Well in all honesty, I didn’t see the actual living, breathing, flying Mothman. I did however see the 12-foot-tall metal statue of him, and we took pictures with him. I am a HUGE fan of history. My son inherited the same passion. We just have such a fascination and appreciation for walking where someone or something of historical prominence has walked before. You can imagine my delight when on a rainy night in November I discovered I was only miles away from Point Pleasant West Virginia.
We drove from our home in Michigan to Williamsburg North Carolina for his nephew’s wedding. We had some extra time off and decided to make a few stops and enjoy ourselves. On the way there we stopped and spent a few days in Gatlinburg Tennessee. We decided to take the Smokey Moutain scenic drive to Cherokee North Carolina then over to Williamsburg. I have drove that route a dozen times during different seasons and different times of the day. As luck would have it, it was a cold, rainy, and extremely foggy day. I was fine, but it was his first trip through the Smokey Mountains. Needless to say, he is not a fan of driving over the hills and through the woods in less-than-optimal weather conditions.
The wedding was beautiful, time with family was priceless. We hated saying goodbye to everyone, and the warmer weather. I honestly don’t remember the exact route we decided to take home. I can only tell you that he did not want to cross that mountain again in this weather. I do remember that we were somewhere in West Virginia when in it got dark, started raining, and we were obviously in the mountains. He told me to jump on my phone and find us a restaurant and a hotel for the night, as we would not be climbing this mountain tonight. Oh, how I love maps. Paper maps are great, but oh my, technology takes it to whole new level. In searching for food and shelter, I discovered that I was less than 50 miles from Mothman territory. I had to contain myself to present this just right. So, I waited. When his belly was full, and he cozily stretched out in bed with the TV remote, I sprang it on him.
During breakfast I planned our route to Point Pleasant, then home from there. It was a beautiful day, and a relaxing drive. I was surprised when we arrived. It was like arriving at a place frozen in time. If it weren’t for the modern cars i would have sworn it was the 1970s. Nothing appeared run down or abandoned, just preserved. We parked on the main street and walked the expanse of downtown. We walked up one side of the street and down the other stopping in several shops and picking up souvenirs as we went. In the median of the street stood the statue of Mothman himself. It wasn’t busy so we were able to take our time with our photo shoot. We continued on and found ourselves in the last store at the end of the street. It really was the best for last.
We talked at length with the owner. She was an absolute delight. She gave us a brief history and shared several ghost stories with us. She owned the building and rented the two apartments on the second floor. She would often hear movement on the second floor coming from one of the vacant units. She had a hard time keeping tenets. Her brother who is a sensitive moved in and has experiences frequently. His experiences and natural curiosity have led him to become quite the historian. After hearing her stories, I suggested they start a walking tour. She also told us that the town hotel is notably haunted. She was attending a function with her young 4-year-old daughter several years prior. Her daughter sat and played quietly and conversed with someone the entire time. She assumed that she was talking to her doll. When she told her daughter it was time to go, her daughter said she had to say goodbye to her friend. Her daughter ran across the lobby and spoke to someone she couldn’t see. She asked her daughter who she was talking to, and she said her new friend. Then she told me something that really got me. There was a very old house across the street that was in dispute. The house is in such disrepair that it has been condemned but residents are trying to save it as a historical place because it is rumored that Colonel George Washington stopped to use the outhouse there in 1770. Oh, be still my heart! I’m sure I skipped all the way across the street to that house.
At the end of the street is Tu-Endie-Wei State Park. There is a monument marking the 1774 battle of Point Pleasant. Colonel Andrew Lewis led the Virginia militiamen against Cheif Comstalk leading an Algonquin confederation of warriors. Locals celebrate it as the first battle of the American Revolutionary war, while others refer to is as Lord Dunmore’s war. The history of Point Pleasant is too in depth for me to describe. It started as a settlement and forts were built and rebuilt. It was a major part of French and Indian War. I was so ashamed to learn the real history of Point Pleasant and its importance in American history. If you don’t already know it’s significance, I encourage you to learn about it. I cannot say with any certainty that it wasn’t mentioned in history class, or if only given a sentence or two. It may have even been taught at such a young age that I can’t remember. Either way, I was embarrassed that I was so engrossed in the legend of the cryptid Mothman, that I never bothered to pay attention to anything else.
If you ever find yourself fortunate enough to be close enough to visit. I encourage you to do so. It was refreshing to visit a town that hasn’t been overrun with modernism and technology. The people are friendly and know the value of a smile and a kind word. They are proud of their town and their place in it. While having fun discovering the mystery of the Mothman, take time to honor the history of Point Pleasant. Make sure to visit the State Park and admire the murals and sculptures along the river park. Take a moment of reflection for the 46 souls that lost their lives on the Silver Bridge on December 15, 1967, and the countless number of soldiers and settlers. Point Pleasant holds an annual Mothman festival.
As an afterthought, was the Mothman a harbinger? I have noticed that areas that were once settlements of Native Americans share harbinger stories. There are legends of Thunderbirds in the western United States. Detroit has the legend of the Red Devil that is seen before disasters. Mothman like creatures have been seen in several other areas before disasters. Is it possible that these cryptid harbingers are the spirits of Native American Shamans that were shapeshifters? Their spiritualism is of being one with nature and to protect and preserve it in harmony. Why would they not still watch over the land they were entrusted with protecting?
