Mothman in St. Albans

When two young couples witnessed a terrifying, red-eyed, winged humanoid just outside of Pt. Pleasant, WV one November evening in 1966, that sleepy little West Virginia town along the Ohio River became forever entwined with the Mothman story. For 13 long months, the citizens of Pt. Pleasant were plagued by sightings of the creature, along with reports of UFOs, Men in Black, other strange cryptids, ghosts, and even psychic visions. 

Even to this day, Pt. Pleasant is home to the annual Mothman Festival, the world's only Mothman Museum, and of course, the beloved Mothman statue. People come from all over the country, and even all over the world to learn more about this mysterious monster, tour the places where it was seen, and take home plenty of Mothman-themed souvenirs from some of the many local shops! But...Mothman wasn't confined to JUST Pt. Pleasant. It seems as if our winged friend was quite the traveler, even during the initial 1966-1967 flap. One of the many places he was spotted (twice!) was St. Albans, West Virginia!

St. Albans is a town located in Kanawha County, not far from Charleston. As the crow flies, it's about 40 miles south of Pt. Pleasant, straight down on the Kanawha River. Less than two weeks after the initial Mothman sightings, West Virginia's favorite cryptid showed up on two consecutive evenings in or near town. 

On Saturday, November 26, 1966, Ruth Foster, a housewife, got a really good look at a strange bird-like creature standing in her front yard, by her porch. She said it had a "funny little face" with no beak, but "big red poppy eyes" that popped out of it's face. She said the creature stood around the same height as her husband, who was 6'1''. Understandably, Ruth let out a scream at seeing such a strange creature, and ran inside the house. Her brother in law immediately ran back out to see it for himself, but by that time it had disappeared. Neither apparently saw the creature actually leave. 

The next day, Mothman was a busy lil' beast. Around 10:30am, he was seen by 18 year old Connie Jo Carpenter near New Haven in Mason County, not far from Pt. Pleasant. Connie was driving home from church services when she noticed what looked like a large man in gray standing near the Mason County Golf Course. Suddenly, ten-foot wings unfolded and this...THING...took off straight up and then straight towards her car. She said the thing stared at her with it's huge red eyes through the windshield, then veered off and flew away. The whole incident affected her greatly, as she rushed home in hysterics. She was unable to go to school for the next few days, and had to seek medical treatment for klieg conjunctivitis---eye burn---that lasted two weeks. Like Ruth, she also got a good look at the thing's face, but she was so shook up by the experience that she couldn't really describe it beyond saying how awful it was.

After physically and mentally damaging that poor young girl, later that evening Mothman would return  to St. Albans, where he would again scare the crud out of two young girls. Thirteen year old Sheila Cain and her younger sister were walking home from a store on Route 60, just outside of St. Albans when they saw a large "something" next to a local junkyard. The girls described the creature as being gray and white, standing about 7 feet tall (bigger than a grown man), and having large, red eyes. It flew straight up in the air, and as the girls started running towards home, it flew over them, chasing them part of the way. Allegedly, a neighbor also witnessed the creature. 

As far as I have found, those were the only two times Mothman was reportedly seen in St. Albans, but it was one heck of a weekend! Fortunately for the citizens of this little city at the confluence of the Kanawha and Coal Rivers, Mothman had many more places to be and people to scare, always returning to his home base in Pt. Pleasant, West Virginia. 

Sources: 

Keel, John. Strange Creatures From Time and Space. New Saucerian Books, 2014. 

Keel, John. The Mothman Prophecies. Tor Publishing, 2002.

Sergent, Donnie and Jeff Wamsley. Mothman: The Facts Behind the Legend. Mothman Lives Publishing, 2002. 

Tad Jones' UFO

Tad Jones, with sketch. Charleston Daily Mail 20 January 1967
Photo by Ray Wheeler

January 19, 1967 started off as a typical Thursday morning for Tad Jones, an appliance store owner from Dunbar, West Virginia. He was traveling on Interstate 64 in his truck, headed to work. He was in the westbound lanes about six miles west from Charleston, and about one mile east of the Institute exit when something caught his eye. Although it was 9:05 am, there were no other cars on the fairly new interstate road. So, when he saw a light up ahead, he assumed it was some sort of road crew vehicle. 

As he got closer, he realized that what he was seeing was definitely not part of the WV DOH fleet. In fact, it wasn't even of this earth!

Right in the middle of the interstate, completely blocking the westbound lanes, was an aluminum-colored spherical craft. The craft was about 20 feet in diameter, and was hovering about 3-4 feet in the air. Some accounts claim that Jones got out of his truck and approached the craft, while others say that Jones stayed in his vehicle. Either way, he observed the object for about a minute. During that time, he noticed there was a single 'window,' but did not see any creatures or movement through it.A 'seam' down the center of the craft seemed to suggest that it was made of more than one piece of aluminum, perhaps, welded together. Two antennae stuck out of the top.  He noted that the craft was attached to four legs that had caster-like wheels at their ends, and that there was a propeller-like apparatus sticking out of the bottom of the sphere.  This propeller made no noise, and gave off no exhaust. At first, it was spinning slowly, then continued to increase in speed until the craft rose straight up, again with no noise or exhaust. Jones watched it ascend into the sky for another 60-90 seconds before it completely disappeared from view. 

Jones then traveled on to work, but would report what he had seen to nearby Guthrie Air Force Station. It would only be a matter of time before the local newspapers picked up the story and ran with it. 

But, Jones' strange close encounter would attract the attention of more than just local media. J. (James) Ralph Jarrett, a local UFO research working at nearby Union Carbide, reached out to Jones because he had had a similar UFO sighting a week or so before. The case would also attract the attention of researcher John Keel, who was in the area investigating the Mothman sightings and accompanying UFO flap in Pt. Pleasant, about an hour away. 

In fact, some interesting details about the Jones case that were left out of initial newspaper reports were discussed in John Keel's book, The Mothman Prophesies. 

Not long after Jones reported the sighting, he'd receive two notes. The first handwritten note was slipped under the door of his home sometime in the early morning hours. It read, "We know what you have seen and we know that you have talked. You better keep your mouth shut."  Later, a second note would show up in a similar manner. This one was written on a piece of torn cardboard with burned edges. It read, "There won't be another warning."

The Cumberland News, 20 January 1967

Despite being rightfully concerned about these threatening letters, Jones continued to work with both Jarrett and Keel. Jarrett found out that there was a major gas line running right under where the craft was spotted. Whether that is a significant detail or not is up for speculation. The same goes for another somewhat strange detail. About a week after he had spotted the craft, Jones was taking the same route to work at about the same time as his initial sighting. When he came to the area where he had seen the UFO, he saw a man on the side of the road. Thinking he needed help, Jones, pulled off and asked the man if he needed anything. The man was silent, and responded only with a wave of the hand. Jones saw him again the very next day in the same spot. He said the man was holding a box with some kind of dial on it and a wire coming out of it, that led to the man's other hand. He was wearing a blue coat and a blue cap with a visor, that was described as looking like a 'uniform.' The man was either flushed, or had a very tan complexion. Jones said he just seemed unsettling and 'off.' When John Keel investigated, he called several utility companies and road construction crews and found out that no one was working in that area on those days, nor did anyone on staff wear that kind of uniform. (Theresa's Note: Personally, I'm kind of wondering if this man wasn't some amateur ufologist who had heard about sighting and was out there doing some of his own readings. It would have been a huge missed opportunity if he had waved Jones off, not realizing that he was the one who had actually had the sighting!).

The Charleston Daily Mail
20 January 1967

But, the weirdness doesn't stop there. Apparently, John Keel did come to the area to investigate in person. When he examined the area around the sighting, he found what appeared to be two different kinds of tracks. There were what looked like HUGE dog tracks, estimated to come from a dog weighing 200 pounds!  Keel notes that he consulted with other researchers who noted that finding huge canine tracks near locations of UFO/paranormal activity was actually pretty common. In addition to the canine tracks, one single BARE human footprint was found. 

Tad Jones' UFO encounter is just one of many strange, out-of-this-world stories from West Virginia's rich, paranormal history! The Mountain State is full of strange creatures, ghosts and haunted places, and of course, some of the weirdest tales of UFOs I've ever heard. And, Theresa's Haunted History is a great place to read about all of these wonderfully weird subjects! 

Jarrett tries to make sense of the recent UFO sightings. 
Sunday Gazette Mail 29 January 1967

The Braxton County Men in Black

John Keel

It is quite possible that the first recorded encounter with the Men in Black occurred right here in West Virginia!  However, the location and the date might be a little...unexpected.

Those who study the strange and the unusual are probably very familiar with the period of high strangeness the town of Point Pleasant, West Virginia faced throughout 1966 and 1967.  Sightings of the legendary Mothman were also accompanied by tales of hauntings, sightings of other cryptid creatures, enhanced psychic abilities and ESP, and of course...encounters with UFOs and the Men in Black.  For those not familiar with the Men in Black (MIB) in short, they are usually described as rather strange gentlemen, wearing dark suits and driving dark cars that often claim to be representatives from the government.  They tend to harass UFO witnesses into thinking that what they saw was perfectly natural---and that there is no reason to question the matter further or report it.  Many times, these MIBs are described as being rather small in stature and having Asian features, such as olive complexions and slanted eyes.

Researcher John Keel covered the weirdness of Point Pleasant extensively and wrote several books about or containing stories and theories about just what was happening in this small town by the river.  He himself was harassed by the Men in Black, and his writings on them really were instrumental in bringing the phenomenon to the mainstream.  But...these sightings in the mid-1960s weren't the EARLIEST sightings of MIB in the Mountain State.

Those with an interest in UFO lore probably are also quite familiar with the 1952 Flatwoods Monster sighting, in which a group of kids, accompanied by the mother of two of the boys witnessed what many believe today to have been a downed UFO and/or its spooky inhabitant.  While I'm personally not familiar with any Men in Black sightings associated with this case (aside from a strongly worded letter to Ms. May allegedly from the Pentagon), the Braxton County UFO crash of 1952 is significant to this tale because...IT WASN'T THE FIRST TIME A UFO CRASHED IN BRAXTON COUNTY, WV!!

The following tale comes from John Keel's 1978 book, The Cosmic Question.  On pages 148-150, Keel relates the story told to him in 1967 from a retired newsman living in Weston, WV named John Cole.  In May of 1924, John Cole was called in to investigate the site of a possible airplane crash near Gem, Braxton County, WV and had a run-in with what were probably early Men in Black.  I've provided a link to the actual book, but here's a condensed version as posted on Reddit:

The late and groundbreaking Ufologist John Keel (John Alva Kiehl) reported a bizarre possible crash & retrieval case which involved strange characters, perhaps precursors of the modern day M.I.B. The incident is said to have occurred one afternoon in May of 1924 near the small town of Gem, West Virginia:

A farmer outside Gem in monster haunted Braxton County reported seeing an ‘airplane’ crash in a forest. Planes were a very rare sight in those days especially in West Virginia, and a crashing plane was big news. According to the farmer, the plane was very odd in that it didn’t seem to have any wings, didn’t make any noise and seemed unusually large. “As big as a battleship” is the way the farmer described it. A party of men, including the local sheriff and local newsman John Cole systematically searched the woods. Within hours they found the wreck in a small clearing.

According to Cole: “We weren’t the first ones there, though. There were already five or six men in the clearing. Some of them were dressed in black business suits, neckties and all, and that seemed damned silly in that neck of the woods”. Others were dressed in coveralls of a funny color---some kind of very shiny material. They were talking among themselves in a rapid-fire foreign language when they found them. They got real excited when they saw the search party. The men in coveralls ran into the wreck---like they were trying to hide. Some of the men in the search party were carrying guns and one of them said to Cole, “By God, they’re spies!” and he raised his gun. The strangers were all small, just a little over five feet tall, and they all looked like Orientals, with high cheekbones, slanted eyes, and dark skin. One of them spoke English. He told the men nobody was hurt, that everything was all right. He said he would call on the sheriff later and make out a complete report. There wasn’t much they could do. No crime had been committed. Nobody was hurt.

According to Cole while he was looking around he spotted a ‘little thingamajig” on the ground. He picked it up and decided to keep it. He doesn’t know why he just didn’t turn it over to one of “foreigners”. He put it in his pocket. They all finally went away, leaving the foreigners to fuss with their contraption. It didn’t look like much of a flying machine. It fact, Cole didn’t think it could fly at all. It was like a fuselage of a modern plane, with windows and all. But it didn’t have any wings, tail or propellers. And like the farmer said, it was mighty big. According to Cole at least seventy five feet long, it filled the whole clearing. He went back home in Weston and went right to bed. He was pretty tired from all the day’s hiking. About three a. m. somebody started pounding on his door. He got up and looked and there was an army officer standing there. He was dressed in one of those broad-brimmed hats they used to wear, with those leg wrappings and all. It was a U.S. Army uniform, but except for his clothes he looked just like those foreigners from the airplane. Slant eye, dark skin, but he was maybe a little taller. ‘You picked up something today,’ he said. ‘We need it back.’ Cole was half asleep and at first he couldn’t think what he meant. Then he remembered the metal ‘thingamajig” It was still in his coat pocket. Cole went and got it. “Is this what you mean?” He asked him. He didn’t answer; he just grabbed it and walked off without a word. He didn’t, seem to have a horse or a car. Cole shuffled back to bed. But the next day he started wondering about it. How had the supposed officer managed to track him down? A couple of days later he went back to those woods and found that clearing. It was empty. The grass and bushes were all crushed down where the airplane had been but there was no other sign of anything or anybody. After the Army ‘officer’ came by Cole figured that maybe it was a secret Army deal of some kind and he thought it was better to leave it alone.

Thomas, the Winged Cat of West Virginia

Thomas the Winged Cat and owner, Doug Shelton (right) and friend, Gary Church. AP Photo

It sounds like something out of a fairy tale or a little girl's dreams:  a cat with wings, flying merrily about and having enchanted adventures in far away lands.  (To others, it may sound more like a nightmare, hehe)  But either way, a winged cat cannot possibly exist in nature, right?  Well, not exactly....

Although there is no such thing as a flying cat, nature has produced us several examples of cats, who it appeared, had wings.  There are actually three different scenarios that produce these winged cats, and as a result, winged cats have been reported all over the globe and throughout recorded history.  The first scenario is the most common, and that is, the wings are simply matted fur.  The matted fur explanation is most often seen in long-haired cat varieties as fur tends to become matted, and even starts to become "felted," resulting in what looks like wings that flap when the cat runs or walks.  This is also not uncommon for shorter-haired breeds, as they shed their winter coats in mid to late spring.  However, it might be more alarming to novice cat owners and mistaken as wings.  In any event, these clumps of matted fur are uncomfortable to the cat, and can harbor dirt, feces, and parasites, so they should be clipped off by a veterinarian.

The second explanation for the winged cat phenomena is a skin condition called Feline Cutaneous Asthenia (FCA), in which the wings are actually extra flaps of skin found on the cat's shoulders, haunches, or back.  What is really quite interesting with FCA is that many cats with this condition can actually move these flaps at will, showing that the wings do have muscular tissue and tendons.  Obviously, you would NOT want to cut these wings off.

Lastly, and the most rare of the conditions, is simply, extra appendages.  We've all seen the photos of the calf, and the sheep, and the chicken with extra legs and the same applies to these cats.  These extra appendages are usually fur covered, and at times, can be controlled by the animal, giving them the appearance of flapping wings.

West Virginia is lucky enough to have its own winged-cat celebrity, a white Persian named "Thomas."

In May of 1959, 15 year old Douglas Shelton of Pineville (Wyoming County) was out in the woods when his dog treed something.  The boy looked, and saw it was a cat, so he climbed the tree and brought it home.  However, Shelton would quickly see that this was not an ordinary cat--it had two wing-like appendages coming off its back!  As word spread of his unique discovery, Shelton began charging a dime for visitors to take a look at his new pet who he christened "Thomas."

A reporter for a Beckley newspaper, Fern Miniacs, came and examined the cat, which she discovered was actually a female.  It also appeared to be a Persian cat who she concluded, had wings that had no bones, but definitely gristle.  The wings were soft and fluffy towards the ends and slightly gritty towards the body.  An anonymous out-of-state veterinarian also concluded that the wings were of unknown origin, but a local conservation officer maintained the opinion that the cat was simply shedding its coat.  His opinion was largely ignored by the growing number of Thomas fans.

Thomas' popularity grew so much that she even landed a spot on the Today Show.  Thomas and Douglas Shelton took the train into New York, and appeared on the show live on June 8, 1959.  However, the show would have negative consequences.  Watching that day was another Pineville local, Mrs. Charles Hicks.  Hicks claimed that the cat was HERS, and that her name was Mitzi.  Mitzi had run away as a result of being given some ear drops, four days before Shelton found her.  Hicks claimed that Mitzi was a gift that had been purchased by a friend in California.  Friends and family had all seen her wings, and could verify that she was indeed property of Mrs. Hicks.  She demanded the cat be returned, but Douglas Shelton refused.  As a result, Mrs. Hicks took the matter to court.

The case was tried on October 5, 1959 and everyone in the courtroom was shocked to see Douglas Shelton carry in a wingless cat, and a shoebox containing two clumps of matted fur.  Shelton admitted that Thomas had shed her wings back in July.  Mrs. Hicks nastily replied that the cat in question was NOT her Mitzi.  She was rewarded $1 in damages, and the Shelton family was awarded full custody of Thomas, the now wingless cat.

UPDATE: Dough Shelton unfortunately passed away on August 7th, 2020.  His granddaughter posted a link to his story (including the above photo) on the West Virginia Paranormal Society's Facebook page. In the post, she states that Thomas the Cat was set free. 

The Raleigh Register
01 October 1959