It’s spring break time for Thomas and what could possibly be better than a more than six hour drive to Point Pleasant, West Virginia (population 4,146), site of the mysterious Mothman Prophecies — who wouldn’t rather come here than go to some boring tropical island with white sand beaches and sunny skies, right?  Thomas and I hit the road last week and made the trek to discover once and for all time whether The Mothman actually exists as the book The Mothman Prophecies by John A. Keel (1975) and local newspapers of the time would have your believe. Because of road construction, it took us almost seven hours to get there.  We were wiped out when we finally arrived at the hotel (Port Pleasant is not a hotel hotspot so we traveled across the river into Ohio to find a Hampton Inn!). We had a nice dinner at a very local restaurant.  For readers who may not know, Port Pleasant, West Virginia became famous in November 1966 when strange things began to occur in this small town.  A couple reported “seeing a large flying man with ten-foot wings” following their car near the site of the former World War II munitions plant.  Others reported similar sightings.  It was reported as “a large bird with red eyes” by two volunteer fireman.  On December 15, 1967, the “Silver Bridge” spanning the Ohio River collapsed killing 46 people.  People claimed to have seen strange lights in the skies, mysterious men in black, and a flying, red-eyed creature later called “Mothman“ and believe the collapse of the bridge had something to do with The Mothman.

Now I’m not much into the “supernatural.”  I have enough on my hands figuring out the “natural.”  But, according to a headline in the Athens, Ohio newspaper published on November 18, 1966, “Monster No Joke For Those Who Saw It”.  Fittingly, given where we were at and why we were there, Thomas and I spent the evening channel surfing at the hotel after dinner ultimately watching “The Unexplained” with William Shatner on the History Channel just to get into the “spirit” of our adventure.

We intended to authoritatively lay the controversy to rest.  So, we visited the WORLD’S ONLY MOTHMAN MUSEUM — surely the most authoritative source of information that can be had anywhere.  The “museum” is actually an old store front on Main Street next to the Mothman Sculpture — location, location, location.  For the “mere” price of $4.50 per head (plus tax), we were permitted into the museum and could see first hand the actual “artifacts”.  I call them artifacts only because it seems the right term when you’re in an authentic museum.  What is actually inside is a collection of movie memorabilia from the movie (The Mothman Prophecies starring Richard Gere, Laura Linney, and Debra Messing circa 2000) and other assorted junk…eh, artifacts.

Now, I’m no museum curator but the blanket that “Richard Gere and Debra Messing both touched in the motel scene” may not be high on my list of things worthy of “museum” status.  The police uniform Laura Linney wore and the paint can that was “one of three carried out of the paint store by Will Patton (Gordon) when Richard Gere talked to him from the sidewalk” may not rise to a very high threshold either.  In fact, the entire suit worn by the author (John Keel) to the dedication of the Mothman Sculpture on September 13, 2003 is probably, just probably, in that category also. That being said, however, the newspaper clippings from the front pages of the local newspapers suggest something other worldly was happening that day.  The movie provides one view of why the Silver Bridge (so named because it was the first bridge in the country to have been painted with aluminum paint) collapsed over the Ohio River that day.

The Point Pleasant Register headline on November 16, 1966 said, “Couples See Man-Sized Bird…Creature…Something.”  Soon it was in the national press.  Following the collapse of the Silver Bridge on December 15, 1967 the story sprang to mythical proportions and was picked up nationally.  The myth grew to epic proportions.

On the way out, Thomas and I stopped at the tourist shop in the museum.  We got two T-shirts, five beer coasters, two guitar picks, and a tiny stuffed Mothman… $100.70!  Since we spent over $100 the guy through in a “free” tote bag.  There’s a sucker born every minute.

In the end, we can’t definitively say The Mothman was there those November and December nights in 1966-67.  In truth, the trip was more about being able to spend time with my favorite (and only) grandson.  In the seven hour car ride, we talked, we laughed, we listened to tunes he’d downloaded to his phone, he told me about school, we talked about life.  At 14, he is growing up way too fast and I cherish every minute I get to spend with him.

Yes, the museum was a rip-off and the displays corny. The people of Point Pleasant we met along the way were warm and friendly, but time spent with Thomas:  PRICELESS !

For the record, Thomas and I weren’t convinced of the existence of a “Mothman.”