation or hazard beacon, and finally that the creature described by witnesses closely resembled an owl.
Did you know…?
In the town of Sutton, the Braxton County seat, is the Flatwoods Monster Museum, which is dedicated to the legend of this creature.
8.) Nickell also suggested that the witnesses’ perceptions were likely distorted by their heightened state of anxiety.
9.) Even though Max Lockard admitted he had driven around the site “hoping to see something” in his truck, paranormal investigators concluded that the tracks, oily residue, and bits of a rubbery secretions must have been left behind by the creature and not the truck.
10.) The video games Fallout 76 and Everybody’s Golf 4 contain references to the legend.
But wait, there’s still more on the Flatwoods Monster!
11.) The “aliens” (known only as “them”) in The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask are based off of the Flatwoods Monster.
12.) In the 2nd episode of the anime Dandadan, the main characters make reference to Flatwoods and end up fighting a giant sumo wrestler version of the Flatwoods Monster.
13.) After all the evidence, what do you think? Is this creature real or fantasy? You be the judge.
Now a Short Flatwoods Monster Video!
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Some source material acquired from: Wikipedia
Photo credit: iHorror.com
