On the way back from our honeymoon in the Smokies (a breathtakingly beautiful place), my wonderful wife graciously agreed to our taking the exit for Flatwoods, West Virginia. Just one mile out of our way, and we were there!

Flatwoods, West Virginia

Since our route took us so close, how could we not stop there? Enthusiasts of Fortean literature will recognize Flatwoods as the site of a bizarre encounter with the unexplained on September 12, 1952.

Faded signboard at the edge of town still identifies Flatwoods as the place of a monster sighting.

I won’t attempt to recount the reports here. The curious can find ample fuel for the imagination by Googling “Flatwoods Monster.”

In Flatwoods, August 4, 2013

We drove through the tranquil little community from end to end. I was particularly delighted with the approach to the town: at one point, the road runs through a cutting in the limestone, with rocky embankments and a dark stand of trees shadowing the way — the perfect entrance to the site of high strangeness!

Julie’s innovative shot

My gracious and adventurous wife took the wheel for our visit to Flatwoods, allowing me to relish every view of the town and its woods, and to leap out and take photos at will.

Flatwoods, West Virginia

Flatwoods: location of a handful of people’s encounter, in early fall 1952, with something in a tree; something that may have been from another world. And we were there, in late summer 2013!

Flatwoods, West Virginia