The History of Mothman.

This is the story of the half-human/half-moth like creature that is known the world over as Mothman.Plus, some history on where Mothman was sighted the most. Mothman is now a legendary staple of West Virginia folklore. A couple of years ago, the City of Point Pleasant dedicated a statue to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of Mothman. A majority of the sightings of the Mothman creature were from an area just north of Point Pleasant known as the T.N.T. Area.

How the T.N.T. area got its name is quite simple.
During World War Two, the "T.N.T. Area" was built as West Virginia Ordinance Works by the Department of Defense. This facility producesd ammunition during the war years. The facility itself was shut down and disposed of after World War Two had ended.However, it would not be the last that the T.N.T. Area would be heard from again. Since then, the T.N.T. area is now used as an airport, a landfill, an industrial park, and a Wildlife Management Area. In 1979, fisherman reported reported red water seepage at the site. Around 1981, environmental work found TNT, DNT, and other residuals that had contaminated the water in and around the management area. As of 2007, the cleanup of the contaminents had not been completed and is not expected to be finished until 2020 at the earliest.

The first sightings of the moth-like creature.

On November 15, 1966, two young, married couples from Point Pleasant, David and Linda Scarberry and Steve and Mary Mallette, were traveling late at night in the Scarberrys' car. They stopped the car, and reportedly discovered that the lights were the glowing red eyes of a large animal, "shaped like a man, but bigger, maybe six and a half or seven feet tall, with big wings folded against its back",

Being from and still living in West Virginia, I for one do know of the Mothman legend. It is said that the half-man/half-moth creature was said to have been frequently spotted in or around the TNT area of Point Pleasant, Mason County. Many various explanations have came about as to how and why Mothman suddenly showed up. Explanations vary from ufo activity, M.I.B. sightings, Indian curses, to poltergeists. The first of what would turn out to be many sightings of Mothman in my area occured on the night of November 15, 1966.

Other sightings include reports of Mothman standing in the front yards of people's homes. One such sighting was reported on November 26 in Charleston, west of my location, where Mothman was reported to have been standing in the front yard of a woman's home. Later that day, two children in the Saint Albans area of Kanawha County had reported the creature flying over town. Sightings of Mothman were reported as far east as Campbells Creek and Cedar Grove in Kanawha County. One of the last few sightings of Mothman occured on Janurary 11, 1967. This sighting came just months before the collapse of the Silver Bridge on the night of December 15, 1967. However, that sighting alone was not the only sighting of Mothman that year.

It has also been said that Mothman had appeared to warn people about the impending disaster that was about to befall the area a little over a year later. On the night of December 15, 1967, tragedy struck the Tri-State area when the Silver Bridge corssing the Ohio River between Point Pleasant, W.Va. and Gallipolis, Ohio collapsed into the merky waters of the Ohio River. It just so happened that when the bridge collapsed, there was a traffic jam on the bridge. Fourty - six people died in the cold waters of the Ohio River on that night. Most of the victims bodies were never recovered from the depths of the Ohio River. Most people in and around the area of Point Pleasant, West Virginia either blamed or still blame Mothman for the disaster. Some people blame other things, such as a curse that Chief Cornstalk laid upon the area before dying in 1777 at the hands of the Colonists.

Most people living in the area at the time of both the sightings and the disaster saw Mothman as a demonic presence. I for one think that Mothman was a warning as to what was about to happen. I also believe that Mothman was not of demonic origins. For this creature to appear and then disappear from the one year almost to the day is a mystery. For one, sightings of Mothman in the general area suddenly stopped after the collapse of the Silver Bridge. However, sightings of Mothman have not only been reported in my area. Sightings of the cryptid have been reported the world over, possibly, for centuries before it was spotted here, As to whether or not Mothman will make another appearance in the area, it remains to be seen. I for one believe that Mothman may, in fact, one day return to the state of West Virginia. As for when it may be, we will just have to wait and see.

Was Mothman a warning of the tragedy that was about to befall the area a year later or was it something not of this world? Perhaps it was demonic in nature? Those are just some of the questions surrounding the Mothman mystery.

[edit on 18-11-2008 by gimmefootball400]

If memory serves me correctly, the Mothman sightings were also accompanied by lots of reports of the Men In Black, who went around talking to most, if not all of the people who reported sighting Mothman. John Keel wrote of it in the book he wrote of the case.

I'm trying to remember a visitation said to have happened in Britain I'm having trouble remembering the details but I want to say late 1700,s they called it Jack something I believe and the descriptions fit Mothman to a T. The scary red eyes the creepy crawly feeling being looked at by it gives you and the weird way it interacts with people ,like over flying them ,and some sort of mentally perceived voice. I would look it up if I could remember more. Maybe some members in the UK know what I'm talking about?


and yes the Mothman siting DID coincide with MIB

they also are said to be pretty creepy in their own right

reply to post by Wally Conley

Not only were the Men in Black spotted around here during that time, but alot of other strange happenings were going on in the area. During these events, we were in a minor ufo flap with sightings being reported everywhere around this area. I also remember reading, my junior year in high school, the book "The Mothman Prophecies" that John Keel wrote, he wrote about a being by the name of Indrid Cold. That being is touched on in this thread right Here. The opening post in that topic is over four years old but it seems like it has received some attention here as of late.

The movie itself portrayed Cold as the human form of Mothman. While John Keel portrayed this being as a vistior from another world or the future.

On a side note.......
At the end of the movie, it stated that the true cause of the Silver Bridge Collapse was never found. That statement is not true at all. Investigators found the true cause of the the collapse and the factors that led up to the bridge's demise.

reply to post by gimmefootball400


It seems that in the movie an attempt was made to point out that the motivations and intent of Idrid Cold were not interpretable by any human standard ,they do what they do for there own reasons or no reason or possibly

Idrid Cold is something like a virtual projection ?

I honestly do not believe that anyone could have interpreted Indrid Cold's intent or motivations. Even with the technology and what we know, I seriously doubt it could be interpreted to this day. John Keel stated in the book that Cold was not even from planet Earth. However, in the movie, Cold and the Mothman were interconnected.

I just wonder if the Mothman sightings here were somehow connected to Cornstalk's Curse?

[edit on 18-11-2008 by gimmefootball400]

reply to post by gimmefootball400


yes it's hard to say how ,but they seemed to be the same entity somehow
I'm fascinated with the Mothman and hope never to encounter it!

Mothman seems to permanently and negatively affect all the people who have ever seen him ,I hope he stays where ever the hell he is is and leaves us alone ,He's bad ju ju

reply to post by gimmefootball400


Please don't take this as a personal attack against you but I talk to people nationwide daily and the people from West Virginia have got to be some of the dumbest people in this country. Nothing personal, just an observation and I'm fine with you calling me the dumbest person on this planet if it makes you feel better. As for mothman, blah blah blah blah.

Okay, now here we go. Something tied directly in to the Mothman story, and I've been lead to believe it's the accurate version can be found here-

Major Jack Downing.

It's a 6 parter, and it's a real rabbit hole. You might also take note that our own Conspiracy Master Norio Hayakawa actually interviewed Major Downing at one time, about 11 years ago. That interview is available around the net, but here's one example.

I've been chasing this story around for years, especially the parts about the Kalo Lowve (you'll see if you read it). Matter of fact, after lurking around here off and on, I finally registered just so I could see if there was anything I could dig up here on Major Jack and/or the Kalo Lowve.

What I've been told is that John Keel's book is the cover story. Major Jack's book (which has never surfaced, other than what's in the above link) was the legit story. As best as I've been able to determine, Major Jack is now whereabouts unknown. Possibly deceased.

Don't get me wrong on this, but I think it may have been possible that they were both one in the same. I just don't see how no one else around this area has reported seeing Mothman in the fourty plus years that the creature was last spotted. Of course, there may have been other sightings of Mothman around here, we may not know about them just yet. As for where Mothman is now, for all we know it could be hiding in a cave here or it went back to where ever it came from.

As for the post jitombe, no offense taken and none given. Besides, I do agree that we have some really dumb people here.

reply to post by gimmefootball400


Well the point I was trying to make looking for help from some British people is that the Mothman or Mothmen only appear cyclically .and I want to say it's like every 100 or so years ,then they just go dormant or something so I don't expect to see one for another what 60 years ?

Thank goodness ,I don't think I could take it if these scary things were around all the time
I have n't had a chance to read yeahright's post link but I will tomorrow it's my day off and I'll have time to fool with it

I'll try to find the old account of the British one I don't remember it talking about anyone like Indrid Cold in association with it so umm

Originally posted by invisiblewoman
I'm trying to remember a visitation said to have happened in Britain I'm having trouble remembering the details but I want to say late 1700,s they called it Jack something I believe and the descriptions fit Mothman to a T.

It sounds like you're talking about Spring-heeled Jack. There are some descriptions of SHJ that bear some similarities to the Mothman, but the physical descriptions of SHJ are actually very varied and most of them don't apply to the bulk of the descriptions connected to the Mothman. That includes the very early Mothman descriptions that seem to have more in common with 'birdmen' than 'mothmen'.

As for the Mothman itself and the OP, perhaps the weirdest element of the whole Mothman story is why 'Mothman'? In the story over all - the actual Mothman component is a relatively small one and the other factors that are involved. Characters such as Indrid Cold and Mr Apol; the unnamed MIB types; the UFOs; the electronic manipulation, surveillance, harrassment; and so on.

It's a mystery to me why this is so often classed as a 'cryptid' story.

reply to post by Merriman Weir


YAY you named it that is exactly what I was talking about ,as far as Mothman goes it's just a name his description really has no moth element to it at all he was said to be more in the nature of a reptilian very tall and with leathery wings and claws for feet and strange red eyes,he was thought to have killed a German Shepard and drunk it's blood. he chased some people in a car flying as fast as they were driving and he inhabited a bunker type concrete fortification near an abandoned weapons manufacturing plant ,many people saw him there

here's Spring Heeled Jack

[edit on (11/19/0808 by invisiblewoman]

Originally posted by invisiblewoman

YAY you named it that is exactly what I was talking about ,as far as Mothman goes it's just a name his description really has no moth element to it at all he was said to be more in the nature of a reptilian very tall and with leathery wings and claws for feet and strange red eyes,

here's Spring Heeled Jack

[edit on (11/19/0808 by invisiblewoman]

Yeah I know, I was just pointing out the fact that the descriptions of the Mothman weren't completely consistent.

SHJ is one of my favourite Fortean topics although I don't think there are that many similarities to the Mothman story. In the SHJ case, SHJ appears to be the story, there's not much else connected to it whereas, as I pointed out above, the Mothman story is one of 'high-strangeness': a very mixed bag of phenomena.

Also, things that are purported to be similar I think are often 'over-egged'. I think too much is made of reports about red firey/glowing/reflective eyes in the SHJ case(s) as it's not particularly consistent and these descriptions don't tally with the large red eyes and, perhaps more importantly, the actual placement of them on the Mothman's body.

OK, so the Mothman/Spring Heeled Jack is one thing, but after reading this post, I'm slightly lost...so someone push me back in the right direction, please, heh heh!

Right, so MIB the film...was based on a real Government-type-thing? I thought I would google and do some research but the only thing I can find is the Motor Insurance Bureau, and some Line Dancing website, which I'm sure is neither (Although Tommy-Lee and Will doing said dance would be highly amusing to me, haha!)

Should I take this to a new thread? Sorry if it's way too OT from the OP! Thanks

Originally posted by emmy

Right, so MIB the film...was based on a real Government-type-thing?

For the sake of accuracy, "MIB the film" was actually based on a comic.

was based on a real Government-type-thing?

That's just speculation and 'evidence' to show that it's a "real Government-type-thing" is inconclusive and actually contradictory. To tie this back into the Mothman story, the MIB who appear here aren't a "Government-type-thing" by any means.

[edit on 19-11-2008 by Merriman Weir]

reply to post by Merriman Weir


OK, I just got a little confused due to this post by Wally, is why.

Originally posted by Wally Conley
If memory serves me correctly, the Mothman sightings were also accompanied by lots of reports of the Men In Black, who went around talking to most, if not all of the people who reported sighting Mothman. John Keel wrote of it in the book he wrote of the case.

I did realise the film was based on a comment, although may have forgotten *ahem* so thanks for refreshing my memory. This is why I question the MIB comment originally.

Originally posted by emmy


OK, I just got a little confused due to this post by Wally, is why.

Originally posted by Wally Conley
If memory serves me correctly, the Mothman sightings were also accompanied by lots of reports of the Men In Black, who went around talking to most, if not all of the people who reported sighting Mothman. John Keel wrote of it in the book he wrote of the case.

I did realise the film was based on a comment, although may have forgotten *ahem* so thanks for refreshing my memory. This is why I question the MIB comment originally.

Your best bet, really, if you want an understanding of how the MIB motif exists within the 'Mothman' paradigm is to actually read Keel's book. It's this side of the story that is the genuinely weird part, not the idea of a flying cryptid. There's part of it where it's fairly apparent that, rather than being the some controlling intelligence organisation or even alien organisation, they're something else, perhaps as clueless as to who and what they are as ourselves.

reply to post by yeahright

It sounds to me like Major Downing knew more than what we, as civilians, thought we knew about the U.S. Government. These notes go very deeply into the Men In Black/Black Ops and ufos. I did find some information on Kalo Lowve which I have linked right Here. The information about it is on the third paragraph down. One thing that these nnotes state is that even the Russians had their own version of the Men In Black that was associated with the Committee for State Security (otherwise known as the KGB.)

As for why this was never published, I think there are reasons as to why this was never published in bookform. One reason could have been if information like this were to suddenly appear in public. Major Downing might have been made to "disappear."

reply to post by gimmefootball400

The History of Mothman.

That sounds like a cartoon. The Adventures Of Mothman...