The Flatwoods Monster
A tall, glowing humanoid reportedly seen by a group of boys and adults near Flatwoods, West Virginia, on a single night in September 1952, one of the most distinctive cryptid encounters of the early Cold War UFO era.
Field Guide Entry
Origin Story
On the evening of September 12, 1952, a group of boys in Flatwoods watched what they believed was a meteor land on a nearby hilltop. They returned with several adults, including National Guardsman Eugene Lemon, and reported finding a glowing, ten-foot creature with a featureless dark face and folds resembling a hood. The group fled, and local and national press picked up the story within days.
Evidence & Claims
Witnesses described a metallic-sounding hiss, an acrid smell, and a creature that seemed to glide rather than walk. The case became a touchstone of 1950s "flying saucer" reporting, investigated by both local press and early UFO researchers, and is commemorated today by a small museum exhibit in nearby Sutton.
Skeptical Explanations
Investigators have proposed that the group encountered a barn owl perched on a branch, its eyes reflecting flashlight beams, combined with a contemporaneous meteor and the red aircraft-warning lights atop a nearby radio tower, a combination that could account for the lights, the "glide," and the glowing eyes reported.
Visiting Information
A small exhibit on the 1952 encounter is on Main Street in Sutton; hours are limited, so check ahead before making the trip.
Approximate Area
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The marker represents a general area, not an exact site.
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Nearby Mysteries
TNT Area
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Mothman Museum & Research Center
79 miWest Virginia, United StatesA storefront museum in downtown Point Pleasant dedicated to the red-eyed, winged figure first reported by five witnesses in November 1966, sightings that preceded the collapse of the Silver Bridge thirteen months later.
Silver Bridge Site
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