Point Pleasant's Rich History
Introduction
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Centuries of history lie behind the quiet town of Point Pleasant at the Ohio and Great Kanawha River junction. From pre-historic mound building natives, through extensive early colonial settlement and a significant Indian-colonist battle on what was the country's western frontier, to today's museums and a state historical park, much has taken place here.
Backstory and Context
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Today, Point Pleasant is largely known for:
- the fall of the Silver Bridge on December 15, 1967 which killed 46 travelers;
- the mysterious "mothman" activity from November 15, 1966, to December 15, 1967;
- the reportedly haunted Lowe Hotel; and,
- designation of the nearby World War II West Virginia Ordnance Works as a Super Fund cleanup site in 1987
That pre-history American natives for centuries found the confluence of the Ohio and Great Kanawha rivers fertile land is not widely known. Yet their burial mounds dot the area around Pont Pleasant. They were succeeded by Shawnee Native Americans.
As with many other places lost in the country's colonial expansion, many significant events and figures played prominent roles.