What is the Mothman?

Ever since I have watched the movie based on this legend "The Mothman Prophecies" with Richard Gere, I have had an interest in the story behind the legend of this tale. The movie is in turn based on a book of the same name written by John Keel in 1975. Here is what I have found in my research regarding this little known legend that originates in Point Pleasant, WV.

The sightings that made the legend happened over a 1 year period in November of 1966 to December of 1967. Two couples Roger and Linda Scarberry and Steve and Mary Mallette were the first to report on the supposed existance of this creature on November 15th 1966. They described it as a large white creature with glowing red eyes, but it has also been described as a large bird like creature with glowing red eyes. The one consistancy in all sightings seems to be the large glowing red eyes that people have seen. Some of those who have seen this creature speculate that it shows up just prior to an imminent disaster. The most famous of these is the collapse of the Silver Spring Bridge in December of 1967, which killed 46 people. Other reported sightings have occured in an area known locally as the TNT Area, which is in reality a WWII munitions plant. It has been speculated by some UFOligists that the Mothman is actually an alien lifeform, and have pointed out that frequently sightings of UFO's and visits by the Men in Black frequently accompany sightings of the creature known as the Mothman. Another note of interest is the fact that the original couples that reported the sighting of the creature were re-interviewed years later by members of the Ohio UFO Investigators League and the details of thier report has been completely consistant. The creature is often described as being 7'+ tall and having a huge wingspan with glowing red eyes.

In 2002 Point Pleasant held thier first ever Mothman Festival and in 2003 a 12' tall metallic statue of the Mothman was unveiled created by artist and sculptor Bob Roach. In 2005 there was even a museum opened up that is dedicated to all lore surrounding this legendary creature in Point Pleasant, WV. The Mothman has also been a subject of interest in Television series and books, but most notably it was featured in an episode of the X-Files (season 5 episode 4). There are also several documentaries, books and other references to the creature in video games as well.

The Mothman legend centers around a horrific event that took place in Point Pleasant, West Virginia on December 15, 1967. On that cold December evening around 5pm, the U.S. Highway 35 Bridge, known as the Silver Bridge, collapsed. The Silver Bridge connected Point Pleasant, West Virginia and Kanauga, Ohio. Thirty-seven vehicles were on the Silver Bridge when it collapsed, sending 31 of those cars into the cold river water. Forty-six people perished and nine were seriously injured.

There are many who claim to have seen a mysterious creature that by then had come to be called the Mothman in the Point Pleasant area not far from the bridge. Many believe that this mysterious creature was involved either directly or indirectly with the bridge’s collapse. For almost thirteen months prior to the incident Point Pleasant residents claimed to have seen a man-sized bird creature. Shortly after the Silver Bridge collapsed there were a couple of sightings; then the Mothman seemed to have quietly disappeared.

The first Mothman sighting occurred in the early 1960s when a woman driving her car near the Chief Cornstalk Hunting Grounds stopped to avoid hitting what she thought was a man in the road. The figure turned to face her, its eyes glowing red from the headlights. It spread two large thin wings and took to the air.

Another sighting took place in 1965. A woman living on the banks of the Ohio River informed police her son had come in from playing and told her he had seen an angel in the yard.

A year later a doctor’s wife reported seeing what she described as a giant, thin butterfly. In November of the same year five men digging a grave reported seeing a brown human being with wings fly out of the trees.

Later that same month Mr and Mrs Scarberry and their friends the Mallettes were driving toward Point Pleasant when they saw a tall figure on the side of the road in an area known as TNT. They told officials that it stood at least seven feet tall. They also stated it had large wings folded behind its back. As they drove on the figure took to the air and flew above the car. They reported the incident to the Mason County Sheriff’s office. The Sheriff returned to the scene with the four witnesses, but although his radio acted up, nothing else was seen or heard.

The TNT area became known as the home of the Mothman. TNT is a large tract of land covered in many concrete igloos that were used to store ammunition during World War II. The TNT land tract sits adjacent to the 2,500 acre McClintic Wildlife Station. The whole area is covered in dense forest, steep hills and is riddled with tunnels, making it the perfect hideout.

Only three sightings were recorded in 1967. Then in 1968 the Mothman re-emerged with a vengeance. He was said to have been seen several times on Jericho Road. The Mothman made his last reported appearance on September 18, 1968 when several people witnessed the winged figure, again in the TNT area.

Long-time residents of Point Pleasant say that the Mothman sightings, UFO sightings and encounters with ‘men in black’ are all somehow related. Researchers, investigators and monster hunters descended on the small town.

Between 1966 and 1967, all told over 100 people stated they saw the winged Mothman. All reports had the creature standing close to seven feet tall with bat like wings that glided rather than flapped. They say the Mothman's eyes were near the top of its shoulders.

Reporter John Keel began collecting information on Mothman sightings in December of 1966. Keel compiled evidence that pointed to a problem with televisions and phones that began in the fall of 1966. Lights had been seen in the skies, particularly around the TNT plant, and cars that passed along the nearby road sometimes stalled without explanation. He and his fellow researchers also uncovered a number of short-lived poltergeist cases in the Ohio Valley area. Locked doors opened and closed by themselves, strange thumps were heard inside and outside of homes, and unexplained voices were heard in the night wind.

The James Lilley family, who lived just south of the TNT plant, were so bothered by the bizarre events that they finally sold their home and moved to another neighborhood. Keel was convinced that the incidents in the intense period of activity were all connected.

By 1969, most of the sightings had come to an end and the Mothman just faded away as quietly as he had appeared. However the Mothman’s legacy lives on in Point Pleasant. In the middle of the Gunn Park, which is in the center of Point Pleasant, stands an imposing stainless steel statue by local sculpture Robert Roach.

My sources:

Wikipedia Link Mothman

The Legend Behind Virginia's Mysterious Mothman

DeviantArt

As an area resident I find this story both amusing and interesting. It is very unlikely, in my opinion, that there is any truth to this story. The scariest thing in these hills is the people.

Originally posted by toolshed
As an area resident I find this story both amusing and interesting. It is very unlikely, in my opinion, that there is any truth to this story. The scariest thing in these hills is the people.

Heh, I have driven through western Virginia myself, so not close to this incident, but the land is pretty rugged country for sure. I just find the legend to be very interesting, no idea personally as to the validity of it.

reply to post by Darkphoenix77

Ever since I have watched the movie based on this legend "The Mothman Prophecies" with Richard Gere, I have had an interest in the story behind the legend of this tale.

Me too!!

Ah it's been so long. I did a bunch of research on this a long time ago. Let me see if I can dig up some notes

reply to post by Darkphoenix77

One of the things that interested me in the movie was the name 'Indrid Cold'. I wondered if that was part of the 'true events' or if that was just something they added to the movie.

Well turns out that name was part of an actual testimony.

Here is an original interview of a witness. I am listening right now. Really fascinating

The audio of the original interview with Mr.Derenberger, on Indrid Cold.

Originally posted by Lucid Lunacy
reply to post by Darkphoenix77

 

One of the things that interested me in the movie was the name 'Indrid Cold'. I wondered if that was part of the 'true events' or if that was just something they added to the movie.

Well turns out that name was part of an actual testimony.

Here is an original interview of a witness. I am listening right now. Really fascinating

Link to audio interview

I forgot all about that, I really should watch the movie again, it's really all quite fascinating!

I know by some of the artwork that if something like that was chasing a vehicle I happened to be in I would prolly need a change of pants! Just putting myself in the position of anyone who saw such a creature I would probably need counseling for years. Another story that fascinates me is the story of Travis Walton that the movie "Fire in the Sky" was based off of and I may make a thread about that story soon as well.

Here's what I know about the Mothman,

Two other names are equally important, Indrid Cold and a fellow by the name of John keel.

As you already know, Mothman is a legendary creature first reportedly seen in the Point Pleasant area of West Virginia from 15 November 1966 to 15 December 1967. OP did a great job providing some examples of the dozens upon dozens of sightings of this mysterious creature and strange phenomena associated with it.

Around the same time of these sightings, an investigative researcher and author by the name of John Keel (one of my fav authors) was doing some research on UFOs and such for his book Trojan Horse (must read!). He was well known in that field at the time and it wasn't unusual for people to contact him and share their encounters for research purposes.

After one such encounter with a witness, Keel himself started to experience the unexplained. He started receiving phone calls from a strange being by the name of Indrid Cold, who later claimed to be what the people were referring to as the Mothman. John Keel wrote a book about it called The Mothman Prophecies, which the movie was based up to a certain degree.

Through all Keel's conversations with Indrid and investigative research in the town with witnesses, he was drawing the conclusion that something very big and bad was going to happen. While he was researching this further, a lady called him about a vision she had about the Mothman and a possible horrible tradgedy and seeing many christmas gifts floating in the water under the Silver Bridge (this was used as a scene at the end of the movie). Its been awhile since I have read both books, so I can't remeber exactly who told Keel specifically that the Bridge would collapse, either the lady or Indrid, but Keel knew the Silver Bridge would collapse at some point in time in the future. I know for a fact that Keel left a message (has it still) on his friends answering machine saying that he thought something terrible was going to happen to the bridge weeks before it happend. Keel, disturbed by this, drove up and down the bridge a hundred times in the span of a week looking for structural defaults or anything he could find to support his worst fears.

A few weeks later when he was sitting in his hotel room, still stressed by the current happenings, he saw on the t.v. that the Silver Bridge had collapsed!
Keel rushed to the scene, when he arrived at the horrific sight he noticed all the christmas gifts floating in the river...

The Mothman was reportedly never seeing again after the incident...

As to what the Mothman was, that is something I still think about to this day. Was he an alien, extra dimensional being or some kind of manifestation from some type of greater collective consciousness trying to warn them in advance...or harm them? Personally, I haven't drawn any conclusions and remains a mystery to me. A secret maybe nobody will ever know but Indrid Cold. I still find it a very interesting subject.

In my opinion, "The Mothman" was a soldier with nightvision goggles on guard duty at the arsenal. He flew through the air when the stoners ran him over with their car.
The men in dark suits who showed up in town claiming to be FBI agents probably were actual FBI agents investigating reports of a plot to sabotage the Silver Bridge. The Mothman was invented as a convenient scapegoat to divert attention away from both crimes.

That's the real conspiracy here. And it's still working.

reply to post by Crazy1


sounds like the same plot as "I Know What You Did Last Summer"


Bud316

reply to post by toolshed


Scary? Then get back out on that highway that brought you here and leave. I'll even give you gas money if you sign a piece of paper promising you will never return.


According to disinfo agents and the like, Mothman was just a barn owl. Mountaineers who hunt, who are master woodsmen, who are excellent marksmen, who know every animal in these woods, even the ones that are just passing through, they thought it was a barn owl(YEAAAAH RIGHT!). This happened not too far from where I live and I can tell you that when an old mountaineer/farmer tells you he saw something, you can take it as gospel. It was witnessed by hundreds of people. These people aren't a bunch of "dumb, inbred, crazy idiots" as some have portrayed them to be. This place isn't far from where the Flatwoods Monster was witnessed as well--a totally different incident involving a 12 foot robot. What happened, happened and it cannot be swept under the rug.

Fylgje
reply to post by toolshed

 

Scary? Then get back out on that highway that brought you here and leave. I'll even give you gas money if you sign a piece of paper promising you will never return.


According to disinfo agents and the like, Mothman was just a barn owl. Mountaineers who hunt, who are master woodsmen, who are excellent marksmen, who know every animal in these woods, even the ones that are just passing through, they thought it was a barn owl(YEAAAAH RIGHT!). This happened not too far from where I live and I can tell you that when an old mountaineer/farmer tells you he saw something, you can take it as gospel. It was witnessed by hundreds of people. These people aren't a bunch of "dumb, inbred, crazy idiots" as some have portrayed them to be. This place isn't far from where the Flatwoods Monster was witnessed as well--a totally different incident involving a 12 foot robot. What happened, happened and it cannot be swept under the rug.

edit on 16-10-2013 by Fylgje because: to add

I agree with what you say, I am leery of explanations that out of hand discount/discredit eyewitness descriptions of what happened and/or paint the eyewitnesses as a "bunch of crazies". This happens all too often however, and really makes a person think. All paranormal and other sightings can not be explained away as witnesses were crazy or drug induced delusional people. I can't for one second believe that of all the legends and all the sightings world wide that have happened from biblical times to current time that none of them, are a case in which "there is more that meets the eye" and instead they are really all just fabrications. I never heard of the Flatwoods Monster myself, some info regarding that would be interesting and I may do some research on that as it has piqued my interest as I never knew there were other local legends to this area.

reply to post by Darkphoenix77


Something walks the Kanawah River. I can tell you what happened to me.

Before I had ever heard of the Mothman, I was driving home from North Carolina to Ohio. Usually we take the West Virginia Turnpike to I-64, then onto US 35, up through Gallipolis then on through to Xenia and Dayton. If you have taken this route, you know how the Kanawah slides close to the road and back. Houses line the river and some spots are just trees.

On this particular night, it was very warm and I had the window down. At places there was some foggy patches, but my husband did not drive well at night and had to drive slow around some bends. I mentioned to him on this night that West Virginia seemed creepy in this part. I said that one could be followed and killed and none of the residents would know at 3 AM. Thinking no more about it, I rolled the window down some more and enjoyed the night air, even though he was driving about 45 mph. Suddenly a feeling came over me, as though someone were following us, there were no car lights in either direction. Then outside my window, where the trees and river were close to the road, tree branches suddenly broke along side the car. It startled me and my husband and we looked to see what was beside us, there was nothing but the trees were cracking as we continued. This made him speed up until we got to the next town. This event scared me so much that I told him the next time, we are going out of our way, and take the longer route through Kentucky, down US 23 to 421. I wanted to cross at Cumberland into Virginia.

About a year later I was watching TV and a documentary about the Mothman came on, and the same creepy feeling came over me as I remembered the sound of the tree branches breaking all that few miles to the next town.

I am not going to say it was the Mothman, but something is there on the Kanawah River. Maybe it was the ghosts of the McCoys, because I am related to the Hatfields. Or maybe it is the ghost of Chief Cornstalk, because I am a Moore. I grew up in Ohio even though my dad was from southern West Virginia. I never spent any time in West Virginia other than driving through. But if you asked me evidence of what I felt and heard, I can only tell you about it.

It took 4 years to drive through there again. But the Kanawah is mysterious at night. But if you think that is creepy, drive through Southern Ohio at night, when you get to the Serpent Mound, you can feel the energy all the way from Gallipolis to Xenia. I think the Shawnee left something. And no one can convince me differently.

Until only recently, this is probably the most terrifying story I'd ever heard.

a reply to: HerbertLove

What's the most terrifying?

a reply to: Darkphoenix77

one year,this month,i met a guy who's best friend's mother was one of the unlucky one's to be killed on the bridge that collapsed in west Virginia on that fatal night.I took pics of the mothman statues while in point pleasant,west Virginia.never got the chance to see the dynamite facility (i really wanted to go too).That's where it all began,that place.

few pics i took while down there

a reply to: toolshed

I always find it hard to believe that no ones captured the moth-man-Bigfoot etc on camera.

haven't read Keel in awhile, but I've been meaning to get back to his books, I haven't read Trojan Horse yet, but wasn't his main theory that all of these entities were from outside of our dimension?, hense they are here one minute, gone the next

First, I am not American, I was born and grew in the Northern Europe. This time it really matters.
I was a kid then. A man retired from military was living next door. Once he told me he saw a devil - "tall, black, with red eyes" - standing at the pine tree. I thought he was kidding, and then he said "you know me, I'm not a drinker, I really saw it".

Then years later this movie came out, "The Mothman Prophecies".
Based on true story.

Weird.

Flatwoods monster's drinking buddy.

This is a great thread! I'm hoping to see the movie, The Mothman Prophecies and read the book too! Thanks a lot for the OP!😊and thread!