Birdman of Appalachia (aka Mothman)

The legend of the Mothman stands unique among Ohio’s folktales.  It’s a shared piece of lore with neighboring West Virginia.  The story has drawn thousands, literally.  Every year, hordes of tourists descend on this rural spot along the Ohio River.  They pay homage to the winged beast, known to all as a harbinger of doom.

Most of us think we know the story.  Perhaps we’ve read the book, or seen the movie.  Turns out, we don’t know the half of it.

Come hear the tale from a local himself, retired private investigator, Mr. Eddie Jenkins.  Come learn the truth of this centuries old legend that began long before falling bridges.  

It seems there’s been something mysterious in the skies above Appalachia for a very long time, indeed.

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And as always, keep wondering…

Transcript

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Hello and welcome to Ohio folklore. I'm your host Melissa Davies. Today we're exploring a unique Appalachian folktale that's been shared between Ohioans and West Virginians for centuries. Many of us first learned the legend through the tragic collapse of the Silver Bridge, which one span the Ohio River. This modern suspension bridge, first built in 1928. Once connected the communities of Point Pleasant West Virginia, and Gallipolis, Ohio when it plunged into frigid waters in December 1967, it ended the lives of 46 people who had been stuck in standstill traffic. Locals from both sides of the river rushed to the scene and stood in a kind of helpless horror. Most vehicles were so deeply submerged, they weren't visible from the water surface. Yet, remnants of the bridge remain visible. Some large sections were still partially attached to a lone pier. The helplessness rescuers must have felt combined with an utter sense of disbelief at the immensity of the crisis. It's a state of mine that remained for days and weeks following the tragedy. People within the region and around the country could hardly comprehend it. Perhaps the incredulity lent fertile ground for what would soon arise. Much folklore often manifests from real life tragedies that challenge our sense of safety and permanence. Sudden crises have a way of leading us stunned and vulnerable. In the wake of such death and destruction. We'll Highlands and West Virginians would reach back into history back into ancient stories in search of some larger explanation. None of us wants to truly acknowledge our own fragility. Yet we are all at the whim of whatever the fates decide. We'll talk more about the catastrophic bridge collapse later on in the episode. But to start, let's hear from a local one, Mr. Eddie Jenkins. He's a retired private investigator. He was about eight years old when the tragedy happened, and was kind enough to offer his own memories of the bridge itself, as well as the lore that sprung forth from its demise. He starts by recalling what it felt like to cross the bridge as a passenger in the years before it fell. Come hear his story. I had an uncle that worked at Tor Gallipolis on a farm and it's a lot of times on weekends we do up there. And the reason that would be crossing that bridge was that we would go up to my grandma's gray Paul's, which lives in Campbell County. And you kind of took a little cross country trip over the route to and then you you know, you went to Point Pleasant well, it will take that bridge back over to the Gallipolis side. And that was a young kid, I was eight or nine and then that same fail. But I remember distinctly several times going across it. I mean, you get hard wind blow you feel like you even black walking on a swinging bridge. Even in your vehicle, you could feel it your plane. Oh, yeah. I mean, that's it. That's what really was scary about it was, you know, if you walk across a swinging bridge, you expect it to bounce a little bit and swing back and forth. You don't you know, but you're on it. But when you got great big trucks and cars, everything Oh, man, that's the shop not supposed to do. Yeah, it was to me, it was just scary. And every time we went across the thing, you know, Starks weigh in and all and, and I tell my dad hurry and get off here to fall. And well, I guess one day did? I guess so. So you could just feel it. It was just a really unsettling feeling. It must have been, especially as a kid because you're not driving you don't have any say over which way you're going and how. Yeah, that's how the bridge was designed. It was like a swinging bridge it was is basically held up by these great big chains, which is what eventually caused it to fail. But these chains were designed so that they could pivot and and the idea was to absorb the low level move, which if you know anything about engineering, all bridges have to move they have to bone and move a little before they break, and but this thing just over exaggerated, it was a lot worse than most. You know, in my, my research, so connecting with locals like yourself, I've heard this time and again, that you know, most most of the folks were kids like you were at the time. And it was just such a scary thing that they would, they would urge their parents to either not use the bridge or go as fast as they could to get across it. So it seems like a number of locals, maybe even more so the kids had some wisdom. Yeah. And then I remember after its fail, they were they dredge the river trying to get as many parts as they could have it up to determine what calls it failed. And down the river from Henderson, there was some big fields. And I remember driving that bother with Dan. And they were dragging that those pieces of that bridge up and there was this big field and they were putting these pieces out there trying to piece it back together and figure out exactly what happened to it. And eventually they did figure out what they were trying to do is get all the parts out there so they can try to figure out what caused it to fail. And like say they eventually did take it out. And there's a little roadside wrist above Gallipolis little town called Kanagawa. But anyway, at that roadside rescue, they've got to display up there. And they have the names of all the victims. But there's a display there that shows that linkage. And how it broke explains it to cause the thing to collapse. I say it was like a i bar. I think it's what they called it. That's that. Yeah, like say it's kind of like a big chain, but it was linked together with pins. You had a piece that was straight on one side. And then the joining piece had a had ears on it. And then there was a hole through them and you put the pin through it. And what actually happened was because you couldn't inspect that pins because it's closed up inside that thing. Those rusted out, and eventually one of them cracked and broke. And when they did that allowed that you know, it's like any chain, you break one link, the whole chain goes. And it's essentially what happened. Do you remember when you first heard that the bridge fell, how you found out about it? how that went. I was a Cub Scout at the time. And my mom and dad and another couple who had kids in Cub Scouts were having a meeting and planning out what we were going to do for the next month or two. And sitting in the living room with with their little boys. And we're just playing. And it came on the news on the TV in the kitchen where mom and dad and the other folks who are. And I heard Dave Hamilton. Say that? Did you see that that bridge just collapsed. And that was the first that they put it on? And it was it was a board. And I got up and walked in here and look at the television. I told him I said See I told you I was gonna fall. Yeah, you knew? Yeah. If only somebody would have listened to you? Well, they didn't listen to anybody I guess. But like to say it was it was designed to move. So everybody thought it was all right. That's what it's supposed to do. Right? Now, have you linked the Birdman to any of this stuff? I was off, man. I was just going to ask you if you had any understanding about that being in that region, because I know that a lot of times they make the connection between the moss man and the bridges collapse. We never heard it call them off. Man. As I recall, when I was a kid, it was the Birdman. And it was on the news several times this this big bird and these reports of it. And at some point, I think it was in the newspaper or something. Some college professor or somebody said that he thought it was a crane or store or something because this one particular one would stand almost six foot tall. And I thought maybe that's what it was but but of course the rumors floated around this thing was seen out in the tea and tea area, which is from round Point Pleasant. And there used to be a munitions factory there where they made tea and tea for you know, the Second World War and there was all these bunkers out there. And they were just mounds is what they were and there would be a door on one side and that's what they forward to TNT and so it was kind of underground and protected. So that one blew up wouldn't blow up airline. But apparently that's where this thing was spotted the most without an air which I guess if it was some kind of wild bird, it would kind of make sense that it will be out there for nothing was was just lots of grass and trees and things. Right. There was sightings of this thing. One of the intriguing things is there were sightings of that Birdman. And it seemed like every time they started seeing that thing, they'd report on the news, and then something bad would happen. And there was some reports of people seeing this strange bird before the bridge collapse. I don't know about that. But I do know there were sightings of it right before the the head of fire at the city hall and the fire department and Point Pleasant and it was all destroyed. There was another time that it was spotted, supposedly. And there was a prisoner in jail. And it was a woman and her boyfriend came down supposedly to bring her some clothes in a suitcase and he got inside the jail. And he had a shotgun with him and they didn't know about it he had hidden and when he got inside the jail, he shot the suitcase which was full of dynamite and killed the sheriff and three other people as well as him and his his wife and blew a great big hole inside of the building. And now I did no share wedge. But that was another thing. Then there was another time that supposedly that Hoffman was saying and they had a big industrial accident at a chemical plant down the road from back down Route to from Point Pleasant So there was like four or five things happen. Every time they would see this thing. This thing. Today we know it is math man, a man sized winged beast with glowing red eyes. It's been spotted in the shadows. It's been seen soaring over hills through moonlit skies. Although no accounts have ever claimed that it threatened or harmed anyone. Spotters recall being transfixed by the experience. The few who have claimed to have seen it report being left with a sense of wonder and a kind of spiritual reckoning. For those living around the area of the Silver Bridge in the 1960s. The multiple appearances of the moth man became forever linked to the bridges collapse and its aftermath. Yet, just as Eddie Jenkins told us, this wasn't the first tragedy that's been connected to this ephemeral creature. Not by a longshot. This folktale does not begin in the 1960s it does not begin in the 20th century. In order for us to grasp the depth of this ancient lore, we must turn back the clock to the late 1700s to our nascent country's very beginnings. We're going to review some history. So bear with me. It's as intriguing as all the other claims you'll hear. And it explains the true origins of the mystical beast we've come to known today as math man. It was 1774 to be exact, and Colonel Andrew Lewis had just led a group of colonial Virginia militiamen into Shawnee territory into present day Point Pleasant West Virginia. Chief corn stock, a revered Shawnee leader would had the response commanding a confederation of Shawnee and Mingo warriors and defensive their homes and hunting grounds. The battle that would ensue was part of Lord Dunn Moore's War, a coordinated effort by British colonists to trample the rights of native tribes people. Treaties had promised the sanctity of their hunting grounds. In a story that's played out time and again, across the developing nation, a group of white men feeling entitled and impervious, plowed forward making war and burning promises, such as what happened during the battle Point Pleasant, a conflict that would ultimately result in the retreat of native forces they'd been outnumbered to to one. The bloody battle would finally end with the signing of yet another treaty. It was the only way for the natives to end the slaughter. The Treaty of Camp Charlotte would cede Shawnee hunting grounds south of the Ohio River to the colonists, the Shawnee were to cease ambushes and other acts of violence against all colonial forces. Chief Cornstalk would sign it under duress. With no other real options to consider, nor any faith in the promises of white men. Soon enough, the same British colonists would find themselves wrapped in the growing conflagration that would become the American Revolution. And in a stark turnabout, they would approach chief corn stock in an appeal for native support against the American rebels. To sweeten the deal, British agents would offer guns in exchange for American scouts. With drama toward war heating up all around them, native peoples found themselves less and less able to stay out of it. In an effort not to make any more enemies, Chief Cornstalk and fellow Shawnee warrior, Red Hawk would take it upon themselves to visit fort Randolph, the newly built American fortress situated at the confluence of the Ohio and they cannot have rivers present day Point Pleasant. Captain Matthew Arbuckle, commander of the fort was surprised to see these men approaching. Most native tribes at that point had already pledged loyalty to the British forces. After arriving, Chief Cornstalk and Red Hawk told Captain Arbuckle that their own people had begun following suit, and that the Americans would soon suffer great casualties under the combined British and native forces. In an effort of good faith, Cornstalk was offering the Americans a warning, a chance to prepare for battle. Yet Captain Arbuckle and his advisors failed to see the act of courage and benevolence for what it was. Instead, they viewed the Native men, not as Harbinger's, but as hostages. Both chief Cornstalk and Red Hawk were detained, and a plan they eventually agreed to. There were to be kept as a kind of insurance policy against any native aggression. Cornstalk hoped this step might keep his people from entering into another useless and bloody battle. The Americans promised fair and respectful treatment during their detention. Hours later, when the two men failed to return to their tribal village cornstalks son, Elena, PepsiCo, sent out after him. He'd soon reached fort Randolph, but remained hidden in the underbrush along the opposite bank of the river. Through an open window, Cornstalk would recognize the calls of his own son bouncing off the river surface in their Shawnee tongue, they would Converse across the water. Cornstalk would confirm that he was alive and well, and that it was alright for his son to come out from hiding. He encouraged Elena PepsiCo to approach the forts entrance and come join him. The Americans had detain the chief and the warrior Yes, but all had hopes that they're staying there might convince Johnny warriors to lay down their weapons and stay out of the White Man's War. Cornstalk hoped that his sons unexpected arrival might prove further assurance for the Americans that their presence was meant to help and breed goodwill. Lnf sicko was indeed allowed to enter the fort. His father embraced him and welcome the three of them. The chief, his son, and the warrior remain there that night. The following morning to American militia men from the fort named Hamilton and Gilmore, set out on a hunting trip. They taken a boat to the south side of the river in hopes of spotting deer. On returning from the trip, they took surprise fire from natives concealed and tall grass. Everyone within the Forte heard the gunfire and went on high alert. Soon, they could see young Hamilton emerge from the trees. He ran down the riverbank flailing along the way. He screamed that the natives were after him and that they had already killed Gilmore. A contingent of men ran to a canoe and paddled furiously across the river. On reaching the other side. They commenced an immediate search of the vicinity. They'd soon find Gilmore's, lifeless and scalped body, but the natives had fled successfully. There was nothing left to do, but go back to the fort with Gilmore's corpse resting inside the canoe. By the time they've returned, the rest of the militiamen were incensed. Rumors started flying that Elena succos arrival the night before had been a ruse. The murdering natives had been with him and laid in wait through the night for an opportunity to cause chaos. Perhaps chief Cornstalk had laid the plans from the start. Perhaps these men were not offering warning and friendship, but we're gathering reconnaissance and plans for a battle that was sure to come. In an act of mutiny, the men approached Captain Arbuckle guns loaded and cocked and demanded that they shoot the Native men in their custody. Then in there, were he to argue that kill the captain and his command staff. And with that, the three man's fates were sealed. On rushing the room where they were staying, the militiamen screamed accusations that Elena PepsiCo had brought the murderers along with him. He denied the charge shaking with fear. Chief Cornstalk grasp the harsh reality of what was to come. He intuited it, he placed a hand on a son shoulder, a sign that he believed his denials. And he told a lineup sicko not to fear that the Great Spirit had intended them to die, here, and now. The chief turned toward the men who were seething in their violent rage. It was then that he was claimed to have said the following. I was a friend of the border men, many a time I have saved him and his people from harm. I came to your house as a friend and you murder me. For this May the curse of the Great Spirit rest upon this spot. May its people be paralyzed by the stain of my blood. After the chief spoke these words, it said that the militia men empty their rifles into the bodies of the men, Ellen PepsiCo was killed while sitting on a stool. The Warrior Red Hawk was shot while trying to climb up a chimney. In the years and decades, which followed chief cornstalks last words were blamed for the economic woes of the area in and around Point Pleasant of all the locations along the Great Ohio River. It was indeed plagued by slow development, due to an unusually high number of floods and fires. And just before many of these misfortunes, a large bird with the head of a man, and a wingspan of as much as it does in feet, had been spotted by unsuspecting onlookers on both sides of the mighty river. It was claimed to be monstrous in size, having dark red feathers that shimmered in the sunlight. When one member of the community would spot the Birdman, as it came to be called, parents would forbid their children to play outside for days. Sightings of the man sized winged creature would continue through the centuries well into the 20th century. After the close of World War Two, many motorists reported being chased by the Birdman on highways that ran along both banks shortly after a disastrous flood forced residents to flee their homes. In time, these unexplained sightings became tied to the historical Legend of cheap corn stalk, his curse, and the warrior named Red Hawk who tried to flee his killers by flying up a chimney. His appearance as governed by ancient folklore, serves as a benevolent warning of danger ahead. The Birdman as sinister looking beast appears to offer caution and inform of an impending disaster. And we now return to the subject at the beginning of our episode. The following story is taken from a newspaper article of the rally register. We move the clock forward to a mid November evening in 1966. One Appalachian farm laid dark and quiet. A farmer, his wife, and their three year old German Shepherd were sitting in the living room, as they always did. It was about

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30pm the glow from the television shown on their faces. They'd had a long day in the fields, and we're halfway nodding off to sleep when a loud mechanical sound came from the television, as if something drastic had interrupted the signal. At this, their dog, bandit began carrying on something terrible with the death how the farmer would later recall. He grabbed a flashlight from a kitchen drawer and stepped out the back door. Bandit followed after him. He'd shown the beam across the dark and meadow behind his house until it met with two reflective red eyes shining back at him. At this band, it began to low threatening growl. As the hair stood up along his back, he bared his teeth. before rushing into the darkness. The farmer had no time to restrain him. The dog simply disappeared that night. There was no sound of a scuffle, no angry, barking or whining. He simply ran into the darkness and never came back. The farmer insisted that he'd never run off like that before, that he'd always stuck close by the farm. Only about 90 minutes later, for young men would report seeing a huge bird like creature with red eyes, just outside the limits of Point Pleasant. They had been driving into town and spotted it on the side of the road when their headlights illuminated it. There beneath the beast was the carcass of what appeared to be a dead dog. The driver slammed on the gas and an attempt to put as much distance from it as possible. Yet Remarkably, the thing kept pace, flying beside and above their car, as the vehicle reached a top speed of 100 miles per hour. as they got closer to town, and the city lights drew brighter, the thing finally relented and veered off course and out of sight. The group of them were abuzz with the whole experience with the mixture of fear and amazement, torn about what to do next. They eventually agreed to turn back to the spot where they'd seen the dogs carcass. They'd soon arrive at the location and find darkness, silence and no dog. This is only one of many accounts that surfaced in the year that followed. Most witnesses described striking similarities of a man sized creature with a large wingspan. They noted eyes that reflected red, and that it soared like an eagle with no real need for flapping its wings. Sightings occurred on both the West Virginia and Ohio sides of the river. In fact, Gallipolis Ohio became a hotbed of sightings. Most accounts came from motorists who spotted it soaring in the night sky above their vehicles. Let's turn our attention now to the local landmark that had been a fixture in the region since 1928. It was an eye bar chain suspension bridge. Instead of using cables, like the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, its load bearing components were steel bars with holes or eyes on each end. bars were connected by placing a pin through the eyes, thus connecting one bar to another light links in a chain. The Silver Bridge so named for its glistening color of its paint carried us route 35 across the Ohio River. To locals it represented various concepts. It was hailed as a wonder of engineering when it was first completed. Yet so many locals like Eddie Jenkins felt unsettled on Crossing its ever bouncing surface. The bridge was central to the local economy. As so many folks lived and worked on opposite sides of the river. Retail stores depended on drawing patrons from both sides. That's why after the sudden collapse on December 15 1967, locals reacted in various and somewhat unexpected ways. Many claimed they knew all along that it would one day fall. And yet the same people had continued using the structure out of necessity. Many admitted rushing as fast as they could to get to the other side on a fervent prayer that they wouldn't be one of the unlucky ones to suffer the inevitable fate. When it finally did happen, a maximum number of vehicles had been trapped there due to rush hour traffic. Later investigations of the wreckage would identify the lone eye bar on the Ohio side of the bridge that gave way due to rust and corrosion. When that one bar broke clean through the remaining load was placed on adjacent links that couldn't possibly bear the weight. And just like that, and rapid succession, the entire structure and all those living souls crashed into the icy waters below. of the 46 people who died. Two bodies were never recovered. Additional conclusions from the investigation found that specifications from the 1928 structure was based on motor vehicles of the time, the size In weight of say a Model T, which was about 1500 pounds. By the 1960s, most vehicles had more than doubled in weight at an average of 4000 pounds. Also, maintenance records showed poor and incomplete inspections, allowing corrosion to take hold undetected. The collapse of the bridge and its aftermath held the nation's attention for many months to follow. It would eventually lead to much closer inspection of older bridges around the country. In fact, a similarly designed bridge upstream near St. Mary's, West Virginia, was closed permanently and then demolished in 1971. The Silver Bridge disaster, but two federal legislation that mandated regular inspection of bridges. However, our country's aging infrastructure, remains at risk today. A replacement bridge would eventually be erected called the silver Memorial Bridge. It was completed in 1969, connecting the communities of Gallipolis Ohio in Henderson, West Virginia. It now stands today about one mile downstream from where the original ill fated bridge was first located. The historic collapse of the Silver Bridge and the number of Mothman sightings that preceded it have now entered into popular culture. It led to the release of a best selling book entitled The Mothman Prophecies written by John Keel. This book chronicled the many sightings of the unexplained creature, and claimed supernatural forces combined to predict and warn of the coming disaster. For many, the moth man was the first time they'd ever heard of a winged beast as a harbinger of doom. For those not local to the region. Many believe the moth man first appeared in 1966 Jason vehicles and soaring into the night sky somewhere above the Ohio River. View grasp the ancient lore that underlies the tale and the cautionary wisdom it provides. A movie called The Mothman Prophecies starring Richard Gere was released in 2002. It's loosely based on the book of the same name, and was met with mixed reviews at the box office. Most locals responded to the movie itself with the shrug, claiming so much of the storyline had been fictionalized to make for a better story. Regardless of how one feels about the movie, its impact on the legend itself is undeniable. The attention the movie placed on the region ultimately resulted in the establishment of the Mothman Festival, an event that draws 1000s of visitors and tourists to the area every September, except for this year, of course, which had to be canceled due to the COVID 19 crisis. A 12 foot tall metallic statue of the winged beast stands in Point Pleasant, a 24 hour webcam has been placed at the spot, so internet viewers can catch eager tourists pose for selfies day and night. In 2005, the Mothman Museum and Research Center was opened. Its mission is to archive evidence of past sightings and preserve firsthand accounts for posterity. Clearly, we in the 21st century have embraced this legend with gusto. As we so often do, we found a way to commercialize a mythical creature, assuring its legacy will continue as long as we're willing to shell out cold hard cash for a chance to connect with the legend. Yet what history shows us is a much deeper meaning and a chance to connect with the lore and a more profound way. One of the biggest messages I've taken from this folktale is our shared fragility in our unending efforts to shield ourselves from it. We live in a precarious world. One where bridges can fall, homes can flood and war can envelop our homes and hunting grounds. Like every other living creature, we fight for survival and try to mitigate the dangers we can't even see coming. I believe the Birdman or the moth man, or whatever you like to call this mystical creature reflects our attempt to look beyond ourselves and the limits of our own knowledge. Many who have spotted this beast report a kind of eerie calm and quiet all that's around them. It sounds to me like a spiritual awakening, perhaps similar to what other cultures might call angels, or Oracle's. We look to forces beyond ourselves for guidance through this treacherous and mysterious world. So keep your eyes peeled and looking up. And remember when you find something sinister lurking, take a moment before reacting. Let the experience seep into you and trust your deeper senses and finding what it all means. This concludes today's episode of The Birdman of Appalachia. I hope you've enjoyed it. If so, please consider writing a review on Apple podcasts. It helps people find the show. You can find Ohio folklore at Ohio folklore.com And on Facebook. And as always, keep wondering