MOTHMAN: Map & Description of the area where sighted

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MOTHMAN: A Map and Description of the area where first sighted

The creature was allegedly first sighted at the West Virginia Ordnance Works North Power Plant by a pair of "parkers" in mid-November, 1966.

The West Virginia Ordnance Works were created early during World War II to supply TNT (tri-nitro-toluene) -- a highly dangerous explosive -- for the United States war effort. Located about six miles north of Point Pleasant, West Virginia the area now serves as a public hunting and fishing area, and is known locally as the "TNT Area" or just "TNT."

Constructed during the buildup of the war, the plant was ostensibly laid out to avoid a possible Japanese or German attack. Storage of the dangerous explosives was accomplished through a series of concrete bunkers built above ground. These bunkers, or "igloos," were huge dome-shaped concrete structures, covered with a foot or more of earth and spaced in a grid pattern to reduce the chances of all igloos being destroyed in a chain reaction from an enemy bomb. Doors on the igloos are approximately a foot thick and solid. The covering of earth also served as camouflage, since grass was allowed to grow over the entire complex, although from the air the facility must have appeared odd.

Twin coal-fired power plants were constructed to supply power for the manufacturing facility. A series of underground bunkers, tunnels and sewers also connected the entire complex.

Sometime after the war, the blueprints of the plant layout were destroyed in an act of typical Washington, DC efficiency. The plant suspended operations in 1945. The igloos were later used for storage of commercial explosives (perhaps still are) and rumor had it that low-level nuclear wastes were also periodically stored in the igloos. Virtually all the igloos are locked and inaccessible, unless someone has trespassed and tried to break in; this is not advisable and potentially very dangerous, even life-threatening, because of snakes, rats, skunks, possible nuclear waste, explosives (and later explosive residue more powerful than TNT), plus industrial waste from the plant's heyday.

In the early 1980s some folks were fishing in one of the designated fishing ponds when they noticed a red liquid bubbling to the surface. It turned out to be a toluene compound. Subsequent testing determined the area to be one of the most polluted sites in the United States; it was granted "Top 10 Superfund Cleanup" status.

During the plant's operation waste products were allowed to settle into unlined holding "reservoirs" for evaporation; these pits were plowed under and vegetation eventually grew back. This action, coupled with possible sewers, led to the poisoning of the area. The Army Corps is busy with remediation of the site; permanent, perpetual monitoring of groundwater will be required from now until forever (!). The ponds affected have been drained, "capped" with a clay liner and monitoring wells installed.

Because of the destruction of the plant blueprints, the Army Corps has had to advertise publicly for information from anyone with work experience at the plant. This was done to try and recover some information about locations of sewers and tunnels. It is unknown if all remaining facilities will be found.