Point Pleasant – A West Virginia folklore the Mothman, started 55 years from today.
The Mothman is a humanoid creature reportedly seen in Point Pleasant Virginia reported as a “man-sized Bird.” The history is written in a West Virginia newspaper that recounts the first sighting:
“On November 15, 1966, two young couples from Point Pleasant—Roger and Linda Scarberry, and Steve and Mary Mallette—told police they saw a large grey creature whose eyes “glowed red” when the car’s headlights picked it up. They described it as a “large flying man with ten-foot wings”, following their car while they were driving in an area outside of town known as “the TNT area”, the site of a former World War II munitions plant.”
That was the first sighting but weirdly over the next ten days, other people reported similar sightings in the area. These weren’t just people who were creating a story but people who had responsible jobs, two volunteer firefighters, and a Contractor who shined a light on the creature, and its eyes, ” glowed like bicycle reflectors”.
Many wanted to blame the Sandhill crane a large migratory bird that heads south this time of year, but the legend grew. More sightings were recorded and the Mothman made his/her place in history.
In 2002 Point Pleasant held its first Annual Mothman Festival, and embraced the story bringing thousands into their town. The town even erected a 12-foot tall statue of the mysterious creature for visitors to enjoy.
Cameron Jones Contributed to this article
