Point Pleasant, West Virginia

Due to Covid-19 and travel restrictions, I have not been traveling recently, but I thought that I would share my closer to home (Huntington, WV) favorite day or weekend haunted/historic trips. Once it is safe to get out and about again, this place is worth checking out for any explorer, history lover or paranormal or cryptid hunter or enthusiast. 

Point Pleasant, West Virginia is a small town located at the confluence of the Ohio and Kanawha rivers in Mason County. When passing though, this little town seems any other ordinary small Appalachian town, however, its anything but ordinary. 

If you have never heard of Point Pleasant, WV, you may want to hop on Google for a search (one you are done reading here, of course). You will find links to countless stories, movies, TV shows and books about this area. It is well known to many for its unusual history. I will touch on some of my favorite locations to visit in Point Pleasant, but I can assure you that if you want to find out more that you will not come up short on information!

I live about 40 miles from Pt. Pleasant. I really can't remember my first trip there, but I have visited many times. I can recall the first time I read about Pt. Pleasant and that unusual history I mentioned above: I was around 12 years old and I was heavily interested in strange phenomena, ghosts, UFOs and the like. This was the early 1990s and among my favorite shows was Unsolved Mysteries and Sightings. I would visit the library to pick up books on all sorts of strange and paranormal topics. One book that I read told the story of the Mothman of Point Pleasant, West Virginia. I thought wow! This happened in the state where I live, I was intrigued. The story stuck with me through the years until I was finally able to visit the area for myself. 

Below you will find a list of interesting places you can see for yourself, go on a hunt for Mothman, a self-guided history tour or search for some spooky ghosts.

TNT Area & Mothman - 

The TNT area was formerly a WWII ammunitions manufacturing site. Today the land is a wildlife management area, located just outside of town. This area is where one of the first Mothman sightings occurred in 1966. Reports of a man-sized winged bird with glowing red eyes was spotted in the vicinity of the TNT area. Some believe that Mothman was a military experiment while others believe that he showed up to warn locals of pending disasters. 

Chief Cornstalk Curse - 

Known as Dunmore's War, Native American Chief Cornstalk attempted to block an invasion by the Virginia Militia at the Battle of Point Pleasant, in 1774. He led a force of Shawnee and Mingo warriors, but he was forced to retreat after a fierce battle. As a result, American Indians lost the right to hunt in the area and agreed the Ohio River would be the boundary between Indian land and British colonies. When the American Revolution began a few years later, Cornstalk attempted to keep his people neutral but despite his efforts, he was taken hostage at Fort Randolph during a diplomatic visit. At the fort, Cornstalk and his young son were killed by angry militiamen after one of their men was killed by unknown Indians. Legend has it, as he lay dying, Cornstalk uttered a curse upon the land to those that had murdered he and his son. 

Silver Bridge - 

Nearly two hundred years after Cornstalk's death, December 15, 1967 would bring absolute devastation to the town. The Silver bridge, built in 1928, once spanned the Ohio river from Point Pleasant to Gallipolis, Ohio. During rush hour traffic that December evening, the bridge collapsed, killing 46 people. The failure of a single eye bar was determined to be the cause of the catastrophic collapse. It was one of the deadliest bridge disasters in US history.

Up until the bridge collapse, there had been numerous Mothman sightings in the area that had begun in 1966. Once the bridge collapse happened, the Mothman sightings came to a stop. Some people claimed to have seen Mothman on the bridge just before it fell. Others attribute the curse of Chief Cornstalk to the bridge collapse. A memorial monument stands at the base of where the bridge once stood on Main St. 

Pioneer Cemetery - 

If you like old cemeteries, like I do, Pt. Pleasant's old Pioneer cemetery sits right along Rt. 2 at 9th St. Several Revolutionary War veterans are buried here as well as Dr. Jesse Bennet, who was the first in the country to perform a caesarean section in 1794. There is a historical marker for his gravesite. Want to read more about the cemetery? Visit Theresa's Haunted History of the Tri-State for even more information.

Mothman Museum, Statue & Festival -

The Mothman sightings in Pt. Pleasant may have disappeared, but his legend is still going strong. Mothman has become a constant presence in the town thanks to Mothman Statue that was installed in 2003, which was also the same year the inaugural Mothman festival was held. The festival runs every September and is dedicated to all things Mothman. If you want to learn even more about Mothman, stop by the world's only Mothman Museum, it's easy to find, right next to the Mothman statue on Main St., you can't miss it!

Lowe Hotel - 

Staying overnight in Pt. Pleasant? The Lowe Hotel is where you will want to stay for a unique and potentially haunted experience. Take a step back in time with the décor of this old hotel. The hotel has been part of Pt. Pleasant history since 1901, but it was originally known as the Spencer Hotel. The Lowe family purchased the hotel in 1929 and was renamed. The hotel is a very popular haunted hot spot, with many paranormal groups (some famous!) have explored the halls and rooms of this old hotel. They have captured all sorts of spooky phenomena and have walked away with some scary stories. I have stayed the night at the Lowe, and I also took a history tour and was able to see more of the hotel that the average guests, although we didn't have any paranormal experiences, it was an enjoyable experience. 

All photos on this site are property of Melissa Stanley, unless otherwise noted. Top photo - Creepy old abandoned house in Pt. Pleasant, taken in 2020 House torn down in 2020 .  Middle photo -TNT area taken in 2006. Bottom photo - Lowe Hotel taken in 2012

Guyandotte's Cursed Railroad Bridge

In the late 1800s, the railroad was beginning to push its way through the little town of Guyandotte, West Virginia. In 1871, Collis Potter Huntington established the new town of Huntington, just west of Guyandotte. The new city would become the primary location of operation of the C&O railroad line that Huntington built.

Many of the residents of Guyandotte worked for both the C&O railroad and the B&O railroad, both lines ran right through town. While many of the men of Guyandotte worked for the railroad to provide for their families, there were also many hazards associated with working in the rail industry. Over the years, numerous railroad accidents have taken the lives of some of those men. One incident took place involved a man driving home from work, he was driving over the tracks at the old Buffington St. crossing, when an oncoming train crashed into his vehicle, killing him. The train derailed as a result of the crash, stopping just short of plunging into the Guyandotte River at the Main St. crossing. The old bridge near that crossing is still standing abandoned today.

The other rail bridge in Guyandotte that is still in use today and has seen its share of tragic events. That bridge was once part of the old C&O rail line that is today owned and operated by CSX. The bridge spans the Guyandotte river just at the end of Special Metals Corp. Many years ago, this bridge gained the reputation as being cursed with many referring to it as the "hoodoo" bridge.

Three separate accidents have left their mark on this ill-fated bridge, these took place in 1880, 1889 and again in 1913. I was unable to locate information on the 1880 accident, but the subsequent accidents certainly resulted in fatalities. On November 27, 1889, a freight train fell through the bridge, one man was killed as well as a horse that was being shipped to Brownstown, West Virginia.

The last accident that occurred on this bridge happened on January 1, 1913. A second track was being added to the bridge, men were on the bridge working when a train approached to cross. The workers signaled to the engineer to proceed across the bridge. Once the trains engine made its way to the center, the bridge gave way, sending the train, the train's engineer and the men working on the bridge, into the icy waters of the Guyandotte River. The engineer and six men that were working on the bridge were killed. Some of the bodies were recovered days later, including the engineer. The bridge once again was repaired and has been in use ever since.

In more recent times, several people have been killed by trains while attempting to cross the bridge on foot.

All photos on this site are property of Melissa Stanley unless otherwise noted. Top photo - Modern photo of the bridge. Middle photo - from Marshall University Special Collections Jan 1, 1913 accident. Bottom photo - source unknown, from the Jan 1, 1913 accident.