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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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
This Post By TCC Team Member Dorraine Fisher. Dorraine is a Professional Writer, a nature, wildlife and Bigfoot enthusiast who has written for many magazines. Dorraine conducts research, special interviews and more for The Crypto Crew. Get Dorraine's book The Book Of Blackthorne!
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