The Mothman of Point Pleasant: A Legendary Cryptid
In the small town of Point Pleasant, West Virginia, a mysterious figure known as the Mothman has captured the imagination of locals and cryptid enthusiasts alike. This enigmatic creature, described as a humanoid with massive wings and glowing red eyes, first made headlines in the late 1960s and has since become a staple of American folklore.

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THE STORY OF MOTHMAN

The first sighting of the supposed Mothman occurred on November 12, 1966. A group of gravediggers working in a cemetery in Clendenin, West Virginia saw the figure fly through the air, right over their heads. Other people began seeing the same creature, which they described as looking like a man with wings.

On November 15 two different couples in Point Pleasant had their own firsthand encounters with the Mothman. They claimed it was at least six foot tall, and closer to seven feet tall. They also described its bright eyes, and the huge wings on its back. The four saw the creature fly through the air after first unfolding its large wings. They also claimed the creature flew at speeds of at least 100 miles per hour.

Police began receiving reports from all over. People kept calling with reports of a strange bird seen in the area. One man in the area, Newell Partridge saw his television screen turn fuzzy with colors he had never seen before. At the same time his dog began howling loudly, and a loud screeching sound came from outside. When he walked outside, he saw two glowing red eyes just before whatever it was flew off into the night. Almost immediately his dog raced after it, and didn't return.

The popularity of the creature continued to grow, as news stations and papers around the world caught on. Dozens of locals continued to tell the stories of what they saw, and everyone clamored for even the smallest piece of information. In the end the press dubbed the creature the Mothman, partly based on the hit television show Batman running at the time.

Many of the stories of the Mothman centered on a former TNT plant that sat empty and abandoned on the edge of town. The building sat in the middle of a wooded area, where few people tended to venture. Nearby was ananimal preserve, and some believed the Mothman could find food there and blend in with the other animals in the area. There were also stories that the creature had hid there for years before finally being seen.

On November 16 a new report of the Mothman surfaced, only this one came from a home near the TNT plant. Ralph Thomas and his family spotted a strange red light in the area. At first they thought it might be some kind of plane, but the small light continued to circle the plant before dipping closer to the roof of the building.

A friend stopped by for a visit, and claimed to see the Mothman next to her car. The creature slowly climbed to its feet, giving her a clear look into its glowing red eyes. The woman and her daughter ran inside, where they watched the Mothman walk onto the porch and look in the windows before flying away.

For some, the sightings of the Mothman coincided with reports of other strange things in the area. There were reports of UFO's in the area, and stories of strange men in black stopping locals on the road. One weekend over 500 reports came in regarding strange lights and things spotted in the skies above Point Pleasant. The Mothman was the real story though, with over 100 reports occurring in a single year.

One thing the people thought might be connected to the Mothman was an odd man who visited a local reporter. The man had strange eyes and an odd voice. The reporter claimed to feel extremely uncomfortable in his presence, and found herself wishing he would just leave. The man acted oddly, and seemed amazed by ordinary things in her office. She saw him once again, but when he noticed her staring at him, he climbed into a black car and ran off.

The real story of the Mothman came on December 15, 1967. Cars were passing over the 700 foot bridge that connected Point Pleasant and Ohio when the bridge suddenly and unexpectedly collapsed. The rush hour traffic crossing the bridge was caught in the middle. Cars were sent into the icy river, and 46 people were killed. Only 44 of those bodies were found, and they were all buried in the same cemetery in Gallipolis, Ohio.

The night the bridge collapsed, people in the area spotted strange lights above Point Pleasant. Others in the area saw a man who appeared on their doorstep, asking questions about the mysteriouslights they saw in the sky over previous months. He seemed nice, though most people reported that he made them feel uneasy or uncomfortable. By all indications, that was the last time the Mothman was seen.

The story of the Mothman has fascinated people for decades now. What was that creature that people spotted in the sky? Was it related to the UFO sightings, or was it foretelling the tragedy about to come? Those questions are things that we may never have an answer to.


(Not sure where some of this comes from, I've had it a long time, so I can't list any sources. Sorry)


Thanks
~Tom~

This post by Thomas Marcum, Thomas is the founder/leader of the cryptozoology and paranormal research organization known as The Crypto Crew. Over 20 years experience with research and investigation of unexplained activity, working with video and websites. A trained wild land firefighter and a published photographer, and poet



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Mothman Statue

The Mothman was seen in Point Pleasant, West Virginia between November 1966 and December 1967. It is reported that about 100 people seen this strange creature during this time frame.
The description of the creature varied some, but generally the creature was described as being 5-7 foot tall, man shaped, grey or brown, with wings and wider than a man. The strangest detail told about this creature was it's lack of a head, with witnesses stating that it's red glowing eyes set on it's upper chest area.  To me this would represent the lack of a neck with the head sitting down between the shoulders. The red glowing eyes were often described as being as big as bicycle reflectors.

Another odd detail, about this totally odd being,  is that witnesses told that the Mothman didn't flap it's large wings when taking off or while in flight. People reported seeing the Mothman ascent straight up in the air without any wing flapping, odd indeed for a winged creature.
There is at least 1 report of the Mothman pacing a car at approximately 100 mph! The terrified witnesses in the car escaped when Mothman broke off it's chase at the city limits.

Some people also reported hearing humming sounds coming from the Mothman and a few reported screams that sounded like a woman screaming.
Another odd thing about this is that some people reported radio and electronic interference. Stuff like lose of TV reception or YV's having static and that radios would not work correctly.

One thing is for sure, everyone who saw this creature was struck with terror. This terror might play a part in the concept that seeing the Mothman is a bad omen or of a pending disaster. This is also fueled by the collapse of  Sliver Bridge, which crossed the Ohio river to Point Pleasant. Witnesses claimed to have seen Mothman in the area before the bridge collapsed. The bridge collapsed on Dec. 15, 1967 during rush hour traffic killing 46 people, 2 of which were never found. The Silver Bridge was build in 1928 and named "Silver bridge" due to it's shiny aluminum paint.  After the collapse investigators determined that a small 2.5mm defect in one single eyebar in a suspension chain and being overloaded caused the collapse. The bridge was replace in 1969 and name Silver Memorial Bridge.

Another eerie part of this story is that the Mothman was said to have been hanging around the old World War II munition domes in Point Pleasant. There are over 100 of these old TNT domes in the area. Some thought Mothman chose that area due to the chemicals that are buried underground there.

Over the years there has been many movies and books about the Mothman. One of the most known movies is The Mothman Prophecies starring Richard Gere. Cryptozoologist Loren Colman wrote Mothman and Other Curious Encounters for which he received very high praise.

The Mothman sightings are not just contained to the United States. There has been several reports from other areas. In 1985 a similar type creature was reported just before the Mexico City earthquake and in 1986 a Mothman type of creature was reported just before the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant meltdown. There was also a reported sighting in 1963 in England and many others. There continues to be Mothman sightings even to this today.

So is the Mothman part of the terrible disasters or is it just some type of warning that we do not understand? No one really knows for sure and that part of the tale is open for debate.

So just what is Mothman?  Many speculate that it could be an alien, while others believe it to be some type of mutation due to the chemicals in the TNT domes.  Others think it could be some type of a death angel sent to warn people of impending doom or disaster. Still others think it's just a hoax.

If you have had a Mothman sighting feel free to contact us.

Thanks
~Tom~




[Sources: Wikipedia, boudillion, theparanormalfiles]

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