Cover Photo: Fig. 1 The front of the Flatwoods Monster Museum in Braxton County
D&E Student Blog: This blog post was written by a D&E student, Mackenzie Mullan, in the ENGL 326: Writing for the Community course as a collaboration with Augusta.
Coming to Davis & Elkins College this past fall was my first time being in the mountains of West Virginia. As a native Marylander and someone who had spent her last two years of college in North Carolina, I didn’t have a clue what I was about to experience. I had a rocky start to my college career and came to D&E looking for a fresh start and a loving community to spend the rest of my time in college with. I was embraced with open arms in ways I had never been before and was thrown into all of these new adventures and experiences.
Everyone knows about Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster, but few know about the dozens of other cryptids. I had always heard legends of the creepy and mysterious things people describe when talking about the mountains of West Virginia and Appalachia. Almost immediately into my Fall semester at D&E, I started hearing stories of all of these different monsters from my teammates and friends. I learned of Mothman, Blackbeard, Bat Boy, and the Flatwoods Monster; it seemed like such common knowledge among those who grew up in West Virginia or had been living there for a long time. It was so interesting to see people bond over different stories or experiences with these different monsters and the almost community it brought to people. \
Fig. 2 Memorabilia from the Flatwoods Monster Museum.
When brainstorming ideas for this blog, I was told about the Flatwoods Monster Museum in Braxton County and decided to visit there to learn more about the history of the cryptid. On my way to the museum, I didn’t know what to expect, especially as I hadn’t traveled much around West Virginia. I arrived in the town of Sutton, where the Flatwoods Monster Museum had been open since 1952, and inside I saw an array of different Flatwoods-inspired memorabilia, figurines, and articles describing the history behind the Flatwoods monster.
The museum walls were lined with all kinds of knick-knacks like Flatwoods-inspired Pokémon cards, newspaper clippings, books, comic books, drawings/paintings, and more figurines and action figures than you could count. There was also a collection of Braxton County Monster Lanterns that were first created in the late 60’s and are still hand-made today at Darlene’s Ceramics in Marietta, Ohio. The museum had a few different versions of the oil lamps on display, along with an original ceramics mold to create the lamps. Another really interesting thing I saw during my time there was an official proclamation by the Braxton County Commission that acknowledged the Flatwoods monster and its many names. It also credited the fame and legend of Braxton County to the monster, noted the cultural influence, and officially named September 12 as “Braxton County Monster Day.”
Fig. 3 The interior of the Flatwoods Monster Museum.
To summarize what I learned: The Flatwoods monster was first witnessed on September 12, 1952, in Flatwoods, West Virginia. That night, a pair of young brothers and their friend were playing out in the yard when they saw a pulsing red light shoot across the night sky and crash over in the woods on a nearby farm. The three boys went to grab their mother and quickly headed over to see what had landed. A few other boys and a dog joined them, and as soon as they saw what was creating that pulsing red light, they ran back down from the woods in complete fear and terror. One of the other boys from the group – Gene Lemon – described it as “a 10-foot monster with a blood-red body and a green face that seemed to glow, it may have had claws for hands.”
The story made local news and was picked up by national radio stations and big papers all over the country; this event defined the town of Flatwoods, WV, for over six decades. What began as a mysterious and frightening encounter in 1952 quickly became a defining piece of local folklore, creating a sense of community pride and intrigue in Flatwoods, WV. Over the years, the iconic tale has drawn curiosity seekers, paranormal enthusiasts, and tourists from around the country to visit Braxton County and the Flatwoods Monster museum. This local cryptid has become the symbol of the town, showing up on murals, signs, and trinkets, turning a once-feared creature into a celebrated and honored piece of Sutton, West Virginia.
D&E Student Bio: Mackenzie Mullan is a junior at Davis & Elkins College, where she is a member of the Women’s Lacrosse team and majoring in Sustainability Studies with a minor in Not-for-Profit Leadership. In her free time, she enjoys spending time outside in nature and spending quality time with her family and friends.