Did reports of ‘wild men' reinforce West Virginia stereotypes?

Yahoo

25-04-2025

CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — West Virginians are no strangers to the stereotypes that come with living in Appalachia, such as inbreeding and poor hygiene. Some media even depict Appalachians as dangerous, the the horror series Wrong Turn, which takes place in rural West Virginia and features inbred cannibals as antagonists.
While all of this might sound silly in the modern day, there were multiple reports of real wild men lurking around the Mountain State back in the 1800-1900s.
According to the official website for Braxton County, West Virginia, the Flatwoods area is known for another scary legend in addition to the famous Flatwoods Monster. A newspaper article published on March 8, 1919 reported that the return of the Wild Man and revived some old terrors. The story was told by Luther Douglas, who said he saw a 'wild-looking fellow, in rags and with long hair and beard that others who have seen him have described.'
Douglas then said that he took out his revolver and fired two shots, and the man 'turned and fled, screaming louder than ever.' The article ends by saying that authorities were again 'agitating the question of taking some means to capture the much-feared lunatic, or whatever he is.'
Another report of a Wild Man came even earlier in 1871. According to the Southern Highlander, a website dedicated to preserving the culture of southern Appalachia, a man was captured by citizens near Morgantown, West Virginia, who was said to have been covered with rags and had 'long brushy hair, giving him the appearance of a gorilla more than a human being.' This man turned out to be Thomas Foley of Ireland, who had been living in the woods of West Virginia for two years after coming from Connecticut.
After someone brought Foley to their house and dressed him, he escaped and ran to the mountains, reportedly tearing off the clothes as he ran.
The brothers that lived in a tree in West Virginia
One of West Virginia's most notable wild men is Orval Elijah Brown, who became known as the Clay County Wild Man during the Great Depression, according to the West Virginia Encyclopedia. He became a local celebrity with a long beard and next to no clothing. Some would travel to take a photo with him for 25 cents.
Despite the title, Brown attended school through the eighth grade and was known to love reading. He passed away in 2005.
Today, the idea of wild men, more often referred to as feral people, is a common scary story trope which is usually set in the Appalachian Mountains, including West Virginia. Many of these stories can be found online.
The fight still continues for West Virginia to rid itself of these stereotypes. In 2019, West Virginia University President Gordon Gee stated, after watching a short film about West Virginia's opioid problem, that the true West Virginia stereotype is being resilient, companionate and resourceful.
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