Point Pleasant, West Virginia

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Point Pleasant is a small town on the West Virginian side of the Ohio River. It's the county seat of Mason County, but its biggest claims to fame lie in its history.

In 1774, it was the site of the battle between Virginian militiamen and the native Shawnee tribes, led by Chief Cornstalk. The defeat of Chief Cornstalk helped open the Ohio River to settlers.

During the Second World War, Point Pleasant was known for its munitions factory - the West Virginia Ordnance Works. The site, which was located about 6 miles north of town, produced tons of dynamite for the war effort.

The city gained national attention during the 1966-67 Mothman episode. As chronicled by UFO researcher John Keel in his book "The Mothman Prophesies," sightings of UFOs coincided with visions of a strange, winged man-bird entity. A series of strange events seemed to center on the town for the 13 months up until the tragic collapse of the Silver Bridge in December 1967. The collapse of the Silver Bridge claimed 46 lives.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornstalk
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/mothman
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_Bridge
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Coordinates:   38°51'8"N   82°7'46"W
This article was last modified 13 years ago