If you have never heard of it, the Mothman is a creature made famous by encounters in Point Pleasant, West Virginia. Several eyewitnesses have described it as a human-shaped and sized creature with bird-like wings and feathers. Its most distinguishing feature is its reflective red eyes. There have been several sightings of this creature throughout the years, even before the incidents reported in Point Pleasant. Some believe that it may even be the same creature as the Thunderbird from Native American legend.

This first story is not as well known as some of the other Mothman stories. However, it is believed to be one of the first encounters with the creature. On November 1, 1966, several National Guardsmen in Point Pleasant saw what they described as a large, brown, man-shaped figure on a tree limb near the National Guard Armory.

Our next story took place on November 12, 1966, in Clendenin, West Virginia – a few days before the more famous sighting on the 15th. Kenneth Duncan, along with four other men, was digging a grave for his father-in-law when he noticed a pair of red, glowing dots coming from the nearby woods. He then noticed the pair of dotted eyes that belonged to what looked like a tall brown man. Shortly after he noticed this, a set of wings spread from the man. Then, it jumped up and momentarily flew over the men’s heads before disappearing. This creature eventually became known as the Mothman.

The Mothman has always been one of my favorite cryptids. I remember reading about it when I was very young and being extremely creeped out. That’s probably what started my interest in the creature. I plan on doing additional posts in the future about the Mothman and the strange occurrences in Point Pleasant.

If you want to learn more about the Mothman, I recommend visiting the Mothman Museum in Point Pleasant. You can also watch a 24/7 stream of The Mothman Statue on YouTube. Being the administrator of this stream, I highly recommend it.

Check out Part 2 of this story!

Do you have a Paranormal story? Let us know we would love to feature it! Email us at [email protected].

Source(s):

Jeff Wamsley Director Mothman Museum and Mothman expert

appalachianoddity http://www.appalachianoddity.org/

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This story starts out in the summer of 1817, when the Bell family began seeing strange looking animals on their 320 acre farm. Soon after, they began hearing knocking sounds on their doors and the outer walls of their farm house. Shortly after the knocking started, the family began hearing chains being drug through the house, the sounds of stones being dropped on their wood floors, and gulping and choking sounds. 

As you might imagine, the family was terrified by these events. Fearing ridicule, they kept the strange occurrences to themselves for about a year until it became unbearable. The father, John Bell, confided in their neighbors, the Johnsons. John invited them to stay over for a few nights so that they too could witness the events. After a few nights of strange events, Mr. Johnson suggested more people be told, and a committee was formed to start an investigation.

It was not long after this that people began traveling from many miles away to witness these strange occurrences, and soon this entity gained a voice. It said it was a witch named Kate Batts but soon became referred to as the Bell Witch. Kate said she wanted two things. First, she wanted John Bell dead, and, second, she wanted to prevent John’s youngest daughter, Betsy, from marrying a neighbor boy named Joshua Gardner.

Over the next few years, the family was tormented almost daily. John and Betsy received the worst of it. Betsy was scratched, having her hair pulled, and even receiving beatings. John began suffering from spells of swelling, mostly in the throat, as well as physical beatings. John said that Kate would blast him with threats and curses.

Finally in 1820, after drawing huge crowds, Kate seemed to accomplish her mission. On December 20, John Bell died; it was believed that he was poisoned by Kate. Then in March of the next year, Betsy broke off her engagement to Joshua Gardner. After this, Kate bid everyone farewell and said she would return in 7 years.

In 1828, Kate did return for a few weeks. She visited the home of John Bell, Jr. and had several long talks with him about the past and future. She said there was a reason for stopping Betsy’s marriage and for the death of John Sr. but it was never explained. She said that she would return again in 100 years.

People in the area said she never left, and there are reports of strange occurrences still happening on the Bell family’s old farm and at the Bell Witch Cave in Adams, Tennessee. I may circle back and add a few of these stories if there’s interest among you readers. Tours are available of a replica of the Bell family cabin as well as the Bell Witch Cave in Robertson County, Tennessee. Let me know what you think in the comment section!

Do you have a Paranormal story? Let us know we would love to feature it! Email us at [email protected].

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According to Japanese legend, Kuchisake-onna, or the Slit-Mouthed Woman, was a human woman who was mutilated during her life. Her mouth was slit from ear to ear, like The Joker in 2008’s The Dark Knight. In some versions of the story, Kuchisake-onna was the adulterous wife of a samurai during her life, and, as punishment for her infidelity, her husband sliced the corners of her mouth from ear to ear. Other versions of the lore include that her mouth was mutilated during a medical or dental procedure, that she was mutilated by another woman who was jealous of her beauty, or that her mouth is filled with numerous sharp teeth.

After her death, the woman returned as a vengeful spirit, or onryō. As an onryō, she covers her mouth with a cloth mask (often specified as a surgical mask or, in some iterations, a hand fan or handkerchief). She also carries a sharp instrument with her, which has been described as a knife or a large pair of scissors. She is said to ask potential victims if they think she is pretty or attractive.. If they answer “no,” she will kill them with her weapon, and if they answer “yes,” she will reveal her mutilated mouth. She then repeats her question, “Even now?” If the individual responds with “no” or screams in fright, she will kill them with her weapon. If they respond with “yes,” she will slice the corners of their mouth from ear to ear, resembling her own disfigurement. It’s said that the only way to survive the encounter is to answer, “so-so” or “What do you think?” to confuse the spirit. I’ll be giving you one of the most commonly told stories of the Slit-Mouthed Woman from Japanese culture.

Many years ago there was a young man of 20 called Kosuke, who worked at a shop called Daikokuya in Motogikucho, Edo. Being a fresh new employee, he was asked by his boss to run an errand in Ookubohyakunincho (present day Shinjuku). He was asked to deliver a letter and wait for the reply, but the reply took a considerable amount of time. By the time he was able to return, the sun was already setting, and, to top it all off, it had started to rain. Kosuke pulled out his umbrella and lit a lantern, then put the letter in his pocket and hurried along the street back to the shop.

Along the way he noticed a young woman, soaked and running along the street.. He called out to the woman and told her he was returning to Motogikucho, but if she would like to share his umbrella along the way she could. The woman stopped dead in her tracks and quickly turned around. The moment she did, Kosuke screamed and fell backwards. The woman’s mouth was cut from ear to ear. Fangs jutted out, and her eyes sparkled at the sight of him.

Kosuke had worried about returning to the shop late but ended up being carried back. On his arrival it was as though he had aged all at once. His teeth had fallen out, and his face had grown old. Without saying another word, he took his final breath.

There were several Slit-Mouthed Woman sightings in the area at the time. It is believed that Kosuke was attacked by her based on the story he told them men who found him.

Do you have a Paranormal story? Let us know we would love to feature it! Email us at [email protected].

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The Flatwoods monster (also known as the Braxton County monster, phantom of Flatwoods, or “Braxxy”), in West Virginia folklore, is an entity reported to have been sighted in the town of Flatwoods in Braxton County, West Virginia, United States, on September 12, 1952, after a bright object crossed the night sky. Our story is of one of the most famous encounters sent over from our friends at The Flatwoods Monster Museum!

Flatwoods West Virginia – On September 12th, 1952, around 7 o’clock in the evening, brothers, Eddie and Freddie May, and their friends – Neil Nunley, Tommy Hyer, and Ronnie Shaver – were playing on the lawn of Flatwoods Elementary School when the group saw what was described as a fireball fly quickly overhead and land on a nearby hilltop just past the Fisher Farm. The group, after conscripting Kathleen May and Gene Lemon, crossed the farm and walked into the woods where the boys thought the fire ball landed. In an account provided by Nunley, he reportedly saw a pulsing red light near the top of the hill. Then, suddenly, Lemon saw a pair of shining, animal-like eyes, and aimed a flashlight in their direction. The light revealed a towering “man-like” figure with a round, red “face” surrounded by a “pointed, hood-like shape.” The body was dark and seemingly colorless, but some would later say it was green, and Mrs. May reported seeing “drape-like” folds. The monster was observed only momentarily, as suddenly it emitted a hissing sound and glided toward the group. Lemon screamed and dropping his flashlight. Terror seized the group as they ran away to escape the horror they had found.

Early the next morning, a reporter visited the site of the encounter and discovered two tracks in the mud, as well as traces of a thick black liquid. He immediately reported them as being possible signs of a saucer landing based on the premise that the area had not been subjected to traffic for at least a year. It was later revealed that the tracks were likely to have been those of a Chevrolet pickup truck driven by a local, who had gone to the site to look for the creature some hours prior to Stewert’s discovery.

After the event, investigators associated with Civilian Saucer Investigation, obtained a number of accounts from witnesses who claimed to have experienced a similar or related phenomena.

Interested in learning more about The Flatwoods Monster? Visit the Flatwoods Monster Museum located on Main Street in downtown Sutton, just two miles from Exit 62 on I-79.

Do you have a Paranormal story? Let us know we would love to feature it! Email us at [email protected]

Source(s):

Story provided by Andrew Smith Executive Director Flatwoods Monster Museum

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