NOT A SIGHTING
Mothman
Point Pleasant, WV · Reported territory · Ohio River Valley
Two couples reported a large, red-eyed winged figure near Point Pleasant's former TNT area on November 15, 1966, launching the Mothman legend.
Legend file
West Virginia Tourism preserves the contemporary newspaper headline and notes later explanations including sandhill cranes or a large owl. The downtown museum and annual festival are the public-facing ways to follow the story.
The former TNT area includes wildlife habitat and hazardous or restricted ground. Use public tours and marked routes only.
Evidence line
This creature file documents folklore + reported sightings, not a confirmed species. The map pin is a safe regional orientation point, not a verified encounter site. Source details were checked in July 2026.
Check the source: West Virginia Tourism ↗Evidence Desk
The legend, the surviving record, and the cultural afterlife are kept separate.
- Earliest record in this file
- On November 15, 1966, two couples reported a winged, red-eyed figure near Point Pleasant. The Point Pleasant Register carried the story the next day.
- What was reported
- The witnesses said a man-sized creature followed their car away from the former TNT area.
- What the record supports
- A contemporary newspaper headline and a clearly identified group of witnesses anchor the account. No animal was recovered or identified.
- Ordinary explanations
- West Virginia Tourism notes migrating sandhill cranes and a large owl among the proposed explanations.
- Cultural afterlife
- Point Pleasant now has a museum, a public statue, and an annual downtown festival built around the story.