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| 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:
The Indianapolis Star. 22 December 1967
Evansville Press. 21 December 1967
Daily News. 17 December 1967
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