Have you heard about the Mothman? Have you seen the Richard Gere film, "The Mothman Prophecies"?
The creature is a fascinating little piece of US history, and it sounds made up right? 'The Mothman' sounds like the title of an old black and white monster feature, and yet, this creature terrorized the town of Point Pleasant, West Virginia from 1966 to 1967 and the first hand accounts of those who crossed paths with the Mothman in person, have turned the creature into a timeless oddity.
I had seen an episode of 'Mysteries at the Museum' on Travel Channel awhile back which featured the story of The Mothman and when I found out that a family road trip would take me through Point Pleasant where a museum is dedicated to the creature, I had to stop in.
First let me tell you a bit about how this creature's tale got started....
On November 12, 1966, five men were digging a gravesite in a cemetery in West Virginia when a figure noted to look like a "brown human being" jumped from some trees nearby and flew over their heads. The men claimed that this figure didn't look at all like a bird but more of a man with wings. This was the first sighting of the infamous Mothman.
After that first account, more and more incidents occurred in the area. People claimed to see a man with wings and big red glowing eyes. Some like to debunk the creature as maybe an owl or some other wild animal, and others are certain the creature is paranormal. The paranormal accounts led to that Richard Gere film, "The Mothman Prophecies." which is based on a book penned by John Keel who chronicled the creature's happenings for only that year's time.
You can read more on the history of the Mothman here and/or spend some time Googling on your own.
And if you're ever feeling a little adventurous, I recommend taking a visit to The Mothman Museum in Point Pleasant.
The Mothman Museum is very well put together. When you enter the building, you find yourself in the (very well stocked) gift shop. The creature is featured on stickers, koozies, t-shirts, hoodies, Christmas ornaments, posters and so much more! The museum entrance is right at the back of the shop and costs $3 to enter. To be honest, I didn't have time to wander the museum, I'd asked the guy behind the register how long it would take to go through it and he said that because it was a lot of reading, it could take an hour or 2, time I didn't have, but I could see through the little gate that it was well put together and very colorful inside. I read on Trip Advisor from some reviews that the reading material is quite interesting and full of newspaper clippings from that year's time and interviews with those who encountered the Mothman. Since I had watched the segment on 'Mysteries at the Museum' and already knew the main story, I didn't feel too bad, but if the chance to be in the area were to ever pop up again, I'd definitely take the time.
Of course I didn't leave that gift shop empty handed....I accidentally bought 2 shirts, an ornament, some stickers...etc
When you exit the gift shop / museum and walk around the corner of the building, you'll find a sculpture of the creature which of course, is great for some photo ops.
So if you ever find yourself near the little town of Point Pleasant, West Virginia, make sure to stop by The Mothman Museum and lose yourself for a couple hours in what is one of the goofiest oddities of US History.
The creature is a fascinating little piece of US history, and it sounds made up right? 'The Mothman' sounds like the title of an old black and white monster feature, and yet, this creature terrorized the town of Point Pleasant, West Virginia from 1966 to 1967 and the first hand accounts of those who crossed paths with the Mothman in person, have turned the creature into a timeless oddity.
I had seen an episode of 'Mysteries at the Museum' on Travel Channel awhile back which featured the story of The Mothman and when I found out that a family road trip would take me through Point Pleasant where a museum is dedicated to the creature, I had to stop in.
First let me tell you a bit about how this creature's tale got started....
On November 12, 1966, five men were digging a gravesite in a cemetery in West Virginia when a figure noted to look like a "brown human being" jumped from some trees nearby and flew over their heads. The men claimed that this figure didn't look at all like a bird but more of a man with wings. This was the first sighting of the infamous Mothman.
After that first account, more and more incidents occurred in the area. People claimed to see a man with wings and big red glowing eyes. Some like to debunk the creature as maybe an owl or some other wild animal, and others are certain the creature is paranormal. The paranormal accounts led to that Richard Gere film, "The Mothman Prophecies." which is based on a book penned by John Keel who chronicled the creature's happenings for only that year's time.
You can read more on the history of the Mothman here and/or spend some time Googling on your own.
And if you're ever feeling a little adventurous, I recommend taking a visit to The Mothman Museum in Point Pleasant.
The Mothman Museum is very well put together. When you enter the building, you find yourself in the (very well stocked) gift shop. The creature is featured on stickers, koozies, t-shirts, hoodies, Christmas ornaments, posters and so much more! The museum entrance is right at the back of the shop and costs $3 to enter. To be honest, I didn't have time to wander the museum, I'd asked the guy behind the register how long it would take to go through it and he said that because it was a lot of reading, it could take an hour or 2, time I didn't have, but I could see through the little gate that it was well put together and very colorful inside. I read on Trip Advisor from some reviews that the reading material is quite interesting and full of newspaper clippings from that year's time and interviews with those who encountered the Mothman. Since I had watched the segment on 'Mysteries at the Museum' and already knew the main story, I didn't feel too bad, but if the chance to be in the area were to ever pop up again, I'd definitely take the time.
Of course I didn't leave that gift shop empty handed....I accidentally bought 2 shirts, an ornament, some stickers...etc
When you exit the gift shop / museum and walk around the corner of the building, you'll find a sculpture of the creature which of course, is great for some photo ops.
So if you ever find yourself near the little town of Point Pleasant, West Virginia, make sure to stop by The Mothman Museum and lose yourself for a couple hours in what is one of the goofiest oddities of US History.
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