The Mothman, an icon of American monster folklore.

Witness Sketch

This is for Esther, who asked for more Mothman. He's a bit worn out as far as more recent folklore goes, but you have to love a scary mystery, so here it goes.

Mothman. Hoax? Maybe in part. There's no doubt, however, that more than one someone, saw something that scared them. According to witness testimonials, he's a seven-foot tall winged humanoid with bright red eyes that glow in the dark, whom emits an evil, harsh shriek. Sightings of something akin to this description first occurred in 1966 on November 15th. Two teenage couples driving past the abandoned World War II TNT factory north of Point Pleasant, West Virginia, claimed to see two glowing red orbs in the night. Looking more closely, they claim to discern a tall man-like creature, with wings folded against his back. The creature, they said, chased their car at speeds of 100 miles per hour.   They drove to the Mason County courthouse and explained what happened to Deputy Millard Halstead, who stated later, "I've known these kids all their lives. They'd never been in any trouble and they were really scared that night. I took them seriously."

It didn't stop there. Since the kids were so genuinely afraid, townspeople were out at the TNT factory the following night, searching for any explanation. Some camped and even brought their families, hoping to witness the Mothman and to obtain evidence. At the same time, Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Wamsley, and Mrs. Marcella Bennett, with her baby girl, were driving to visit their friends, Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Thomas, who lived in a small house near the abandoned igloos, the concrete dome structures erected during WWII to store dynamite). As they were leaving their friend's house, a figure appeared near their parked car. Mrs. Bennett later described the creature as initially lying down, slowly getting up from the ground, large and gray, with glowing red eyes. While Mr. Wamsley was on the phone with the police, the creature walked onto the front porch and looked in at them through the window.

On November 24th, four more witnesses stepped forward, claiming again to have seen the creature flying above the TNT factory. The following morning, a Thomas Ury told the police he'd seen a creature of the same above description, standing in a field only to fly away. Mothman took the media by storm.  

Mothman Newspaper Clippings

All the descriptions of the Mothman were similar, yet with minor differences. Inconsistencies aren't major, however, due to the different experiences of the witnesses, their circumstances at the time of each particular event, given light, weather and location. One witness claimed, "It stood taller and broader than a man, walked in sort of a halting shuffle on humanlike legs, and emitted a squeaking sound." Another stated, "The red, glowing eyes, set into the shoulders, seem to have been more terrifying than either the size of the creature or span of its batlike wings." Several witnesses heard a mechanical humming as the creature flew. All witnesses described feeling absolute terror; "I’ve never had that feeling before. A weird kind of fear. That fear gripped you and held you."

The story gets more weird. In fact, the Mothman was only one of several weird things going on in Point Pleasant during this time. UFO’s were reported, including strange encounters with men in black suits. Nick Diamond writes that "The Grinning Man, as many refer to him, was supposedly in Point Pleasant as well.  The best known Grinning Man was Indrid Cold, who appeared during the Mothman sightings. The first encounter was on November 2nd of 1966.  A man by the name of Woodrow Derenberger was driving home after work when he heard a sudden crash behind him.  A strange vehicle shaped like an old furnace firing soot and embers at both ends sped by him and stopped, blocking off the road ahead.  A tall thin man stepped out of the car and approached Mr. Derenberger.  He approached with a broad grin on his face and said his name was Indrid Cold.  The two men had a brief conversation about the Mothman sightings, and then Mr. Cold left."

On January 11th, 1967, sightings of Mothman were again reported, this time over Point Pleasant's Silver Bridge, and then several sightings occurred after the bridges collapse (46 people died in the Ohio River). The Silver Bridge connected Point Pleasant, WV to Gallipolis, Ohio.



Mothman Statue Caption, Point Pleasant WV

 A Mothman statue stands in Point Pleasant, welcoming tourists who come interested in the Mothman story. There's a museum and the whole shibang, obviously.

North American Sandhill Crane

One of the earliest theories that surfaced, aside from the supernatural ones, was that a Sandhill Crane was being mistaken for the alleged Mothman. This bird, which can stand up to seven feet tall, was a problem in surrounding areas at the time. This bird can glide on air without flapping its wings for a longer period of time than the average bird and also lets out a fantastic shriek, possibly like the one described by witnesses.

John Keel wrote a book entitled, "Visitors from Space: The Astonishing True Story of the Mothman Prophecies". His theory that the sightings occurred as precognitions to the collapse of the Silver Bridge. The movie The Mothman Prophecies starring Richard Gere and Laura Linney was based on Keel's book (the accuracy of his book, stemming from his original investigation and translating over to the book has been questioned) . While the reader may or may not buy the supernatural side of the book, a large amount of fascinating first-hand accounts are included.

Mothman Photo? 2003

A Mothman festival occurs every September in Point Pleasant. Why not? Whether the Mothman (named after a Batman character) was real or not, the witness testimonials seem genuine and terrifying. The town brings in revenue thanks to Mothman, and boy, do they go all out. Visitors can take a hayride through the abandoned TNT area - although this past year, illegal explosives were found inside the igloos and the area was shut down.

Newer sightings have occured, some with photos and some from other parts of the world. The following 2003 photo was evaluated on History Channel's "Monster Quest". One conclusion was reached that the very Mothman-esque thing at the peak of the bridge is actually, a trashbag. Thoughts, anyone? There is a second photo of the alleged trashbag flying off the bridge.

World Trade Center Mothman

Then there's this photo, that circulated widely via e-mail forwards - and don't we all love those? This photo was apparently taken on the day of the September 11th attack in NYC by a Steven Moran.

So... the mystery continues.