Collections: Mothman

It's Friday, September 20th here in Kanawha Valley and I bet there's a BUNCH of you out there reading this that cannot wait until tomorrow!  This weekend obviously marks the 12th annual Mothman Festival in Pt. Pleasant, WV!  HPIR and Haunted and Historic Guyandotte Tours have usually set up an informational table every other year at this world-renowned event, so it saddens me that we won't be there this weekend (we went last year)....too much other stuff, including my son's 4th birthday party AND a very important investigation later that evening that I'll tell you more about later!

But just because I won't physically be there (actually, I'm probably taking the family down there Sunday, so look for me wandering!) doesn't mean I'm not excited for all of you who will be!  To get you all super excited about the big event and to give you a few places to make sure you check out while in town, I wanted to do a special Collections post.  Here is a collection of some of the Mothman-related and Pt. Pleasant area posts I have on my website.  Enjoy, and please feel free to share the word with anyone you know who will be making the trek to the spookiest small-town in West Virginia this weekend!

Mothman Through the Peephole:  Late last year a woman from Portland Oregon claimed to have been harassed by a large humanoid with wings.  She even claimed to have snapped a picture of the beast through the peephole of her apartment door.  And while the photo does show something that resembles or beloved Mothman, most experts agree that her story just doesn't add up.  Decide for yourself!

TNT Area:  Everyone knows the TNT area as the alleged home and hiding place for Mothman.  However, I had a paranormal encounter of a very different nature there.  Was I helped by chivalry from beyond the grave?  Includes a brief history of the TNT area and my own story about what happened when we tried to visit an igloo that was off the beaten path.

The Lowe Hotel:  No other building is quite as synonymous with the haunted history of Pt. Pleasant.  If you weren't lucky enough to secure a room here for the festival, there WILL be public tours at designated times.  Check the sign on the front door for more information.

Pt. Pleasant River Museum:  It's probably gonna rain on Saturday, so if you get caught in an unfortunate downpour (and even if you don't) I highly recommend checking out the Pt. Pleasant River Museum, located across the street from Tu-Endi-Wei.  There's a great collection of riverboat history, films, and even a giant fish tank.  There's also the ghost of a man in white coveralls seen roaming the building!

Historic State Theater:  Located right down the street from the main hustle and bustle, and directly beside the Silver Bridge Memorial, the State Theater is an integral part of the Mothman Festival, showing wonderful films and documentaries and even hosting guest speakers.  It's also haunted, as we got a chance to find out for ourselves!

Summers House:  Located on the WV Farm Museum property, and rumored to be haunted.  The Farm Museum offers hayrides through the TNT area on Saturday evening, and its definitely worth getting there early to explore the actual museum itself.  You'll see a two-headed stuffed cow and other strange taxidermy, historic log church and a schoolhouse...and the Summers House, which is reportedly haunted by a member of an esteemed early WV family!

Pioneer Cemetery:  It's not haunted that I know of, but you won't want to miss this small collection of some of the area's earliest graves.  You can't miss it as its literally right on the side of the road!

Book Review for Haunted Hospitality:  This is single greatest resource for anyone wanting to know the history of the Lowe Hotel...and its hauntings.  Written by Robin P. Bellamy who is an annual guest speaker at the festival.

Mothman 2012 Recap:  HPIR DID have our table set up last year in Vendors' Row...and had some interesting experiences!  Read about them here!

Inside one of the igloos.  Vandals painted an extra, er, appendage on him since this was taken.

Here's a few BONUS locations in the general area!

1. Our House Museum.  Located across the river, in Gallipolis, Ohio.  Apparition of the former owner, plus the sound of opera singer, Jenny Lind, as well as tons of other activity reported!

2. Bruce Chapel and Mai Moore Mansion:  The mansion is no longer standing, except for a few ruins deep within the woods, but Bruce Chapel is located a short drive from Pt. Pleasant, in the Apple Grove area.  Permission to investigate this location can be sought by looking the location up on FaceBook!

3. Sliding Hill Phantom:  Located in Mason County, Sliding Hill Road has a ghost tale going all the way back to the Revolutionary War!

4. Anna Potts:  Speaking of the Revolutionary War, here's another vintage tale of a woman still searching for her daughter who was captured by Indians.

Anyway, that should definitely get you started, but please feel free to message me if you'd like any additional information...and definitely take a look around this website!  I've got a ton more haunted places within an hour's drive of Pt. Pleasant and a pretty fair collection of book reviews of books I've picked up from Mothman Festival speakers and vendors!

Have a safe and happy Mothman Festival 2013!