By Chad Vaughn, River Cities Tribune & Register
POINT PLEASANT, W.Va. — Whether it’s real or a myth, the Mothman has a firm grip on the public’s imagination. That interest will be clearly evident this weekend as the Mothman Festival returns for a full slate of activities on Saturday and Sunday in Point Pleasant.
The legacy of the Mothman dates back to Nov. 12, 1966, when five gravediggers in Clendenin reported a large, human-like creature had flown over them while they were working.
Three days later, two couples in Point Pleasant described a white-winged creature, about 6 or 7 feet tall, in front of the car they were sitting in.
Eyewitnesses Steve Mallett and Roger Scarberry told The Point Pleasant Register the creature had a 10-foot wingspan and bright red eyes. They also said that it could fly at an incredible speed and ran clumsily on the ground.
They further claimed that it chased their vehicle to the outskirts of town, and then disappeared into a nearby field.
Scarberry said at the time, “If I had seen it while by myself, I wouldn’t have said anything, but there was four of us who saw it.”
