The West Virginia Association of Museums recently awarded Braxton County Convention and Visitors Bureau Director, Andrew Smith, the 2024 Museum Impact Service Award, an award that is the first of its kind for the association. WVAOM introduced the award this year to recognize different aspects of museum achievement, “encouraging a more comprehensive acknowledgment of contributions to the field.”
Essays were submitted in April of this year. The award’s winner was selected by a vote of an impartial committee and was judged on the merits within the context of their institutional capacity. The winning individual was selection on their dedication to and have made a significant impact in a museum or institution or the statewide museum community.
Smith curated the Flatwoods Monster Museum in Sutton, approximately five years ago following the relocation of the Braxton County CVB to its current location on Main Street. The Braxton County CVB purchased the historic building that once housed a local pharmacy and chose to move to Sutton to attempt to bring more visitors and business to the downtown area.
The building that houses the museum contains a multitude of unique built-in cabinets that are original to the building, and those cabinets house the museum artifacts and collectibles. The museum is home to several unique pieces that can only be seen inside the museum including the personal effects of Freddy and Kathleen May, two of the eyewitnesses. Smith is always on the lookout for new items to place in the museum. The museum has a guestbook, and folks love to sign it and write a message about how they heard about “Braxxie” and the Flatwoods Monster Museum.
The popularity of the museum quickly gained momentum, and it is not unusual for the museum to see over one hundred guests on a summer Saturday. The museum, located just two miles off the nearest interstate exit, brings thousands of visitors to downtown Sutton. In fact, in 2023, employees tracked over 11,000 visitors to the museum. Following the museum opening in 2018, downtown Sutton has seen many businesses opening their doors including restaurants, unique shops, and even the addition of a Bigfoot Museum!
The museum sells plenty of unique “merch” with the most popular items being the multitude of t-shirt options that Smith designs himself. The museum also has a souvenir penny smash machine that has been wildly popular with visitors. The Director also takes video footage of attractions around Braxton County and runs the footage on a TV that plays in the museum. He has also filmed a short documentary called “The Lantern” which can be viewed on YouTube. The documentary highlights the original Flatwoods Monster souvenir, the lantern. The lanterns are also for sale in the museum.
Smith maintains the social media platforms and website for the museum where he has run several successful ads that have reached people all over the world. Over the last five years, the museum has been the site of several movie scenes, YouTube videos, podcast interviews, and many print publications. Andrew has put countless personal hours into making the museum the success that it is. The story of the Flatwoods Monster is one that many citizens of Braxton County used to be embarrassed about, but Andrew’s hard work and dedication to the preservation of the story has made many locals proud to say they are from Braxton County, home of the Flatwoods Monster.
Devoted to Braxton County, West Virginia