TRAVEL & ADVENTURE
In search of Mothman
A mystery tour to Point Pleasant
By Don Thrasher

“I’ve had situations occur throughout my life,” Jeffrey Stoneking said. “I guess being
part Native American, you tune into things supernatural, if that’s what you want to call
it...but, to me it’s natural.”

That innate link to things out of the ordinary drew Stoneking to Point Pleasant, WV, a site
of much psychic activity. The small town is known primarily for a number of unusual
events preceding a local tragedy that took the lives of 46 Point Pleasant residents in the
mid-’60s. In 2002, Sony Pictures released The Mothman Prophecies, which was adapted
from a book by John Keel and loosely based on the events in Point Pleasant.

Stoneking first learned about the legend of the Mothman in 1984, when he was living in
Los Angeles. Though the story piqued his interest, it was another nine years before he
actually made the pilgrimage to Point Pleasant.

“I gathered enough courage to finally visit in 1993,” Stoneking said. “It’s a frightening
story because there is Truth involved.”

According to Stoneking, his initial visit to Point Pleasant was even scarier than he
imagined. “When you read about something, your mind comes up with a particular
image,” he said. “When you’re seeing it in reality, it’s a whole different ballgame. It was
much worse than I anticipated.”

Although he was scared and only stayed one night, the visit made enough of an
impression on Stoneking that he made two return trips over the next four months.

“You should try room 316 at Lowe Hotel--the Haunted Hotel,” Stoneking said. “I won’t
stay in that room alone. Now they put me across the hall in room 314 where a Hatfield
hangs out. The hotel is Victorian-style and was built in 1901. It’s very Addams
Family-ish. There are skeleton keys, even, to get into your room.”

After his initial visits to Mothman territory, Stoneking didn’t return to Point Pleasant
again until last August when he presented the legend to children at Ted Nugent’s Kamp
For Kids, which was located not far from Point Pleasant. Before he was even through
delivering the Mothman story to the campers, Stoneking knew he had to drive over to
Point Pleasant that very night.

“I had the kids terrified,” he said with a laugh. “Some of them wanted to go with me, but
I wouldn’t let them. I checked in at 1:30am and was told about the history of room 314.
Then, on my way down the hall to 314, the lights went out. That was a pucker.”

Since The Mothman Prophecies hit theaters last year, there has been increased interest in
the mysterious legend. However, many people familiar with the true story were
unhappy with the Hollywood version.

“I was disappointed with the film because it made the story more well known, but it had
inaccuracies,” Stoneking said. “When I was down there again for Memorial Day last
year, there were all of these people descending on the town going, ‘Where’s Mothman,
where’s Mothman?’ They had no concern or consideration for the fact that they could be
speaking to a survivor of one of the people killed on the bridge. They have no interest in
the history of what’s going on, they’re just feeding into the idea of Hollywood’s
Mothman. I don’t live on Planet Hollywood, not at all.”

To share his affection for the unusual community and dispel some of the myths from the
film, Stoneking has organized an overnight jaunt to Point Pleasant.

“With the Haunted Hotel Trip, my goal is to take people there in a themed environment to
make it a little more intense, but to also point out the fact that 46 lives in a community of
5,000 is a major toll. Even 35 years later, it still has an affect on that community. These
aren’t people who move in and out like we do here in Centerville. These are homegrown
folks, and it’s a true community.”

While the tourism department is particular about how the town is presented, they were
very receptive to Stoneking’s Haunted Hotel Trip proposal. “There are things to be told
and there are things to be sold,” Stoneking said. “There is Mothman merchandise and
even a Mothman festival now. They know what they’ve got and it’s theirs.”

Stoneking seems well-suited to lead this tour. In addition to his interest in the
paranormal, and specifically in Point Pleasant, he has worked at both Disneyland and
Disney World and served as assistant teen-age cruise director for the Princess Cruise
Lines. Stoneking, who now works as a masseur, is ready for the challenge.

“This trip is a blast,” he said. “A lot of times what you don’t see is what’s going
to disturb you more. Silence is a wipeout. When we go searching for Mothman there
isn’t going to be a violin score playing in the background. We can’t help what happens to
you psychologically, but we’ll take care of you physically.”

Read more about Mr. STONEking's hair-raising, spine-tingling adventures in Point Pleasant: