When one hears the name Point Pleasant, one can’t help but think of the Mothman. But Point Pleasant’s past was creepy way before the Mothman ever came around. This is a story that takes place way before that, all the way back to the years following the Revolutionary War, back when America was still a battleground.
Point Pleasant sits at the confluence of the Ohio and Kanawha Rivers. But before there was a city, there was a battle.
On October 10, 1774, the Battle of Point Pleasant was fought at the confluence of the Ohio and Kanawha Rivers. The Native American warriors were led by Shawnee Chief Keigh-tugh-qua, known to the Virginians as Cornstalk.
Cornstalk was renowned as a great warrior, and gained the respect and admiration of the white men during the battle. They regarded the Shawnee chief as a formidable opponent and an exceptional military commander.
However, the Virginians had the advantage of firepower. The Native Americans’ arrows and tomahawks were no match for muskets, and after suffering heavy losses, Cornstalk called for a retreat.
At the site of the battle, Fort Randolph was built as a barrier to a possible retaliation by the Native Americans to reclaim the land the Virginians had occupied. it was there, years later, that the curse of Point Pleasant was born.
In November of 1777, battle was brewing again. Cornstalk came to the fort to negotiate a peace treaty in an effort to avoid more bloodshed. He was immediately taken into custody, along with Red Hawk, a Delaware chief, and an unknown third Native American. Later, Cornstalk's son arrived, and he also was taken into custody. On November 8, all four of the prisoners were shot and killed. Before he died, Cornstalk apparently called on the great spirit to curse the land for 200 years in retaliation for the wrongful death of his son and friends.
Since then, many tragedies have struck the region.
Two devastating floods have hit Point Pleasant, causing severe damage. In the 1880s, an entire city block of the downtown area burned down. There were also two plane crashes, the most well known of which was a Southern Airways plane carrying the Marshall University football team, the coach, and many Huntington citizens. All 75 people on board were killed. A few years later, in '78, a freight train derailed and spilled toxic chemicals in the city’s water supply.
There is also the 86-foot-tall obelisk dedicated to the Virginians who died in the Battle of Point Pleasant.
It has been struck by lightning twice on nights when the sky was clear and no storm was near. The first strike damaged the crane that was lowering the monument into place. It caused the ceremony to be delayed for a month while the crane was being repaired. The second strike caused moderate damage to the structure. As a result, a few parts of it had to be replaced, including the capstone. Then in December of 1967, the Silver Bridge (connecting Point Pleasant to Ohio) collapsed, killing 46 people.
That was the last major disaster to hit the area, an event that followed an already harrowing 13 months plagued by the Mothman, the Men in Black and heavy UFO activity. It was almost like the curse was having one last hurrah before coming to an end.
Do you believe in the Cornstalk Curse, or do you think it is all just nonsense? Feel free to comment below and join the discussion.
