EP 42: WEST VIRGINIA'S MOTHMAN!

We've reached an episode I've been waiting to do since we started this podcast. I know we cover stories of cryptids that scare and terrorize towns and even haunted chairs that are looking for souls, but what about a cryptid that's just trying to warn people who might be in danger? This weeks episode is about the one and only Mothman of West Virginia. He was only seen for a handful of times through the 1960's and more recently in 2016. But what could a creature that's described as a bigfoot sized moth want from a small town in West Virginia? Some say he was trying to warn the people of a bridge that was going to collapse and others say the Mothman was never really there. Whether this cryptid is real or not the people of Point Pleasant, WV created a museum and even started a festival to celebrate the sightings of the Mothman and also maybe in hopes to understand this cryptid a little more. Take a listen and let me know what you think.

Point Pleasant, West Virginia on a Map

A photo of Silver Bridge after it collapsed

The story of the Silver Bridge Collapse

An image showing where EYEBARS are on a bridge

The photos of the Mothman taken in 2016

The Mothman Museum Sign

A Comic of the Mothman sold at the museum

The Mothman Festival we all have to attend

SOURCE MATERIALS:

For the story:

1. Pierson, F. (2016, November 21). Man photographs creature that resembles legendary ''Mothman" of Point Pleasant. WCHS. Retrieved December 22, 2021, from https://wchstv.com/news/local/man-photographs-creature-that-resembles-legendary-mothman-of-point-pleasant

2. Overdeep, M. (2020, October 5). The Terrifying Tale of West Virginia's Legendary Specter: The Mothman. Southern Living. Retrieved December 22, 2021, from https://www.southernliving.com/culture/the-mothman-legend-west-virginia

3. Mothman Festival.com. (n.d.). CELEBRATE THE LEGEND. MOTHMAN FESTIVAl® - HOME. Retrieved December 22, 2021, from https://www.mothmanfestival.com/

4. FANDOM. (n.d.). Mothman. Cryptid Wiki. Retrieved December 22, 2021, from https://cryptidz.fandom.com/wiki/Mothman

5. Google & Oxford Languages. (n.d.). Dictionary. Google. Retrieved 12 22, 2021, from https://www.google.com/search?q=munition&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari

6. West Virginia Encyclopedia. (2020, December 15). The Silver Bridge Collapses Killing 46: December 15, 1967. WVPB. Retrieved December 22, 2021, from https://www.wvpublic.org/radio/2019-12-15/the-silver-bridge-collapses-killing-46-december-15-1967

7. Britannica. (n.d.). eyebar | construction. Britannica. Retrieved December 22, 2021, from https://www.britannica.com/technology/eyebar

For the Image:

1. TownMapsUSA. (n.d.). Map of Point Pleasant, WV, West Virginia. TownMapsUSA.com. Retrieved December 22, 2021, from http://townmapsusa.com/d/map-of-point-pleasant-west-virginia-wv/point_pleasant_wv

2. Mothman Museum. (n.d.). The Mothman Cometh poster. Mothman Museum. Retrieved December 22, 2021, from https://www.mothmanmuseum.com/store/p358/The_Mothman_Cometh_poster.html

3. McNabb, M. (2018, September 30). The Legendary Sighting of the Houston Batman: A Flying Monster? Texas Hill Country. Retrieved December 22, 2021, from https://texashillcountry.com/houston-batman-flying-monster/

4. NELSON, S. (2016, November 18). 50 years ago, the Mothman legend was born. Athens Messenger. Retrieved December 22, 2021, from https://www.athensmessenger.com/news/50-years-ago-the-mothman-legend-was-born/article_7145fce4-6997-5da1-8d1c-c789a91aa7f3.html

5. MORRIS, J. (2020, December 15). Tuesday, Dec. 15, marks 53rd anniversary of Silver Bridge collapse. WCHS. Retrieved December 22, 2021, from https://wchstv.com/news/local/tuesday-dec-15-marks-53rd-anniversary-of-silver-bridge-collapse

6. Buenzle, E. (2017, December 13). Fifty Years Later, West Virginia Remembers Silver Bridge Disaster. Construction Equipment Guide. Retrieved December 22, 2021, from https://www.constructionequipmentguide.com/fifty-years-later-west-virginia-remembers-silver-bridge-disaster/37882

7. Carlsen, R. (2009, December 7). Caltrans Begins Long-Term Repairs To S.F. Bay Bridge Eyebar. Engineering News-Record. Retrieved December 22, 2021, from https://www.enr.com/articles/4676-caltrans-begins-long-term-repairs-to-s-f-bay-bridge-eyebar

8. Hilliard, E., & West Virginia Folklife Program. (2020, October 29). Field Notes: An Interview with the Mothman Museum & Festival's Ashley Wamsley Morrison. West Virginia Folklife Program. Retrieved December 22, 2021, from https://wvfolklife.org/2020/10/29/field-notes-mothman-museum/

9. FANDOM. (n.d.). Mothman Festival (2016 - 2019). TheMothMan Wikia. Retrieved December 22, 2021, from https://themothman.fandom.com/wiki/Mothman_Festival_(2016_-_2019)