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| Original artwork created exclusively for True Hauntings of America |
Nestled along the Ohio River in the small town of Point Pleasant, West Virginia, lurks one of America’s most infamous legends: the Mothman. Part cryptid, part omen, and wholly mysterious, this winged figure has haunted imaginations since the mid-1960s.
The First Sightings
On November 15, 1966, two couples—Roger and Linda Scarberry, and Steve and Mary Mallette—were driving near the abandoned TNT area when they encountered a towering, winged creature with glowing red eyes and a wide, powerful wingspan. The figure took flight and, by their account, followed their car at terrifying speeds until they reached town, shaken and breathless.
Days later, contractor Newell Partridge reported bizarre television interference and the eerie reflection of red eyes shining back from the darkness outside his home. His German shepherd, Bandit, bolted into the night after the intruder—and was never seen again. Word of the “Mothman” spread, and similar reports multiplied across the region.
The TNT Area and Its Shadows
Through the following year, witnesses described a winged figure gliding above tree lines, perching on rooftops, or staring from the roadside with hypnotic, ember-red eyes. Most encounters clustered around the abandoned World War II munitions site—the so-called TNT area—a maze of overgrown woods, concrete igloos, and forgotten service roads. Whether a lair or a lure, the place seemed stitched with dread, and locals learned to give its shadows a wide berth.
The Silver Bridge Tragedy
On December 15, 1967, the Silver Bridge linking Point Pleasant to Gallipolis, Ohio, collapsed during rush hour. Dozens of vehicles plunged into the icy Ohio River and forty-six lives were lost. In the aftermath, townspeople could not forget the months of sightings that led up to the disaster. Many came to believe the Mothman was a bleak harbinger—an omen that appeared before catastrophe. After the collapse, reports of the creature in Point Pleasant largely ceased.
Paranormal Theories and High Strangeness
Investigators, journalists, and folklorists arrived and uncovered not just Mothman accounts but also stories of strange lights in the sky, unnerving visitors in dark suits, and cryptic warnings. The legend blurred categories—ghost story, cryptid, and UFO lore—until it became a tapestry of “high strangeness,” one that refuses to be neatly explained.
The Legacy Lives On
Today, Point Pleasant embraces its place in American folklore. A steel Mothman statue stands watch downtown; a dedicated museum preserves eyewitness reports and artifacts; and each September, the town hosts the Mothman Festival, welcoming thousands of believers, skeptics, and the simply curious.
Mothman Museum & Research Center
400 Main Street, Point Pleasant, WV 25550
(304) 812-5211
Mothman Statue (Downtown Point Pleasant)
Main Street, Point Pleasant, WV 25550 (adjacent to the museum plaza)
TNT Area (Clifton F. McClintic Wildlife Management Area)
General Location: About 5 miles north of downtown Point Pleasant
Do not trespass. Respect private property, fences, and posted warnings. Parts of the TNT area include restricted zones and potential hazards from its wartime past. Stay on public roads, marked paths, and areas explicitly open to visitors. When in doubt, turn back.