Point Pleasant's Mothman Sighting

One of the more prominent occurrences of unexplained phenomena grabbed media attention in the late 1960s when several residents began reporting sightings of a giant bird-like man. Skeptics deciphering descriptions from reports believe witnesses fabricated the creature, mostly due to erroneous circumstances. Biology researchers analyzing the case would say The Mothman, as locals named it, must be a Sandhill Crane or some sort of large Heron. Word passed around town with a common belief this grayish skinned moth creature lived in an abandoned World War II dynamite factory. Talks eventually spun out of control, perhaps in fear or panic, to incorporate the biological explanation, claiming a large bird mutated from exposure to toxic wastes while hiding at the factory. It was even proposed TNT chemical contamination in a nearby wildlife refuge may have been altering perception of local residents by seeping into the water supply and animal game, causing the mind to distort occurrences which otherwise may be completely natural.

A controversial photograph showing a large dark figure clinging to the top of a support on the Silver Bridge seemed to corroborate witness testimonies. Stories, rumors and paranormal type activity escalated until one moment, when the Silver Bridge collapsed, sending forty people into the river below. According to many folk in Point Pleasant the Mothman occurrences stopped after this point. Locals started thinking due to this connection, that perhaps the Mothman was trying to warn of danger before it happened, but the significance was not realized until it was too late. Later, it was found after an extensive structural investigation, the apparent cause of the bridge's failure was due to an accidental micro-fracture in a connecting piece created during the manufacturing process.

Originally the Silver Bridge held a light amount of traffic and vehicle weight, but over the years it increased all the while gradually increasing the metal fracture's size. The devastation in Point Pleasant became a blessing to other parts of the United States as the event triggered creation of a national bridge inspection organization responsible for examining bridge safety on a regular basis. It is unfortunate such events have to occur in order to save the lives of people in the future, but perhaps this may have been Mothman's intent. Could it be possible Mothman was trying to bring awareness to an entire country over these sorts of dangers?

Continue reading: Misignwa Mothman Legend