By Ashley Barrett
The Braxton County monster was first seen on September 12, 1952, in the small town of Flatwoods, WV. This sighting is one of the earliest supposed alien encounters in modern recorded history. The creature was described by witnesses to be 10-12 feet in height with a colorless body and bright red head with glowing eyes. The creature was seen by a group of Flatwoods residents on hilly farm land known as the Bailey Fisher Farm. The group consisted of six boys ranging in age from 10-17 years old, along with the mother of two of the boys, Kathleen May.
The story of the Braxton County monster spread quickly across the United States, putting the spotlight on the small town in central West Virginia. Before long, the popularity of the tale waned, kept alive by a small portion of the state’s population. A trickle of visitors has made the pilgrimage to Flatwoods over the years to pay homage to the legend of the monster. For that reason, the Braxton County Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) decided it was time to revive the legend, raise awareness of the story and use the Braxton County monster to help make Braxton County a more fun, creative tourist destination.
In December 2014, the Braxton County CVB began developing an idea that had been discussed for years: to make chairs in the form of the Braxton County monster. The CVB was aware of the novelty attraction of oversized chairs and how many tourists stop to get their pictures taken in them every day, which would provide a great attraction to the Braxton County area.
Planning started when Andrew Smith, executive director of the Braxton County CVB, began drawing up ideas for the chairs. After many refinements, local contractor Allan Johnson was hired to build the 10-foot-tall chairs. “The idea was to build and place chairs all over Braxton County and give them all a unique paint job,” says Smith.
The first one was built and placed in May 2015 at the Dairy Queen in Gassaway, WV, seven miles south of Flatwoods. Slowly, new locations were secured, and more chairs were built, painted and placed. “Five chairs in total have been made, and they are scattered all over the county,” Smith says. When determining chair locations, the CVB takes several factors into consideration. The members want a chair placed in every incorporated town near an established tourist attraction or business that already attracts visitors. This project helps raise awareness of the legend and helps the chosen locations attract more business.
Two years and five chairs later, the Braxton County monster chairs project has received an overwhelmingly positive response from both guests and area residents alike. Many visitors are stopping on their way to somewhere else, but many visitors are going far out of their way or even making special, long-distance trips just to visit Braxton County and see the chairs. Argyle Goolsby, a horror punk rocker and avid follower of all things creepy, stopped by this past September to check out the chairs.
The Spot, a dairy bar and grill in Flatwoods, rebranded itself to become the eatery for monster enthusiasts. The Spot offers many monster-themed treats along with monster-themed décor, and it’s just a stone’s throw away from the monster chair located at the Flatwoods Municipal Building.
The Braxton County monster chairs project has also received unexpected media attention. The Charleston Gazette wrote a two-part story on the monster and the CVB’s chair project in August 2015, and WBOY broadcasted a story of the project in July 2015. In 2016, Governor Earl Ray Tomblin officially declared September 12 as Braxton County Monster Day.
The CVB recently began a new campaign called Free Braxxie to make visiting all the chairs even more fun. The purpose of the new campaign is to encourage everyone to visit and document each monster chair in order to prove the existence of Braxxie, the Braxton County monster. According to the campaign, the Men in Black are trying to cover up the existence of Braxxie, and it is the visitors’ job to ensure they don’t succeed. Participants simply submit their photos to Braxxie HQ and can earn a Free Braxxie sticker.
The Braxton County monster chairs project is far from complete. The CVB has some developing ideas for new locations and hopes to continue this project into the future and see interest in the monster continue to grow.
For more information on the Braxton County monster, the monster chairs project and the Free Braxxie campaign, visit http://bit.ly/2dQbHb8 .
About the Author
Ashley Barrett is a local author and hobby historian. An avid follower of the Braxton County monster story, she keeps up to date on the preservation and retelling of the story and believes the truth is out there.
1 Comment
I believe brother Gary Harris had an article on the Flatwoods Monster in his weekly Newspaper. “The Mid-state Star” several years ago. Gary died on Oct 2005. We both had attended Flatwoods School and were friends with the Mays boys. It was quiet a story in those days. We lived on Berry Fork Rd, Heaters, WV.