By: Jessica Booth | Posted: January 22, 2018 at 12:28 p.m. | Source: Hello Giggles
It seems like things are getting pretty spooky in Chicago, Illinois. This past week, Vice reported that over 55 people have claimed to see the Mothman, a mysterious, giant bird-like creature lurking in the sky. Even spookier? This definitely isn’t the first time the monster has been spotted. In fact, the origins of this creepy urban legend go back about 50 years.
The myth of the Mothman has been around since the 1960s and doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon. The creature recently resurfaced in Chicago, where residents have described seeing something large, “bat-like,” and similar to “a big owl.” One witness described the creature as having “muscular legs, a jutting tailbone, and a human-like shape.” Although this description has varied slightly over the years, the basics have remained pretty consistent: the creature seems to be some sort of bird-like humanoid with glowing eyes.
But how did the Mothman come about?
Mothman was first spotted in a cemetery near Clendenin, West Virginia on November 12th, 1966. According to legend, five men were digging a grave when they saw a human-like figure flying low over the trees. This became the first known sighting of the creature, and many more followed.
A few days later, on November 15th, 1966, the second known sighting happened. Two couples were driving past a TNT plant when they reported seeing a large creature with a huge wingspan and red eyes swooping down near their car. They claimed the creature followed them to Point Pleasant in West Virginia before disappearing, and then they went to the police.
From then on, Mothman became a terrifying legend linked to bad luck. When the story got picked up nationally, it gained even more traction. John Keel wrote the book The Mothman Prophecies in 1975, and in 2002, it was made into a movie.
Considering the first sightings were reported in West Virginia, it’s pretty scary that so many people have spotted the Mothman all the way over in Chicago. This has led some to suspect that there is more than one Mothman creature. Lon Strickler, a paranormal researcher who monitors the whereabouts of the monster on his website, PhantomsAndMonsters.com, is one of those people. He told Vice that he believes all the different reports point to at least three Mothman creatures out there in the world.
You might not believe in the Mothman, but admit it: it’s kind of crazy that people from today would spot something extremely similar to what was seen about 50 years ago. Sure, it could just be another urban legend, but this one is definitely worth looking into more.
The emergency food pantry, located at the Clendenin United Methodist Church, provides a valuable service to the local residents. The pantry is operated by the Clendenin Ministerial Association, which includes the United Methodist Church, Church of the Nazarene, Clendenin Advent Christian Church, Liberty Christian Ministries, Clendenin First Baptist Church, and Reamer Gospel Tabernacle.
According to Clendenin United Methodist Church Minister and food pantry coordinator, Scott Ferguson, the pantry has been helping 8-10 families per week, which translates to 40-50 people per week in the 25045 area. Those who need emergency food assistance can contact the Clendenin United Methodist Church. At this time emergency assistance is available to qualifying families every two months.
By Hannah Kessler Trautwein, Project Coordinator, Next Step Ministries