by Megan Buck

Created on: June 14, 2008   Last Updated: June 16, 2008

Story of Mothman Fact or Full of Mothballs

Forget the Lockness monster, Bigfoot or the Jersey Devil; West Virginia's monster has them all beat- Mothman can fly. This may be a story that has gotten out of hand by the media and paranormal fans but in no doubt it is fun to talk about, but at what point do we have to get out the mothballs. November of 1966 brought Point Pleasant, West Virginia onto the map. Numerous sightings of a seven foot, winged-gray man-like figure with terrifying-hypnotic red eyes were reported from November 1966 to December 1967 within the remote area surrounding Point Pleasant. A reporter named the creature "Mothman" after a villain on the then current and popular show Batman. Mothman has scarcely been seen and reported of since 1967, giving the idea that it was in the area for a short time and then left. That also brings along the questions of why did it come to Point Pleasant and what made it leave. West Virginia is a strange state. Native Americans, according to colonists, avoided settling there because they believed the devil lived there, it was reserved for only hunting and sacred rites. Other creatures have been reported there over the years such as Bigfoot and the Flatwood monster.

Sightings of not just Mothman but of lights in the sky, electrical problems, 'men in black' and conspiracy are all seemingly connected to each other. All of these events began on November 12th 1966, five men were preparing a grave for burial when something that looked like a "brown human being" lifted off the ground from nearby trees and flew over their heads. It did not appear to be a bird, but more like a man with wings. This was the first of multiple sightings that would be reported within the next few days. (Prairie Ghosts) The most famous probably of all the sightings came on November 15th at a deserted place near Point Pleasant known as T.N.T.; a favorite spot for parking, used as a lover's lane and place to drink without the watchful eye of authority. T.N.T. gets it's name due to the fact that in WWII the 2,500 acre area was used as an underground storage facility for wartime explosives. The area is covered with dense forest, steep hills and tunnels. Some of the area had been set up as the McClintic Wildlife Preserve in the 1900's and after the war parts of it were sold off to chemical companies. Some or all of that history can be used for or against the theory and belief in Mothman.

At approximately 1130 in the evening of the 15th, two young married

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