Silver Bridge Stories: The George Byus Family

Silver Bridge Collapse
Photo from Charleston Gazette

When the Silver Bridge, linking Pt. Pleasant, WV to Gallipolis, OH fell on December 15, 1967 many associated the tragedy with a centuries-old curse placed upon the town by Chief Cornstalk as he lay dying at the hands of the white man. Some believed that curse or not, the sightings of the strange creature known as Mothman over the past 11 months were leading up to this event. It was even rumored that Mothman had been seen on or near the bridge shortly before it's collapse. Was Mothman simply trying to warn the town of an impending disaster, or was he somehow responsible for it? Whatever connection you may or may not believe is there, the fact is that an unprecedented tragedy resulted in the lives of 46 people being lost. And, for whatever reason, this tragedy will forever be linked into the greater lore of the Mothman. 

As part of my commitment to documenting ALL aspects of West Virginia's spooky nature, I wanted to start highlighting some of the history associated with the Silver Bridge, starting with the stories behind some of the many victims. I don't want to overwhelm this blog with nothing but Silver Bridge posts, so it'll take me quite a long time to cover everything I want to cover, starting with this story of the Byus Family of Pt. Pleasant. 

On the evening of December 15, 1967, George Byus had returned from work to his home at 198 Park Drive, Pt. Pleasant, WV. His wife, Hilda was waiting on him to get home. She wanted to go out to dinner at the Bob Evans restaurant, located just across the bridge in Ohio. George, however, was tired after a long day, so Hilda decided to go get takeout instead. She loaded the couple's two daughters, 2-year old Kimberly Lynn and 10-year old Catherine Lucille 'Kathy' into the family's blue '67 Ford Mustang. 

Around 4:55pm, as the family was crossing the Silver Bridge, the bridge, heavy with rush hour traffic, collapsed. Rescue efforts began almost immediately, but unfortunately, 46 lives were lost that day. Hilda, Kimberly, and Kathy were among those lost in the tragic accident.

By the 17th, Hilda's mother, uncle, and two older siblings had come to town to await further news. Hilda's mother, Mrs. Grace Roach, was so overwhelmed with grief, that after being interviewed by the local paper, had to be helped, sobbing, back to her vehicle. Unfortunately, it wouldn't be until the morning of Thursday, December 21st that the bodies of Hilda and Kimberly were recovered, still in the blue Mustang. They were the 31st and 32nd bodies to be recovered from the collapse, being found in the 60ft deep main channel near the bridge.

Hilda and Kimberly were buried at Concord Baptist Church Cemetery in nearby Henderson, WV. The body of young Kathy was never recovered. She, along with Maxine Turner, were the only two victims of the Silver Bridge to never be found, and to this day, her body is unaccounted for. 

George Byus, the sole survivor of the family, passed away on May 15, 2012. His work as a mechanical engineer took him to many places, including Texas, where he passed. His body was brought home to West Virginia and laid to rest beside his wife and youngest daughter. It doesn't appear that the Pt. Pleasant native ever remarried or had any additional children. 

Sources: 

WV GenWeb Project

Find-a-Grave

Early Marietta Blog

The Indianapolis Star. 22 December 1967

Evansville Press. 21 December 1967

Daily News. 17 December 1967

How Far Chief Cornstalk's Curse REALLY Goes

When conducting some research for a blog on Chief Cornstalk's curse on Pt. Pleasant, WV and how that curse may tie in with Mothman and/or the fall of the Silver Bridge on December 15, 1967, I came across an interesting little article from the Weekly Register, dated December 4, 1873. 

"A singular fate, which is said to issue from "Cornstalk's Curse" of Point Pleasant! seems to hang over our fair daughters in the city.  No sooner is one engaged (and that is not often enough considering the great number of marriageable girls) to marry than something intervenes to break off the match.  An instance of this kind happened a few evenings since, when a young man was parting from his adored at the gate, slipped on the pavement, and cut himself quite badly on a tin-type of his love, on which he hit in a sitting posture.  When the "love" discovered where he carried her picture, she was so enraged that she spoke her mind and abruptly said she would not wed him.  They parted---she to her room to cry, and he to Dr. Barbee, to have the pieces picked out."

So yeah.  It appears that this dude cut his butt cheeks (at least I hope that's where the area of the body they were hinting at) and had to go to the doctor to get pieces of a tin-type photograph plucked out of him because he kept his love's visage in his pants pocket as opposed to the breast pocket of his coat.  I think that's what they're getting at, right?  I would think if the Curse of Chief Cornstalk was really affecting the ability of eligible young ladies to find a husband, this girl might want to go ahead and overlook where her beau carries her photo.  Although...I'm not sure if I could personally overlook this whole debacle being published in the local newspaper!  I guess that would be a fun story to tell the grandchildren one day!

Just a quick bit of background information---Chief Cornstalk was a Shawnee leader in the area around what is today the Kanawha and the Ohio River Valleys.  In the 1770s, white settlers began reaching the area, and area tribes formed a coalition to keep them out.  Unfortunately, a battle for the land that took place in 1774 led to a number of colonists being killed, but twice as many Native peoples being wiped out.  Those who were left moved westward into Ohio to avoid further confrontation, and a fort was built at Pt. Pleasant, near the confluence of the Ohio and Kanawha Rivers.  Eventually, however, Chief Cornstalk attempted to make peace with the white settlers in the area, and relations were going well until 1777.  Late that year, the British were coaxing Native Americans to side with them in the American Revolution, and local tribes began making plans to attack the American colonists in the area.  Chief Cornstalk went to the fort to warn the colonists that an attack was imminent and that he would not stop his own men from joining in.

Cornstalk, as well as two other Natives were 'taken hostage' and kept in the fort. It is believed that this arrangement was voluntary, at least at first, as Chief Cornstalk's presence at the fort might cause the other tribes not to attack.  And when Cornstalk's son, Ellinipisco came to visit, he was also detained.  Unfortunately, just a few days later, two soldiers stationed at the fort were ambushed by Indians while out hunting.  In retaliation for the deaths of these two soldiers, fellow colonists at the fort massacred Cornstalk and the others in a brutal attack.  It is legend that with his dying breath, Chief Cornstalk cursed the people who settled the area for 100 years.

Throughout the 1800s, many people in Pt. Pleasant DID believe in the curse, at least to some extent.  The curse was quoted multiple times in area newspapers any time something actually bad happened, but also in a more tongue-in-cheek manner, as you can see in the article, transcribed above! And although the curse was only supposed to last 100 years, there are some who tie in both the appearance of Mothman and the fall of the Silver Bridge with the curse...both far cries from slicing open a young man's cheeks with a metal photograph!