Monster Bird Haunts Webster County

When the first reports of a monster terrorizing the area around Pt. Pleasant, WV started pouring in at the end of 1966, the sightings all had one thing in common. Not one witness ever described an actual...moth. The term Mothman was the invention of a newspaper reporter, taking inspiration from pop culture at the time. What people WERE describing was a bird. A very, very large, man-like bird. 

This wouldn't be the first time a giant bird would haunt the people of West Virginia. In February of 1895, Webster County would be the site of a rash of sightings, and even attacks, by what locals referred to as a giant eagle. 

The trouble began when Landy Junkins, the ten-year-old daughter of Dan Junkins of Bergoo mysteriously disappeared. Landy's mother had sent the young girl out one Friday around noon to visit the cabin of Joe Warnick. Landy was to walk the 1.5 miles from the Junkins cabin to the Warnick cabin to check on Mrs. Warnick, who had been ill. When she didn't return home by that evening, her father set out to look for her. Thinking perhaps she had stayed with the Warnicks, he went straight to their cabin, only to find that Landy never made it there. 

An intensive search began that evening and lasted all the next day. The only thing that was found of the girl were her tracks in the snow. Her tracks led off the trail and into a small clearing, where it became apparent that she circled around, rather frantically, before her tracks just disappeared. It was almost as if something had come down from the sky and carried her off....

That's exactly what people believed happened as in the following weeks, more and more reports of a giant bird were made public. Peter Swadley, a bear hunter, was out with his dog Gunner, hunting on Piney Ridge. Suddenly, a giant bird swooped down on him and attempted to lift him. The creature's sharp talons tore into his back and head, ripping his coat to shreds, and partially scalping him. The only thing that saved him was that his dog came running. The bird stopped attacking Swadley, and turned its attention to the dog, ripping it open before carrying it off. 

Swadley made it over a mile away to the cabin of Abe Kitsmiller, who brought him to town to treat his wounds. Despite a severe loss of blood and other injuries, Swadley recovered. His dog, however, was never seen again. 

In another incident, Deputy Sheriff Rube Nihiser and his son also had an encounter with the giant bird, and from a 'safe' distance away, were able to get a good description of the creature as it attacked a doe and her fawn. The Nihisers described the bird to have a wingspan of 15 to 18 feet and a body as big as a man. Its feathers were dark brown, with white on the wings. The eyes were large and shining. The sound it made was a terrible, shrill shriek.

Dogs, deer, and even sheep were not immune to the dangers of the giant bird. Hanse Hardrick kept a few sheep in a shed during the winter months. He locked the shed and headed into town, but upon his return, saw that someone or something had made a huge hole in the roof of the shed. Wool was caught around the edges of the hole and one of his sheep was missing. No tracks were observed anywhere near the shed or property, and the sheep was never found. Hardrick, believing a ghost, or 'harnt' as he called it, was to blame, covered the shed and property with small crosses made from hemlock boughs. 

But it wasn't a ghost. Ol' Pap Tammen, the oldest man in Webster County knew what it was. Many years before, TWO giant birds spent an entire winter terrorizing the countryside. It was believed that those two birds, as well as this one, made their den atop the isolated Snaggle Tooth Knob, an area inaccessible by man even in the best weather. It is unclear as to whether the creature of 1895 was one of the original two giant birds, their off-spring, or another altogether. 

Was the Mothman of Pt. Pleasant simply another one of these 'giant eagles,' or was the 'giant eagle' of Snaggle Tooth Knob actually an early visitation by the creature we now know as Mothman?

St. Louis Globe-Democrat
14 February 1895

The OTHER Bridge Collapse

 

Elk River Bridge Collapse
Charleston, WV (15 December 1904)
Source: WV Regional History Collection

Synchronicity: The simultaneous occurrence of events which appear significantly related but have no discernible causal connection. 

As a paranormal enthusiast, a student of West Virginia history, or simply just a resident of the tri-state area, you're likely familiar with the tragic events of December 15, 1967. That evening, the Silver Bridge, spanning the Ohio River at Pt. Pleasant fell during rush hour traffic, taking with it 46 lives. The event is intertwined with the Curse of Chief Cornstalk and Mothman lore, as to many, the event seemed to be the end of a 13-month period of UFOs, Mothman sightings, and other incidents of high strangeness in and around Pt. Pleasant. Some even claim that Mothman was seen on or near the bridge that day. Many who would have been on the bridge received psychic visions that kept them from becoming victims themselves. Was Mothman a harbinger of doom...or did he cause the bridge to fall? 

Most likely the answer is neither. In fact, the paranormal experiences didn't exactly stop---just no one really felt like talking about them or going Mothman-hunting when so many people had lost their lives. Nearly everyone in town was affected in some way by the tragedy or knew someone who was a victim. The collapse of the Silver Bridge was known for years as one of the worst accidents of its kind. But it wasn't the first of its kind....

In a weird display of synchronicity, another West Virginia bridge suffered a major collapse, 63 years to the DAY before the Silver Bridge disaster. 

On December 15, 1904, at 8:15am the old suspension bridge over the Elk River in Charleston, laden down with ice and snow, plummeted to the water below, taking with it quite a few pedestrians, wagon teams, and at least six children on their way to school. Miraculously, only two people were killed (despite early reporting that it was many more), but scores more were injured. The deceased were 11-year-old Mamie Higginbotham and 15-year-old Wray/Ray Humphreys.

The bridge in question, located at the base of Lovell Street and connecting today's Charleston proper with the West Side/Elk City area, had been built around 1852. It had been damaged during the Civil War but rebuilt. However, it had recently been noted to be in bad shape, and its wobbly nature earned it the nickname of 'Drunken Bridge.' Despite that, I don't think anyone was expecting its cables to come free of their moorings on that cold, December morning. At the time, it was described as being one of the worst accidents of its kind....

What are the chances that West Virginia would suffer two deadly bridge collapses on the exact same day, 55 miles apart, 63 years apart? Both accidents happened on cold, icy days during times of heavy traffic. Perhaps it is all just one big coincidence, but perhaps this may be another example of the weird synchronicity and high strangeness surrounding the whole Mothman phenomenon. 

The website, My WV Home, has an excellent page on the history of the Elk River bridge collapse of 1904, including photos and articles not pictured below. Go check them out for a fuller picture on the devastation that occurred on that fateful day. 

Hinton Daily News
15 December 1904

Bluefield Daily Telegraph
16 December 1904

Fairmont West Virginian
17 December 1904

The (Pt. Pleasant) Weekly Register
21 December 1904

Bluefield Daily Telegraph
22 December 1904

Martinsburg Statesman-Democrat
23 December 1904

The Feathered Monster of Lincoln County

"Don't shoot me, bro."
The stare of the Shoebill Stork

Between February and October of 1896, newspapers around the country (except any in West Virginia that I have access to) ran an interesting story of a large, unknown "feathered monster." These cookie-cutter articles claim that Elias Midkiff of Hamlin had visited Charleston in hopes of convincing the State Historical and Antiquarian Society that if they'd send a taxidermist to Lincoln County, he'd ensure they'd be adding a bird specimen that no one had ever seen before...at least not here in West Virginia!

The bird in question was shot by a Mr. W.W. Adkins while out on a deer-hunting trip, just south of Hamlin in the Ranger area, near Vannater's Creek. According to Adkins' story, the bird had been circling in the sky before alighting on the water, where he was able to get a good shot at it. He got it in the wing, hoping to take it alive, but as it was overly aggressive, he had to finish the job. It took five bullets to finally bring the monster bird down. 

Adkins and Midkiff measured the bird, which was 7 feet, 4 inches from tip to tip (I'm guessing wingspan), and 4 feet from the tip of its bill to the tip of its tail. Its bill was flat, like a duck's and measured 4 inches long and 3 inches wide. It had webbed feet located at the end of its 11-inch legs. The coloring was dark brown, with light blue highlights along the wings and breast.

Adult Shoebill

I couldn't find any follow-up as to whether the creature was ever taxidermized, and if so, where it ended up. There's really not a good date as to when this actually happened, as the story leaves that detail out and the story literally ran in different newspapers over the span of at least 8 months. The newspaper article below is from February 1896, but the same article ran as late as October of that same year. 

Out of curiosity, I searched the physical description given of the bird, and Google's best guess is that it might be a juvenile shoebill stork. While adults are usually a lighter gray color (possibly mistaken for light blue?), the juveniles are brown in color. These would be birds that have a HUGE duck-like bill, long legs, and webbed feet. I can't vouch for how aggressive they are, but if you look at pictures of these things, they just LOOK like they'd mess you up, especially after you SHOT them. The problem is, the shoebill stork is absolutely not native to West Virginia, or even the United States. Could a bird all the way from a limited geographical region in Africa make it to a little West Virginia town, or was this really some mysterious, unknown cryptid? Or...was the whole story simply a tale taller than the bird itself? 

As we enter the final stretch to the annual Mothman Festival and are just a couple months out from the first wave of the 1966-67 Pt. Pleasant sightings, I love sharing additional stories of large, unknown bird-like creatures terrorizing the skies over the Mountain State. West Virginia has no shortage of strange creatures, on land, in water, or in the air. 

The Bay City Times (Michigan)
4 February 1896

Breaking News: Mothman Does NOT 'Love Lamp'

Ya'll. We've been lied to. All those cute lil' images of Mothman and his obsession with lamps, found in cartoons, memes, stickers, and even festival cosplay are unfounded. According to a newspaper article appearing in the Charleston Daily Mail on November 17, 1966, just a day after the Scarberry/Mallett sighting----Mothman HATED any sort of lights!  This rather, 'un-mothy' behavior, may not make sense at first, until you realize that witnesses and locals alike did not initially refer to the iconic creature as Mothman. They called it the Bird, or the Big Bird. It wasn't until a few days later that a newspaper reporter dubbed the being 'Mothman.'  Here's a transcript of the article:

NIGHT RIDER IN SKY AFRAID OF LIGHTS

People in Mason County are talking about a flying man who is afraid of lights.

He is a 6-foot creature with a wingspan of 10 feet and can scoot along at 100 miles per hour. 

Wednesday about midnight the gray and white replacement to mundane flying saucers startled two young couples driving north of Point. Pleasant on W.Va. 62, they said. 

Once they spotted it, they headed for town at 100 miles an hour and along came their weird airborne friend, breezing about 50 feet above them with the greatest of ease, they told police.

But once they neared the lighted confines of the town, the high horsepowered night rider in the sky veered around and took off toward the dark and less populous countryside---the two couples told police. 

Charleston Daily Mail
17 November 1966

Trooper Sees UFOs Over Ashland, Kentucky

Ashland, Kentucky

Throughout 1966 and 1967, flying saucers filled the skies over the tri-state area and beyond. In Point Pleasant, WV, residents were reporting UFOs, Men in Black, psychic experiences, and of course, our infamous Mothman. But a little over an hour away in Ashland, Kentucky, there were also strange reports of things in the skies. One example comes from late November of 1967 when a former pilot turned police trooper allegedly spotted several UFOs over the course of several hours.

Despite the potential for backlash, Patrolman Roger Gussler admitted to his co-workers that he had seen four to five flying saucers on or around the weekend of November 25. For over three hours,
Gussler watched the objects fly over Ashland at an elevation of 15,000 to 20,000 feet. They appeared as red blinking lights, but behaved in a manner not common to any known aircraft at the time. The lights were blinking much slower than a human aircraft. Also, the objects would zip through the skies at great speeds, then abruptly stop---an act which the human body could not handle. 

Gussler was not outright ridiculed by his colleagues. In fact, three other patrolmen agreed to a stakeout at a ranger tower nearby later in the week. Unfortunately, I couldn't find an update as to whether or not they actually saw anything themselves. This is an interesting story, however, because the main witness is not only a member of law enforcement but is also a former pilot. Both these positions would theoretically put him at a greater advantage of discerning the difference between a normal aircraft and one not of this world, and if he were caught lying or deemed 'crazy,' then the damage to his career and reputation would be irreparable. So, even as an unverifiable event, it has earned a spot in the archives of Fortean phenomena here at Theresa's Haunted History!

Messenger-Inquirer (Owensboro KY)
28 November 1967

 

Mothman in Charleston 2: A Monkey-Faced Bird

 

The Charleston Daily Mail
21 November 1966

Well, it seems as if I've jumped the gun! I should consult my own research a little better before publishing new blog posts. Yesterday, I posted about Mothman being seen in Charleston, WV. That post dealt mostly with the creature being seen by Richard West, sitting atop his neighbor's roof on Lee Street. However, I also included another blurb from about a week earlier, in which a couple saw what they described as a large bird with a huge wingspan in the Ferry Branch area.

But, it appears, as if before either of these sightings, there was another odd sighting of what many believe to be Mothman here in the capital city!

On November 19, 1966 Lyle Atkins saw a rather peculiar sight. He told police that while on Homewood Drive, he had witnessed a monkey-faced bird with a wingspan of six to seven feet. Detective R.K. Gordon believes the description resembled a big owl with an overly big wingspan, but with further similar sightings appearing the next day and a week later, one has to wonder if this wasn't the infamous Mothman.  I do find the description REALLY weird, though. This is possibly the only article I've come across describing a monkey-faced bird. I can see where an owl might fit that description, but still...It's also interesting to note that the Ferry Branch sighting, which came a day later, is located VERY close to  Homewood Drive, AND the descriptions are fairly similar; at least, they're much more similar to each other than Richard West's "Batman on my neighbor's roof" encounter. 

Anyway, be sure to check out yesterday's blog, Mothman in Charleston: Richard West Encounter!

Ferry Branch Mothman Sighting
Unknown Source, dated 21 November 1966

Mothman in Charleston: Richard West Encounter

1588 Lee St. Charleston, WV

During the height of the 1966-67 Mothman flap in Point Pleasant, West Virginia's favorite winged humanoid really got around! While seemingly based in Mason County, reports came in from around West Virginia and Ohio, mainly concentrated in towns along or close to the Ohio and Kanawha Rivers. The capital city of Charleston, WV was no exception.  While on a recent trip to the Gray Barker UFO Files in Clarksburg, I found an article dated 29 November 1966. Unfortunately, it was just a clipping with the name of the newspaper omitted. I'll add a photo of the clipping, but below is a transcription, followed by some further commentary from yours truly!

MOTHMAN (BATMAN?) MAKES VISIT TO THE CITY

Batman, or Mothman, it depends on who is seeing him, made his first appearance in the city of Charleston Monday. 

Richard West of 1588 Lee St. called the Charleston Police Department at 10:15 p.m. to complain about the creature staring into his apartment window.

West talked to Patrolman D.L. Tucker, who said the conversation went something like this:

West---"You're going to think this is silly but I've seen Batman."

Tucker--"Really? Where?"

West--"He's on the roof next door. Just sitting there looking at me."

Tucker--"Describe him for me."

West-- :Well, aren't you going to get excited. I see Batman! I see Batman!"

Tucker--"I have to get this information, that's why I'm so calm."

West--" It looks just like a man. It's about six feet tall and has a wingspread of six or eight feet. It has great big red eyes."

Tucker--"Did it fly?"

West--"Straight up, just like a helicopter."

Tucker--"Can you see him now? Is he still there."

West--"No, I pulled the drapes."

There have been many sightings of a creature such as the one described by West. They originated in Mason County near Point Pleasant and the creature has been commonly referred to as Mothman or the Mason County Monster. 

29 November 1966

It's interesting that West never refers to the creature as Mothman...only as Batman. It's possible that West wasn't familiar with what was going on in Point Pleasant at the time, or didn't make the connection that the 'big bird' (as many articles were referring to it) that was being seen over an hour away could have anything to do with the winged MAN he was seeing on his neighbor's roof. However, it's important to note that in September of that year, paperboys in Charleston were being harassed in the early morning hours by some weirdo reported as being dressed up like Batman. West was probably a little more familiar with this story, as it was something of a local sensation of the time. (See my article, Batman in Charleston)

I also find it hilarious that he simply pulled the drapes after observing this creature fly straight up and presumably away. It's like he said to himself, "Not today, Batman!" I do wish I had a little more information about what neighbor was lucky enough to have the monster perch upon their roof. As you can see from the picture above, today, there is only the brick house, but there is an empty lot on the other side, which may not have been empty at the time. The apartment at 1588 itself has been renovated over the years, so it's not a great representation of what the area looked like in 1966. As a side note: I didn't realize it at the time, but this address is literally less than two blocks away from my apartment! So, it's possible that many decades ago, Mothman flapped his way across the moonlight directly over where I live today. That's kind of fun to think about! What's not so fun was trying to get a photo of the address where this went down. I swear, every time I went by to take a photo, there was someone sitting on the front porch or out on the sidewalk in front of the apartment. I finally found a stealthy moment to snap a quick picture out my car window, with hopes that no one thought I was some weirdo, or worse, become part of a new legend myself....

Anyway, this wasn't the only time Mothman was sighted in Charleston. A week before the article above was released, another article from an unnamed paper (found also in the Gray Barker archives) dated November 21, 1966 mentioned that Charleston city patrolman, Carl L. Bender received a report from a couple driving a truck near Ferry Branch who spotted a "huge bird with a wingspread wider than the truck" which swooped at them, then landed briefly in a tree before flying off up Ferry Branch Hollow.

This occurred on the Sunday before the article was published, which would have been on November 20th. That same day, a large bird was also seen in Nicholas County. 

UPDATE: I've found a third sighting of the mysterious Mothman in the Charleston area! On November 19, 1966, Lyle Atkins reported seeing a 'monkey-faced' bird with wingspan of 6-7 feet on Homewood Drive! This is a day before the Ferry Branch encounter, happened within just a few miles of it, and is eerily similar in description---well, much more similar than Batman flying straight up off a neighbor's roof! You can read about the Monkey-Faced Mothman in my newest blog: Mothman in Charleston Part 2! 

The Charleston Daily Mail
21 November 1966

UFO Crash Over West Hamlin??

Happy World UFO Day! 

Today is a day to celebrate the strange and fascinating world of ufology, and what better way to do just that than to share a UFO story from right here in West Virginia! The Mountain State is no stranger to UFO sightings, and that was especially true between Autumn of 1966 and Winter of 1967. If those dates sounds familiar, that's because this is the time frame where the small, Ohio Valley town of Pt. Pleasant was being inundated with reports of a large, winged humanoid who would become known as The Mothman. In addition to Mothman, the people of the area were reporting other incidents of high strangeness, including various cryptid sightings, hauntings, poltergeist and psychic activity....and plenty of UFOs. These reports of unidentified flying objects spread throughout the Ohio and Kanawha Valleys, including the town of West Hamlin.

What is interesting about these West Hamlin sightings is that multiple witnesses reported what they believed to be aircraft on fire. This was confirmed by an Eastern Airlines pilot who circled the area and spotted a fire two miles from West Hamlin. However, both a second search plane AND State Police ground forces could find no trace of a fire anywhere in the vicinity. So what were these witnesses seeing? Were that many people independently misidentifying some natural phenomenon that LOOKED like an aircraft on fire...or was there some sort of cover-up concerning a crashed craft, either from an extraterrestrial source, or from right here on Earth? 

Let me know in the comments below what YOU think was going on! 

Sunday Gazette-Mail
02 April 1967

Albert Brown's UFOs

Alleged UFO Photo 
from WikiPedia

Between November 1966 and December 1967, the small West Virginia town of Point Pleasant was seized with Mothman madness! Not only were residents consistently reporting a flying humanoid throughout the vicinity, the whole area was experiencing a period of high strangeness. Reports of paranormal activity including ghosts, psychic phenomenon, and other cryptid sightings were commonplace, but none so prevalent as the UFO flap that accompanied the weirdness. Throughout Pt. Pleasant and branching out to surrounding counties, UFO reports were on the rise, and one such witness was a man from neighboring Putnam County. 

Albert Brown was a shift supervisor at the new Elmwood Mines. He and his wife, Shirley, lived in Buffalo. According to an undated and unnamed newspaper article found in Mothman: Behind the Red Eyes, by Jeff Wamsley, Brown left work at 12:45 am Monday morning and noticed a white light very low in the sky, which stayed in his view along Tribble Road, on his way home. He stopped to watch the light, and it turned blue and orange, and then bobbed up and down. It would appear on top of the hill, then disappear behind the hill, only to reappear. He looked for a road that would lead him to where the object appeared, but could find none. 

After four hours of watching the object, he went home and woke up his wife, who also saw the light, reporting it was the 'brightest and strangest light she had ever seen.' They called the Civil Defense in Charleston, who referred him to the State Police. The police did come out to investigate, but by the time they got there, the light had disappeared. After their story was published, Shirley reported that Gary Davison from Spencer, WV called her to say he had seen a similar object in his area earlier that evening. 

This incident was recorded in John Keel's The Mothman Prophecies as having happened on November 20, 1967, which was in fact, a Monday. I took to Newspapers.com to see if I could find where the article cited in Wamsley's book came from. As I couldn't find it, I assume it came from one of the Huntington papers, which aren't listed on the archives. However, I did find an article about the incident from November 20, 1967 published in the Charleston Daily Mail. This much shorter article adds the detail that the light was blinking red, but omits the fact that it later turned blue and orange. It also claims that the craft was triangular in shape!

That Sunday night prior to Brown's sighting, strange lights and/or craft had been observed in Mason County. First, a black object with no visible wings was seen very low over Point Pleasant. A few hours later, a white light was seen very low in the eastern sky, just north of Point Pleasant. This light was witnessed by several people, including John Keel himself. Were these all the same craft that were seen that night, and if so, why were they all described so differently? 

Charleston Daily Mail
20 November 1967

Un-Cited Article found in
Mothman: Behind the Red Eyes, 
by Jeff Wamsley

Batman in Charleston

"Holy Paperboys, Batman!"

The other evening, a friend related a tale from when he was a kid, growing up in the Charleston area. This friend, a former paperboy, recalled a time when paperboys in the area were being harassed by a very odd and very creepy stalker.  After a brief archive search, I found a newspaper article about the phenomenon. 

According to the Charleston Daily Mail in its Friday, September 16, 1966 edition:

COPS FIRE WARNING

'BATMAN' SCARES LOCAL CHILDREN

Running out of the dark woods like one possessed of devilish intent, someone dressed in a Batman costume has been badly frightening children recently in the South Main Drive area off Piedmont Rd.

It happened before dawn today for the second consecutive day, the victim in both cases being a 14-year old boy passing papers between 4 and 5 a.m. when the night is as black as Satan's heart.

Three weeks ago a man wearing a mask chased a paper boy down South Main and it has now reached the place, a district supervisor for the Gazette circulation department said, that it is very difficult to get boys to deliver papers there.

South Main is a dead end street. Beyond it is a patch of woods where the agile person lurks before racing forth to scare the daylights out of his victims. 

Residents of the area said this morning police were hiding there and fired two warning shots over the head of the fleeing "Batman" but he escaped.

"We'd like to know exactly what he is up to," Sgt. Arlie Robinson of the police Juvenile Bureau said.

Residents in the South Main section said today there have been recurring reports of a prowler in the area for two years but they do not know if he is the same individual responsible for the recent incidents there.

Robinson said his department is continuing its investigation. 

This tale is pretty weird all on its own. You have someone who is dressing up as a popular television character (the old Batman show with Adam West just premiered early that year in January) lurking in a small, secluded neighborhood before dawn with seemingly the sole purpose of scaring the hell out of paperboys. But...why? And who was this 'Batman?'

My imagination is all over the place on this one. On one hand, I kind of feel like this is probably another young person, which would be supported by the idea that the Juvenile Bureau of the Charleston PD has jurisdiction on the case. These paperboys aren't being attacked...yet...they're just being scared. And it does certainly seem that paperboys ARE the target, as not many others are going to be roaming a dead end street between those paper-delivery hours of 4 to 5 am.

Paperboys usually have pretty set routes, so was one kid in particular the original target? And was this simply a prank, or were there more sinister motives behind the whole thing? My friend who told the tale (and believes he may have encountered the stalker himself one night) remembers that the person behind this was eventually arrested, putting a stop to the incidents. I couldn't find a newspaper article showing that anyone was ever arrested (gonna keep looking!), but it just seems odd that the police would be out there hiding, fire warning shots, and still let this person initially get away on a dead-end street. 

So, was it an adult, or at least someone with a plan other than some innocent fun in mind? Was this person the same one reported wearing a simple mask last month...and why Batman? To reiterate, the popular Batman show had premiered in January of that year. Being a month out from Halloween, it was probably a pretty easy costume to come by. People do weird things for no apparent reason sometimes. Despite that, I can't help but want to look into this for some type of deeper meaning or connection...especially a supernatural one.

The first thing that comes to mind is a really-early viral marketing campaign, but I think if this was a creative way to promote the Batman show, the timing was way off, and we would have seen this happen on a nation-wide scale. To my knowledge, Batmans were NOT chasing paperboys around anywhere but Charleston, WV at the time. So, we can mark that one off the list. The second thing that popped into my mind is the similarities between a spooky Batman and the 2016 Evil Clown flap, where people from all over the country and even beyond were seeing clowns. Ranging from just hanging out in places they shouldn't be, to reports of them actually wielding machetes and/or other weapons, these clowns were absolutely creeping people out...and there was never really a satisfactory answer as to what the hell was happening. It probably did start as a marketing stunt, but due to mass hysteria and copy-cat clowns, things were taken way too far. 

Spring-Heeled Jack

Again, the creepy clown flap was really widespread, and the Batman incident was confined to pretty much one small area in Charleston (that we know of). So, all signs really do point to just one individual being weird and creepy for some unknown reason. That scenario kind of reminds me of another individual running around a city being weird and scaring not paperboys, but women. They even sort of looked similar. Beginning in London in 1837, young women were terrorized by a figure that would come to be called Spring-Heeled Jack. Witnesses said he wore a black cloak, had clawed hands, and had eyes that 'resembled red balls of fire.' These attacks were often physical, and the man/creature could escape the scene by jumping very high, over fences/walls. When looking at artists' depictions of Spring Heeled Jack, there's quite a close resemblance of his cloak (cape) and headgear with that of our modern Batman. But unlike Batman, Spring-Heeled Jack's his ability to move in supernatural ways, along with his 40+ year reign of terror caused many to believe he may not be of OUR world. 

There also seems to be a few similarities between Spring Heeled Jack and West Virginia's very own mystery monster, the Mothman, especially that description of the glowing eyes! And, I think it is very important to note the date of these attacks. The first Batman sighting seems to be around August of 1966, with at least two more documented in September of that year. In just two short months, the town of Point Pleasant, WV would experience the first reported sightings of the Mothman. Was our Charleston Batman here not as a weirdo to stalk teenage paperboys, but as some sort of scout or recon entity for Mothman? 

Or, is he related to yet ANOTHER odd 'visitor' to West Virginia around this time? A few weeks before Mothman showed up in Point Pleasant, Indrid Cold, from the planet Lanulos, arrived outside of Parkersburg and made contact with Woodrow Derenberger, resulting in a relationship that would last Derenberger's whole life. Cold often spoke of other beings from planets different from his that also stopped by Earth, some with more wholesome and pure intentions than others.  

Although my logical side is saying this was nothing but a boyish prank, I think I would be doing the Fortean world a huge disservice by not at least documenting some of the crazy coincidences that may lead to a tie-in between a dude dressed as Batman running around a Charleston neighborhood, and some sort of extraterrestrial or ultraterrestrial madman...the first in a line of strange, unexplained happenings from Autumn of 1966. Whatever it is, I can't think of a better setting than wild, weird, and wonderful West Virginia! 

Public Art: Mothman in Charleston

In addition to my passion for all things paranormal, I'm also a huge fan of local art and artists...especially when their subject matter is ABOUT the paranormal! Luckily, I live in the Charleston area, which is a wonderful location to see a variety of public art installations from a variety of different artists. 

One such place to take in the colorful paintings from around the area is right under the Interstate 64 bridge, between downtown Charleston and the West Side. Thanks to an awesome project now known as Gallery 64 (formerly Peer to Pier), the otherwise mundane concrete pillars supporting the interstate have been transformed into works of art! Driving under the bridge, there's a ton of really cool murals gracing many of the pillars, but one in particular is MY absolute favorite!

In 2016, another phase of the project kicked off, and among the murals added was The Mothman by Kelly Bryant! Featuring WV's famous red-eyed monster flying over the Silver Bridge through a gray sky, this pillar is hands-down the coolest one of the bunch (okay, they're ALL really, really awesome, but come on...MOTHMAN). 

Anyway, I've driven past this so many times, but until I decided to feature it here on Theresa's Haunted History, I wasn't sure who the artist was. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I was actually somewhat familiar with the artist and her work! Kelly Bryant was born in Gallipolis, OH and grew up in the Pliny area of Putnam County, WV, so she was right in the heart of Mothman Country. As a result, much of her artwork is inspired by West Virginia folklore, especially Appalachian music and of course, Appalachian ghost and monster tales. 

She is a staple at the annual Mothman Festival and related events, where she sells her art. I actually own THREE of her spooky stained glass pieces, and will hopefully be adding a print or two of some of her pastel or acrylic pieces. She's an awesome artist who deals in different mediums as well as different subject matter. I'm still partial to her spooky pieces, though! 

If you see her out and about at different festivals, definitely check out her booth. Her prices are extremely reasonable, and if you can't make it to her in person, please see her ETSY SHOP.  And, if you're in the Charleston area, take a drive under the interstate and check out The Mothman, located on the corner of Lee Street West and Pennsylvania Avenue. 

Learn More About Gallery 64

Article About Kelly Bryant from In Focus

The Rotary Park Mothman

Crotty St. Highlighted in Blue with
Rotary Park off to the Left
Source: Google Maps

Recently, I've been perusing some of the older books on my bookshelf, and I came across an interesting story from Jeff Wamsley's, Mothman: Behind the Red Eyes,  that I wanted to share. We all know that Point Pleasant, West Virginia is the indisputable home territory for the Mountain State's favorite red-eyed monster. But, before Mothman was flapping around Mason County, he may have been hiding out about an hour away in a secluded area of Huntington.

Author, researcher, and owner of the Mothman Museum, Jeff Wamsley, was able to interview a lady named Shirley Hensley who grew up on Crotty Street (referred to by locals sometimes as 31st Street Hill). Right up the hill from her backyard was Rotary Park, a large, wooded, secluded piece of land on the outskirts of town. Starting about 1961 and lasting through 1964 when the family moved away, they were plagued by SOMETHING lurking around their property. 

It started out as weird sounds, always after dark. The family would hear a loud gargling sound, which would morph into a loud scream unlike anything they'd ever heard before, despite being familiar with various types of wildlife found throughout the state. Other times, they'd hear a large creature actually bumping up against their home, making a grunting sound as it did so. 

The first time Shirley heard the mysterious creature was when she and a boyfriend were parked out in the yard in the boyfriend's truck one evening and heard it actually bump underneath them and let out a grunt. At first Shirley thought it may have been the neighbor's pig on the loose...but the neighbor didn't have a pig. The first time her mother heard it was not long after. She had gone out to the well after dark. It was quickly decided by the family that all needed well water was to be fetched before sundown and no one was to leave the home after dark. 

Historic Rotary Park Bridge
Source: WikiCommons

These encounters would happen somewhat intermittently. The creature would be heard every few days for a few weeks, then they'd have a brief respite of quiet before it would return. Again, the strange sounds and the bumps against the home were the main interactions. But that would all change one fall evening about 6pm.

That was when Shirley's dad would actually SEE the creature. He reported something big, at least 7 feet tall with large red eyes that resembled red bicycle reflectors, staring back at him from behind the coal pile behind the house. He ran and got his .22 and took a shot at the thing. Despite being warned to stay in the house, Shirley's sister Mary followed her dad outside and caught a glimpse at the creature. She described it as a 'big, tall shiny thing with big red eyes." Whether it was hit or not is unknown, but the creature apparently scrambled up the hillside toward Rotary Park. 

Although Shirley would marry and move away, and the rest of the family didn't stay long after, they still talk to their former neighbors about the red-eyed monster that lurked around Crotty Street. And, when the news broke from Point Pleasant of multiple sightings of a large, red-eyed creature menacing the town just two years after Shirley's family's moved away, she couldn't help but wonder: Was the strange creature HER family saw outside of Huntington related to the Mothman of Point Pleasant? 

For me personally, I think the connection to Rotary Park is an interesting one. Not only is Rotary Park located VERY close to the confluence of the Guyandotte and Ohio Rivers, but it's only about an hour away from Pt. Pleasant. Even today, the park itself is still a heavily wooded area with plenty of dark, secluded spots that don't see a ton of regular traffic. In the early 1960's, I imagine that the area was even more rural, especially along Crotty Street. But perhaps what's most intriguing is the violent history of the park itself.

Over the years, I've heard unconfirmed, and not very detailed reports of Rotary Park being haunted (read my blog, Rotary Park---Haunted Or Not?). Although actual stories of paranormal activity haven't really been available, the park has seen it's fair share of tragedy. In July of 1963, Elbert Wooten and Jimmy Pelfrey were killed when a car they were riding in struck a tree within Rotary Park. In 1958, Mrs. Inez Booth was taken to the park where she was raped and stabbed by Larry Fudge. Mrs. Booth managed to crawl to a nearby housing development for help and was able to to name her attacker. Unfortunately, she passed away and Fudge was executed at the WV State Penitentiary at Moundsville. Other unsavory incidents have occurred at the park over the years, making it a place to avoid after dark. 

Ever since the collapse of the Silver Bridge, and carrying into modern-day sightings, Mothman has gained an association with tragedy. Some believe he is a harbinger of doom, while others believe he is some type of protective spirit. Is he simply attracted to the darker places of human history, or is he simply attracted to places where humans naturally fear to tread? 

Hinton Furniture and UFO Craze of 1947!

It's finally Friday, and this week I've got a Friday Funny coming to you from Hinton, West Virginia! As we talked about before here on Theresa's Haunted History, people from Hinton definitely had a penchant for seeing flying saucers throughout the years, and it all started back during the 1947 UFO wave during July. After the nation was swept up with speculation as to just what exactly crashed outside of Roswell, New Mexico and if it was from another planet or not, people from all over the country began coming forward with their own stories.

One such woman was Lee Ramsey, a housewife living on Summers Street. On July 10, 1947 she witnessed a series of six unidentified flying objects over her Hinton home. The sighting was written up in one of the local newspapers, The Leader. (Read my blog post, Hinton Has Saucers, Too for more info). However, it wouldn't be until the following May (and after another sighting by a Hinton resident) that an enterprising employee working for the Hinton Furniture Company would come up with a clever, tongue-in-cheek way to incorporate the UFO craze into the company's advertising!

The advertisement above was published in the May 21, 1948 edition of the Hinton Daily News. It reads, "Flying Saucers: Those people who saw the flying saucers last year were a little behind the times. An astronomer in Italy saw a flock of flying saucers on November 30, 1880. You will be right up with the times if you purchase your furniture and home appliances from us." 

I'm not sure if it was Hinton Furniture's owner, Ray Walker himself, or another employee who was tasked with advertising, but I have to applaud whoever it was who came up with this ad! If my assumptions are correct, the author evidently was a fan of the OG Fortean Historian---Charles Fort! It was Charles Fort who collected the strange little story about an Italian astronomer's experience and brought it to the public forefront. But, I wouldn't necessarily call what was seen a flock of 'flying saucers.' Rather, it sounds like a flock of flying CREATURES! Here's what was published:

Signer Ricco, of the Observatory of Palermo, writes that, Nov. 30, 1880, at 8:30 o'clock in the morning, he was watching the sun, when he saw, slowly traversing its disk, bodies in two long, parallel lines, and a shorter, parallel line. The bodies looked winged to him. But so large were they that he had to think of large birds. Sig. Ricco's estimate is that these objects … must have been at least five and a half miles high. -Source

I'm not sure if the winged bodies observed by Signer Ricco were humanoid in shape, but even with the description of birds makes me automatically think of West Virginia's own favorite winged creature: Mothman. However, even I have to admit that three parallel lines of Mothmen flying around the sun (the greatest lamp in the solar system) is more than a little frightening! 

The Plumley Building
Later home to Hinton Furniture
Source: WV History on View

Down at the Holler General

How many West Virginia monsters can you spot down at the Holler General? Heehee, I love this graphic, which was created back in 2021 by Huntington artist, Jimbo Valentine. Not only is it a cool representation of some of West Virginia's most beloved cryptids, as a paranormal investigator working in this state, it hits home!

For years now, it seems like Dollar General stores have been taking over the state. I swear, it does not matter how far away from the rest of civilization you are, you're bound to run into a Dollar General Store out in the middle of nowhere. And these things seem to pop up overnight! 

Some of our investigation locations have been pretty...rural...and I kid you not, there might not be a gas station or grocery store for miles away, but we've always been able to find a Dollar General within 5-10 minutes of where we are. Therefore, a lot of last minute batteries, snacks and energy drinks have been purchased on the way to multiple paranormal investigation locations at various Dollar Generals throughout the state.  And, not gonna lie...I've seen some stuff AT the Dollar General itself that's been more odd and/or disturbing than what was found during the actual investigation. 

Anyway, you can find Jimbo's website at Amalgam Unlimited. He also goes by the InstaGram handle, amalgam_unlimited. Check him out, as he has lots of cool art for sale, including some other WV cryptid pieces. 

Bloodmobile Vs. UFO

Red Cross Van, 1960's
Source

When 71 year old Beau Shertzer passed away on October 22, 2015, his obituary painted a picture of a fascinating and well respected gentleman. The former Pt. Pleasant resident was a Vietnam Vet who earned a Bronze Star for Heroism and was also a well-known philanthropist. He was an esteemed dancer, having performed locally on stage and on television in his younger days, and even in Walt Disney and Universal Studios later in life.

Beau was the son of Bob Shertzer, who coached football at Pt. Pleasant High School, and Beau himself was a 1964 graduate of the school, who later helped establish and raise funds for a scholarship program in his father's name. After retiring from the medical field, he moved to Florida to help care for his parents and brother, where he continued his dancing and philanthropic interests until his death. 

But, one thing his obituary leaves out is that in Fortean circles, Beau is famous for something much stranger...

On March 5, 1967 Beau was 21 years old and working for the Red Cross. He and a young nurse had been busy collecting human blood, and in the wee hours of that dark, cold, rainy morning, were transporting the specimens back to the Red Cross headquarters in Huntington, WV. As they were driving along Route 2 between Pt. Pleasant and Huntington, they entered a particularly desolate stretch of highway. However, they weren't alone. From behind a nearby hill, a large, glowing object lifted into the air and swooped directly towards and over the bloodmobile van. 

Beau rolled down his window to get a better look at the craft, which was above the van and keeping pace with it along the highway. He was horrified to see that there was some type of mechanical looking arm or extension coming out of the light, directly towards the van. The nurse, by now in hysterics, shouted that she could see another arm coming towards the van on her side. It was almost as if this UFO was involved in playing a giant version of an arcade crane game, and trying to grab the van up in its eerie clutches. 

Beau stomped the gas and tried to gun it, but he couldn't outpace the craft. The only thing that seemed to save them were the headlights of an oncoming car, which caused the arms to retract and the strange light to fly off. Understandably shaken, Beau and the nurse alerted the state police of what they experienced, and the incident was briefly mentioned that evening on a local radio broadcast. 

What was weird, though, is that despite the fact that the rash of Mothman sightings and the accompanying UFO flap that was occurring in the area was being covered heavily by the newspapers, this story was never picked up by local press. In fact, it doesn't really appear to get a whole lot of attention, even from John Keel himself who investigated the incident. He did briefly mention it in several of his books, as well as in a short column he wrote for the Burlington, NC newspaper, The Daily Times-News.  However, it seems as if the story was never really fleshed out any further. Was the story just too weird to be taken seriously, or was there some other reason that  the idea of a UFO or its occupants perhaps needing HUMAN BLOOD decidedly kept on the down low? John Keel does mention that at around this same time, there were several cases of animal mutilations being investigated, and that out of curiosity, he contacted the Red Cross to see if any of their bloodmobiles had ever gone missing. Understandably, he didn't get an answer, so the investigation into why a UFO would be trying to abduct an automobile full of human blood was largely dropped, leaving more questions than answers and another layer into the High Strangeness that overtook the Pt. Pleasant area during the mid 1960's untapped. 

Sources:

Keel, John. Strange Creatures From Time and Space. 

Keel, John. The Mothman Prophecies. 

22 June 1967
The Daily Times-News
Burlington, North Carolina

Winged Human Forms Over Mason County Grave

Before there was Mothman, Mason County, West Virginia was the site of three other winged humans. Some have speculated that the strange creature that would become the state's most famous and beloved cryptid WAS some type of angelic being. Would that mean that these three angelic forms seen in a small graveyard are related in some way to Mothman? Eh, probably not, but it's fun to think about how our personal perceptions and societal norms influence our beliefs and how we try to explain what simply cannot be explained. This story comes from the January 4th, 1905 edition of the Weekly Register, a newspaper based in Point Pleasant, WV. It can be found on the Chronicling America website.  

Without an exact date of the incident, or the name/location of the cemetery in question, or the name of the deceased woman, this is nothing more than just an interesting little story from an area of the state filled with interesting little stories. But, readers to Theresa's Haunted History probably know that I couldn't just leave it at that; I had to do SOME digging. From additional newspaper articles, I found that there was a Reverend JB McKibben who lived in an area of Mason County called Siloam. Siloam doesn't really exist today, but is located close to the Mason/Putnam County line, around Frazier's Bottom. What does still exist is the Siloam Baptist Church on Black Oak Road, located off Route 817 (old route 35). JB (Joseph Benson) McKibben, his wife, and quite a few family members make this church their final resting place. JB lived a long life. According to to the WV Cemetery Preservation site, he was born in 1851 and died on April 12, 1941. 

The distance between Siloam and Pt. Pleasant isn't exactly short, and there were probably numerous small burial yards where the incident took place. What we can rule out is that it didn't happen at Siloam Baptist. Although the church itself was established in 1880, the first burial didn't occur until 1913, when an 8 year old little girl named Gladys Wallace passed away. Her mother was heavily pregnant at the time and the winter weather was especially harsh at the time, making it impossible for her to get up to the burial site at the top of the hill. The father approached the land owner about burying the child on the property, and ever since, the site was used as a graveyard. 

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.