The story of the Beast of Sugar Flats Road is one of eeriest legends in Middle Tennessee. No one knows the name of the man involved, nor can anyone say for sure exactly what happened on that fateful night in 1989. What is certain, however, is that a strange, severed head, matted with light, coarse hair and resembling something not quite human, sits locked away in a secure location. Its journey from the shadows of Wilson County’s backwoods to its current state is shrouded in mystery.
The tale begins on a lonely gravel road, tucked away deep in the woods, a spot known to locals as “Lover’s Lane”. One night, a married man was driving down that very road with a woman who wasn’t his wife. He was in a hurry, trying to get home before his wife did. The details of what happened next vary with each retelling, but the central event remains the same: something leaped out in front of his car.
At first, it was assumed to be a deer. But as the man swerved to avoid it, the vehicle struck the creature, causing a sickening thud as it tumbled beneath the wheels. Shaken but curious, the man stepped out of his car to investigate. The moonlight revealed a form unlike anything he’d ever seen. The figure sprawled across the gravel was not a deer—it was a towering, hairy being, standing nearly seven feet tall. Its shape resembled that of a man but was covered in thick, matted fur.
In a panic, the man did what anyone might in his position—he moved the creature’s body into the bushes, hoping to leave no trace of the bizarre encounter. His lover pleaded for them to leave, and they did, speeding away from the scene. But the story doesn’t end there.
The legend goes that the man returned the following morning, either driven by guilt or a strange fascination with what he’d encountered. With the early dawn’s light breaking through the trees, he saw the creature more clearly. It was no animal, nor was it human—at least, not entirely. What was it? No one can say for sure. Most who tell the story claim it was a sasquatch.
After burying the creature in the woods, the man made a macabre decision. He severed the creature’s head, taking it to a local taxidermist under mysterious pretenses. For months, the man kept the head hidden, though his reasons for doing so remain unknown. Some say it was a trophy; others think he feared what people would say if they knew the truth.
Eventually, financial troubles forced the man to part with the head. The owner of an antique shop on the square in Lebanon, intrigued by the strange artifact, listened to the man’s cryptic story and agreed to buy it without asking too many questions. Soon, word spread about the odd, stuffed head sitting in the corner of the shop. It didn’t take long for locals to start weaving tales around it.
The creature became known as the Beast of Sugar Flats Road, and visitors flocked to the store to catch a glimpse. The head, with its wild eyes and grotesque, hair-covered features, fueled all manner of speculation. Some believed the legend, while others dismissed it as a hoax. But those who saw the head in person couldn’t deny that it was like nothing they had ever encountered.
The head eventually found its way to a local museum, where it was put on display, drawing attention from those fascinated by cryptids and local legends. Over time, however, the head was quietly removed from public view. Today, it’s locked away in a secure location, reportedly in the possession of the antique store owner’s son.
