The Mothman Mystery: West Virginia’s Enduring Legend

In American folklore, the Mothman emerged as a terrifying enigma in 1966, when eyewitnesses around Point Pleasant, West Virginia, reported encounters with a winged, red-eyed creature that defied explanation. This article explores the chilling sightings, the tragic Silver Bridge collapse, and the lingering mysteries that continue to captivate believers and skeptics alike, while also examining how this cryptid legend has evolved into a thriving cultural phenomenon.

The First Encounters

The first documented sighting of what would become known as the Mothman actually occurred on November 12, 1966, three days earlier than the most famous encounter. Five gravediggers working at a cemetery near Clendenin, West Virginia, claimed to see a large, man-like figure fly low over their heads from nearby trees, though this report received less attention than what came next.

The encounter that would define the legend happened on the night of November 15, 1966, when four young people - Roger and Linda Scarberry and Steve and Mary Mallette - driving on a remote road near Point Pleasant’s abandoned TNT area, the site of a former World War II munitions plant. In their headlights, they spotted what appeared to be a large, grayish creature with bright red eyes and massive wings. Terrified, the foursome sped away at speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour, only to witness the being flying above them, keeping pace no matter how fast they drove. The creature followed them to the Point Pleasant border before flying away into the darkness. Residents would soon dub this entity “Mothman.”

The Mothman statue in Point Pleasant, West Virginia

More Sightings Follow

That same night, about 90 miles away in Salem, West Virginia, Newell Partridge (sometimes referenced as “Merle” Partridge in some accounts) experienced his own bizarre encounter. While watching television around 10:30 PM, his set suddenly malfunctioned with a high-pitched whining noise. His German Shepherd, Bandit, began howling on the front porch. When Partridge investigated with a flashlight, the beam settled on what looked like two large red eyes near his hay barn. The dog bolted toward the creature and was never seen again. The next day, some speculated the dog had somehow been transported to Point Pleasant, as a dead dog resembling Bandit was reportedly found near the TNT area.

The following evening after the Scarberry-Mallette encounter, another woman reported a terrifying experience. As she was getting out of her car, a tall gray being rose up beside her. “It seemed as though it had been lying down,” she recalled. “It rose up slowly from the ground. A big gray thing. Bigger than a man, with terrible glowing eyes.” She ran into her house, hearing sounds of something moving on the front porch, and glimpsed two luminous red eyes peering through the window.

A Wave of Terror

Local newspapers quickly picked up the story and coined the name “Mothman” for the unknown creature. Despite authorities’ attempts to calm public panic by suggesting the sightings were merely misidentified large birds - specifically sandhill cranes or great blue herons - few residents accepted this explanation.

Over the following thirteen months, from November 1966 through December 1967, sightings continued throughout the Point Pleasant area. Journalist and paranormal investigator John Keel, who would later document these events in his 1975 book “The Mothman Prophecies,” investigated extensively alongside local reporter Mary Hyre. Keel claimed that over 100 witnesses reported encounters with the creature or experienced related strange phenomena, including UFO sightings and mysterious phone calls.

The activity appeared to center around the abandoned TNT plant - a sprawling, 2,500-acre complex of concrete storage igloos built during World War II. The crumbling, maze-like facility with its empty rooms and dark passageways made an ideal lair for something wishing to remain hidden.

An artist’s impression of the Mothman, 2016. Credit: Tom Bertelink

The Silver Bridge Tragedy

The Mothman saga reached its devastating climax on December 15, 1967, when the Silver Bridge, a suspension bridge connecting Point Pleasant, West Virginia to Gallipolis, Ohio, suddenly collapsed during rush hour traffic. The catastrophic failure killed 46 people when vehicles plunged into the frigid Ohio River below. The National Transportation Safety Board later determined that a defective eyebar in the bridge’s chain suspension system had failed.

Prior to the collapse, several witnesses reported seeing the Mothman on or near the bridge. After this tragedy, the sightings in Point Pleasant abruptly ceased. Some viewed this as mere coincidence, while others believed the creature had been attempting to warn residents of the impending disaster. Still others speculated that Mothman was somehow connected to or even responsible for the catastrophe.

Theories and Legacy

Although classic Mothman sightings ended in 1967, the creature has become the subject of endless speculation and debate. Theories about Mothman’s nature range widely:

• Misidentification: Skeptics maintain the sightings were sandhill cranes or great blue herons, large birds with red coloring around their eyes and impressive wingspans

• Paranormal entity: Some believe Mothman is a supernatural being or harbinger of doom

• Extraterrestrial visitor: UFO researchers connect the sightings to numerous UFO reports in the area during the same period

• Government experiments: Conspiracy theorists suggest secret military or scientific experiments at the TNT plant

• Cryptid: Cryptozoologists consider Mothman an undiscovered species

The legend gained mainstream attention through John Keel’s book “The Mothman Prophecies” (1975) and the 2002 Hollywood film of the same name, starring Richard Gere and released on January 25, 2002. The movie, while taking creative liberties with the actual events, introduced the Mothman legend to a global audience.

Modern Developments and Continued Sightings

Far from fading into obscurity, the Mothman legend has experienced a remarkable resurgence in the 21st century. Point Pleasant has embraced its cryptid celebrity, transforming the legend into a significant economic driver:

• The Mothman Museum opened in Point Pleasant, housing artifacts, newspaper clippings, and materials related to the original sightings

• A striking 12-foot-tall metallic Mothman statue now stands in the town, becoming a popular tourist destination and photo opportunity

• The annual Mothman Festival, held every third weekend in September, has grown into a major event drawing between 20,000-50,000 visitors annually and generating approximately $2 million in economic impact for the local community

• The 2025 festival drew a record-breaking crowd, marking the biggest event in the festival’s history

Intriguingly, Mothman sightings have expanded beyond Point Pleasant. New reports have emerged from various locations across the United States, including:

• A significant wave of sightings around Chicago, Illinois, particularly near Lake Michigan (2017-2024), with some occurring during the 2017 solar eclipse

• Multiple reports from Pennsylvania

• Sightings in Rockford, Illinois

• The most recent documented sighting as of 2024 occurred in Kane County, Illinois

A comprehensive Mothman sightings map now tracks encounters from 1966 through 2024, showing the geographic spread of this phenomenon.

The Enduring Mystery

Nearly six decades after those first terrifying encounters, the fundamental questions remain unanswered: What was the Mothman? Where did it come from? Why did it appear when it did? And has it truly vanished, or does it continue to manifest in new locations?

The Mothman has evolved from a localized West Virginia mystery into an American cultural icon—a symbol of the unexplained that bridges folklore, tragedy, and tourism. Whether one views it as a case of mass hysteria, misidentified wildlife, paranormal phenomenon, or something else entirely, the Mothman’s grip on the American imagination shows no signs of weakening.

The creature’s legacy serves as a reminder that some mysteries resist simple explanation, and that the line between folklore and reality can become surprisingly blurred when entire communities share an inexplicable experience. In Point Pleasant, the Mothman is more than just a legend, it’s a part of the town’s identity, a source of economic vitality, and a testament to humanity’s enduring fascination with the unknown.

Original by Doug MacGowan, Updated by Gary Manners

References

Mothman. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mothman

American Hauntings Ink. Mothman! The Enigma of Point Pleasant. Available at: https://www.americanhauntingsink.com/moth