Mothman, Chief Cornstalk and the Silver Bridge

Like many other older towns across the United States, Point Pleasant in West Virginia has its fair share of historical tales. A mixture of legend and truth. Some I believe, some I'm not sure of and some I'd rather not know. One story that has stood the test of time and believed by many, young and old, is the story of Mothman.




But first, we must travel back in time to Chief Cornstalk, reported to be one of the most powerful indian chiefs in his time. After the American Revolution he was trying to create a treaty of a sort to keep his Shawnee tribe on their Ohio side of the river. But due to several problems as he tried to create diplomatic negotiations, Chief Cornstalk was arrested and held at Fort Randolph in Point Pleasant, WV. His son arrived to visit. Meanwhile 2 members of the fort were out hunting and ambushed and killed by a Native tribe. The people of the fort were enraged so Cornstalk and his son were shot as retribution for the attack. Legend says as he laid dying, Cornstalk placed a curse upon the land.

“I was the border man’s friend. Many times I have saved him and his people from harm. I never warred with you, but only to protect our wigwams and lands. I refused to join your paleface enemies with the red coats. I came to the fort as your friend and you murdered me. You have murdered by my side, my young son…. For this, may the curse of the Great Spirit rest upon this land. May it be blighted by nature. May it even be blighted in its hopes. May the strength of its people’s be paralyzed by the stain of our blood.”

Fast forward to 1966 when the first "sightings" were reported of a great winged creature with large glowing eyes. On November 12, 1966, five men who were digging a grave at a cemetery near Clendenin, West Virginia, claimed to have seen a man-like figure fly low from the trees over their heads. This is often identified as the first known sighting of what became known as the Mothman.

Shortly thereafter, on November 15, 1966, two young couples from Point Pleasant, Roger and Linda Scarberry and Steve and Mary Mallette, told police they saw a large grey creature whose eyes "glowed red" when the car's headlights picked it up. They described it as a "large flying man with ten-foot wings". 

These sightings continued for a year until December 1967. On December 15, 1967, the Silver Bridge collapsed under the weight of rush-hour traffic, resulting in the deaths of 46 people. 

Two of the victims were never found. Investigation of the wreckage pointed to the cause of the collapse being the failure of a single eyebar in a suspension chain, due to a small defect 0.1 inches (2.5 mm) deep. Analysis showed that the bridge was carrying much heavier loads than it had originally been designed for and had been poorly maintained. 

Pictures soon circulated of a strange bird like creature or spirit perch on top of the bridge. Was it a coincidence or was Mothman there to warn of impending doom?

Was the collapse of the Silver Bridge due to Cornstalks curse? Did the Mothman ultimately have something to do with it or was this unexplained phenomena sent as a warning? According to reports,  Mothman sightings precede several catastrophic events over the next several decades. 

I remember the Silver Bridge collapse. I had just turned 11 two days before it happened. I was sitting in the floor with my cousin playing bingo when they interruped local programming the the news. I remember it was cold and I was thinking how freezing the water must be and feeling so sad about the whole thing. It was a long time after that before I ever felt safe crossing a bridge.

That is why the story of Mothman and Chief Cornstalk has always been of interest to me. You can google it and there are many, many stories about the connection between the two and the disasters that plaqued that area for over 200 years.