More Mystery On The Ohio River....

The Ohio River region is rife with mystery, history and what some call paranormal activity. We have already addressed the "Ghost Boat," the "Underground Church" in Utopia, the "Ghosts" of New Richmond and, now, the legendary "Mothman."

The first reported sighting of "Mothman" was near Point Pleasant, West Virginia (across from Gallipolis, Ohio) on the Ohio River. A few guys digging a grave reportedly saw a "man-like" creature flying 10 feet over their heads. They reported that he had large wings and  glowing red eyes. He was later sighted again by a few volunteer fireman, who provided  similar descriptions of a "large bird-like" figure with red eyes. Reportedly, there were over 100 Mothman sightings, and potentially many more folks who were just too scared to talk about it.

Many believe that the appearance of the Mothman correlated with people having visions of future events (precognition), such as the collapse of the Silver Bridge (killing scores of people). The Silver Bridge connected Gallipolis, OH and Point Pleasant, WV over the Ohio River. The story has it that many of the deceased were related to those persons witnessing the  infamous "Mothman" haunting the region.

While the Mothman has not been reported recently, the legend lives on. The 1975 book, Mothman Prophecies, chronicled the spooky stories of the 1966 and 1967 sighting of the Mothman and the corresponding haunting events. The book was transformed into the 2002 movie, "Mothman Prophecies," starring Richard Gere. Definitely worth checking out....

The legend of "Mothman" is now celebrated  with a yearly festival in Point Pleasant, WV (third weekend of September). The Village also commissioned a Mothman sculpture that graces a Park and provides a great photo op.