Mothman Hunting!

We had to go. I'd taken three other granddaughters to Point Pleasant, WV to visit the site of one of the most bizarre paranormal sightings in America. Haley and Hannah have seen the movie, and they wanted to see the place it happened.
So today we loaded up and made the trip. First stop, the new Mothman Museum in the heart of town. For a mere $10, all four of us got into the museum to view the various artifacts and documents. Many of them were from the movie; there were a lot of handmade replicas of the creature that supposedly haunted the town in the late 1960's, and copies of news articles, handwritten police reports of sightings, and videos made by various companies of the phenomena.

Who or what is Mothman? That has never been satisfactorily explained. Those who saw the creature reported a large, birdman with wings and red eyes. Some reported feathers, others muscular human-like legs. Most agree that it/he was over 7 feet tall. A few said the eyes were mesmerizing. Some people suffered burns to their skin and around their eyes after seeing the creature. During the time of the sightings, there were multiple reports of UFOs in the area, and mysterious "men in black" who roamed the town and apparently made vague threats to those who persisted in investigating the events.

The replica statue was made

about 5 years ago, and soon after the town began hosting an annual Mothman Festival in September.

Hannah and Haley enjoyed having their photos taken with him. The statue is striking, made of polished metal with amber eyes that seem to look right at you.

Many sightings occurred in the old "TNT Area" where the US government manufactured munitions during WWII. The old bunkers used to store the explosives still stand, although they are now locked--but when I was there two years ago, we went inside one and found many empty, square cans.

We found the bunker or "igloo" area and walked back to look at them. It was a bright sunny day, and they seemed tame after reading all the hype. Last time I was there it was rainy and overcast, will fog and mist rising from the ground and it was easy to imagine some strange creature inhabiting the area.

Today the area is mostly contained within the McClintic Wildlife Management Area. There are many ponds and other water habitat, and many test wells in the area. What are they testing for? Is the area still contaminated from the munitions, or something else? According to the report the area is clear of contaminants, but I don't think I'd trust that.

But not now. We were the anomaly in that wild, overgrown area today. The story will live on, of course, and be added to by new tellers of the tale, and that's how it should be. The facts are recorded in history. Whether Mothman existed then or now, none can say with certainty. Whether his coming predicted the collapse of the Silver Bridge in November 1967, we will not know. What we have are conflicting reports and opinions, and a legend that lives on, 40 years later.

Books about Mothman and The Silver Bridge:
Coleman, L. Mothman and Other Curious Encounters. (2002). ISBN 978-1931044349

Colvin, Andrew "The Mothman's Photographer: The Work of an Artist Touched by the Prophecies of the Infamous Mothman" (2007). ISBN 978-1419652653

Keel, John A. "The Mothman Prophecies" (2007). ISBN 0-7653-4197-2
Wamsley, Jeff "Mothman: Behind the Red Eyes" (2005) ISBN 978-0976436805

Wamsley, Jeff & Sergent, Donnie "Mothman: The Facts Behind the Legend" (2001) ISBN 978-0966724677

Unexplained! by Jerome Clark (1999)

The Silver Bridge by Gray Barker (1970)

Mysterious America by Loren Coleman (1983 / 2000)