Sitting in a storefront on an otherwise banal street corner in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, the Mothman Museum is the only public collection devoted solely to the mysterious insect creature that is said to have plagued the area in the 1960s, since then becoming prominent enough to give Bigfoot a run for its money. 

Between 1966 and 1967 residents of Point Pleasant began reporting sightings of a mysterious, vaguely humanoid creature said to have glowing red eyes and massive wings. This elusive cryptid was soon dubbed the Mothman and it quickly nestled deep into the American consciousness thanks to a few popular tomes on the encounters. The popularity of the creepy creature continued to grow over the decades, inspiring movies and television pilots among other media, soon leaving a trail of speculation and waves of further sightings. 

The history of the popular legend is documented and exhibited in Point Pleasant’s very own museum devoted to the mystery. The collection on display includes everything from newspaper clippings from the time of the original sightings to books, toys, and memorabilia from the Mothman’s various multimedia appearances. The focus of the museum is weighted in favor of the beast’s media presence and less on the hard history of the sightings but manages to be informative nonetheless. In addition, there is also a prominent and well-stocked gift shop for visitors’ cryptid-related needs.

The owner and operator of the museum has not only written a book about the creature, but also founded the city’s yearly Mothman Festival, so anyone wanting to try and crack the mystery of the creature wide open would be hard-pressed to find a better starting point for their investigation.