The Moth, The Myth, The Legend

BY ISABELLA CONEGLIO ILLUSTRATION BY CARLY HART

Lurking in old West Virginia folklore and Appalachian mystery lies Mothman, a sevenfoot winged creature. The red-eyed monster was allegedly first seen in the quaint town of Clendenin, West Virginia. In November of 1966, whilst in a cemetery, five men saw a strange figure lift itself off a tree in the distance. Seen again that night, rumors spewed through the suburb, instilling both fear and paranoia. Townspeople Roger and Linda Scarberry and Steve and Mary Mallette reported they outran this creature while traveling by a TNT plant on Highway 62. That same night, 90 miles north, Newell Partridge, a local Salem contractor, endured a frightening encounter while watching television. As the screen abruptly went black, he heard a peculiar high-pitched wail from outside. After this, Partridge observed his hunting dog, Bandit, staring at their hay barn in the distance. As he shined his flashlight in that direction, a pair of reflective red eyes met him. He returned inside to retrieve his gun as the dog shot off toward the figure. Soon after, Partridge decided not to engage further with this creature, although he slept with his gun at his side all night. The next morning, Bandit did not greet his owner as usual. A few days later, with the dog still missing, Partridge read about the Point Pleasant sighting in the local paper. While he read Roger Scarberry’s statement describing a dead dog on the side of the road near the creature, he thought of Bandit, who was never seen again. That year, the Mothman lingered through superstition, described as an omen of doom.

The public was magnetized to the town, and so-called “monster hunters,” researchers, and investigators rallied in Point Pleasant. American author John Keel also ventured to town in light of the reports and is now predominantly known for his writings regarding the Mothman. However, in December of 1967 when the Silver Bridge suddenly collapsed, the full legend of the Mothman was solidified. The 7-foot bridge which connected Point Pleasant to Gallipolis, Ohio fell during rush hour traffic, causing cars to submerge into the waters of the Ohio River and killing 46 people. While investigators attribute the collapse to poor architecture and weight overload, others believed the Mothman sightings were linked to the tragedy. Directly after this, civilians came forward with sightings and theories. Some proposed that curiosity is what drew the creature to the recent bridge collapse. While others claim to have seen the Mothman’s bat-like figure near the fallen bridge, implying the creature brought calamity with it. During this time, Keel became the primary reporter. In his book, “The Mothman Prophecies,”

Keel claimed there were over 100 witnesses claiming to have seen the Mothman between 1966 and 1967. Over the decades the legitimacy of the Mothman has become controversial, with many believing that the sightings are merely nonsense. As time went on, the winged creature seemed to disappear from existence, only making its name as a suburban legend and murderous wanderer of Appalachia. In present time, the media portrays eyewitness accounts as a cynical hoax rooted in madness. The legend of the Mothman, now considered a creature of myth, has been stripped of its wonder with today’s technology and dampened curiosity. Mothman exists only in fumes of imagination, remaining one of the many mysteries of Appalachia.