A Pleasant Dream
At the confluence of the Kanawha and Ohio rivers lies a quaint community steeped in frontier history, river heritage and supernatural legend. Like the waters that surround it, Point Pleasant has its own current. A stroll down Main Street is reminiscent of Mayberry, a simpler time when folks left their houses unlocked and children could frolic past sunset without fear or uneasiness.
Looking past the empty store fronts and sparse sidewalks, Point Pleasant may not seem like a revitalized area; but it has become a town of committees, a town working together for a better tomorrow. On the banks of Mason County in west central West Virginia, this town is pulling its resources together for an economically sound future, one fueled by cultural heritage tourism.
On the sidewalk a group of locals sit in front of Hall's Barbershop in rocking chairs, chatting beneath the early afternoon sun. At the sight of newcomers, Dave Schultz pleasantly offers: "Do you all need help finding anything?" It's a small town postcard that today's metropolitan crowd would struggle to believe. When riverboat excursions dock on the nearby banks, tourists who come ashore can hardly believe their eyes. "They say, 'Oh my gosh! We've got to get a picture of this-people actually sitting around in rocking chairs! People back home won't believe this,'" Dave recounts. The same goes for his barbershop business which opened in 1967. Aside from the recent newspapers and magazines lining the front windowsill, Hall's looks as it did almost 40 years ago.
The storybook appeal of sidewalk rockers and vintage barbershops is missing in the minds of many Mason County locals, many of whom have seen it most of their lives. That old-fashioned romanticism is lost on them, so much so that it's hard for them to grasp why sitting in a rocker makes a bit of difference. But to local tourism and economic development, it means a bundle. Point Pleasant's Main Street appeal is just a fraction of what local officials are hoping to capitalize on. Since 2000, the opening of a $5.8 million Riverfront Park, a new River Museum, the release of the "Mothman Prophecies" movie and the expansion of Fort Randolph have meant big things for this small town of 5,000.
"It's always been a quiet little river town," says Denny Bellamy, director of economic development for the city. "The small town atmosphere is what the people from the cities want to see. They're not quite sure if small towns exist anymore, and they're happy when they find out they do. Most of the people here with a college degree have to move away. The joke here is you spend 20 years trying to get out of Point Pleasant and 25 years trying to come back. It's almost like it's a time warp. But in the last three years it has changed more than it has in the last 30. The riverfront and River Museum are huge additions-huge. This Mothman movie has created tourism whether we wanted it to or not. So many people were coming into town; we had to do something with it."
Denny Bellamy and Charles Humphreys, director of Main Street Point Pleasant, are the local point men when it comes to making things happen, but they're quick to point out that nothing they do is done without help-Denny alone had 44 volunteers last year. They are the classic dynamic duo, though seldom are either seen together. Denny spends his days attracting crowds and making sure the media knows about events, while Charles spends his politicking and fundraising. Side by side, they make a great odd couple-Denny's burly frame in shorts and a polo shirt, and a lean Charles in suit and tie. Their uniforms match their day jobs and personalities to a T.
"They're definitely different," says Point Pleasant Mayor Jim Wilson, who hired Denny when he took office. "Their common goal is the same: they want our town to do better. Denny and Charles have done a good job getting businesses in here. The big change is the image of our town."
Charles began doing what he did best- finding money. For years the Main Street program was trying to put something together to revitalize downtown. They knew if they could create a Riverfront Park, they'd have something to build on. "The Main Street organization wrote all kinds of grants," says Charles. "Our board was really the key to getting the money. They just kept going with persistence and it happened. Once we knew we had the money, that's when our program started."
Construction for the park began in 2002 and was completed a year later. Now what once was a muddy path along a flood wall is a beautiful amphitheatre and walkway. "We had what we'd been wanting for years. It's like theatre; you first build your stage. After you build your stage, you need an attraction 'tourism destination program,'" says Charles. This summer a marina will be added to the Riverfront Park for pleasure boats to dock overnight. The city also plans on adding a pavilion later on.
Meanwhile Denny took over the tourism reigns in July 2004. He became an expert in tourism during his five years as a sales representative for RUSS, one of the largest gift companies in the world, and the decade he represented craftsmen through his marketing company, Bellamy & Associates. While selling to state parks in Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee and West Virginia, he paid attention. "I'd seen all the tourism projects in four states. I sold them, I talked to them. I wanted to come home and do something in my hometown. There was already a tourism effort here that had been going on for four years. Charles was part of it the whole time. They were just starting to get some things done when I came on board."
Point Pleasant's Riverfront Park opened the same summer Denny started, so his first job was to create crowds in the park. The mayor wanted people to see the park and all of its possibilities, so Denny coordinated a free riverfront concert every Friday night during the summer. It began with crowds of 200; now more than 400 people turn out each night. Denny then began planning monthly events like the River of Life Festival and the Rodders Hotrod Show to keep the riverfront hopping.
It's fitting that both Denny and Charles spent their careers in sales. They're still in the business of selling, but the product and commission has changed. Now they are selling the future of Mason County to businesses, tourists and even their next door neighbors. Their compensation isn't money, it is gratification. "I put a lot of hours in. It's not 9 to 5, it's when you can," says Charles. "I love to see the accomplishments, to see things happen. Before it was just making a living; now its really paying back to the county and trying to do what each generation should do-preserve and sustain what we have. I get gratification when I see each project get done. In the near future, I see Point Pleasant as a real productive unit of the state of West Virginia."
One of their biggest "sells" to date is Bennigan's Grill and Tavern, which opened less than a year ago, creating dozens of jobs. The city wasn't even close to the restaurant chain's standard qualifications. "There's no way that a Bennigan's, theoretically, belongs in Point Pleasant with an average income of $18,000 with only 5,000 people. We didn't qualify for any of the chains. What you have to do is sell people on the fact that Point Pleasant is also Gallia County, Mason County and Meigs County. You've got to show people there's more than what is here. Then when you add tourism, you can convince people to come."
Thirty dilapidated buildings within the city limits have been torn down in the past few years, making way for new business like Bennigan's, Farmer's Bank and Pancho's Mexican Restaurant. The first thing the city did three years ago was improve the entrance to the town. "We had a lot of things we'd rather you not see," explains Charles, "like backs of buildings, trash and vines on everything. It looked like a city that definitely wasn't moving forward. We muraled a few of the buildings, which really turned out well. People came across and they didn't see any litter or trash, they saw murals. We got some more attention after that."
The way they see it, something has to come down before something new comes up. A rusty warehouse became the River Museum, a vacant KFC became the tourism center, and a rundown building with tires and rusted-out cars became Bennigan's.
"It's been a treat," says the mayor. "Bennigan's attracted the Ohio customers to our city. That's been our biggest problem, I think. They've always attracted us; with the Walmart and different car lots, you can see why. Bennigan's gave us something they didn't have in Ohio. While they're here, they start asking what else is here. So they start looking and they see the Mexican restaurant, the new banks, the parks. We're seeing many people coming back over. We're making headway."
Cultural heritage is Point Pleasant's golden ticket. On October 10, 1774, Colonel Andrew Lewis's 1,100 Virginia militiamen decisively defeated a similar number of Indians led by the Shawnee Chieftan Cornstalk at the Battle of Point Pleasant. Considered a landmark in frontier history, some consider the battle to be the first of the American Revolution. This action broke the power of the ancient Americans in the Ohio Valley and quelled a general Indian war on the frontier. That's why 15 murals, depicting historical scenes, will be painted by muralist Robert Dafford (See Sidebar) along the floodwall in the Riverfront Park starting in July.
The murals will be used as an educational and tourist attraction, telling visitors the history of Point Pleasant as they walk along the river. The murals are divided into four sections: Lord Dunmore's War and the Battle of Point Pleasant, "Mad" Anne Bailey, a Shawnee Indian village and the Silver Bridge disaster. Charles says "it will be quite a trip."
Two centuries after the infamous frontier battle, on December 15, 1967, the Silver Bridge collapsed, killing 46 people. Odd events before the collapse, particularly the appearances of a "Mothman," led to a 1975 book named "The Mothman Prophecies," which was turned into a movie in 2002, starring Richard Gere. When the movie was released, tourists and movie crews from around the world began to flock to Point Pleasant in search of the infamous legend of the Mothman. Denny has worked with crews from the History Channel, Animal Planet, Discovery Channel, Travel Channel and others in the last few years.
Red Line Studios filmed its full-length feature documentary "Eyes of the Mothman" in Point Pleasant in May. Neil Stephens, an independent cinematographer from New York City, says Point Pleasant is the friendliest location he's ever been to. He's considering moving here and opening a guitar store-his lifelong dream. His photography job allows him to live anywhere he wants; and it doesn't hurt that he could open his store and live above it for less than he's paying for his one-room apartment in the Big Apple.
Mary Ruth Finley owns the only hotel in town, Lowe Hotel, on the corner of Fourth and Main streets. She and her husband bought the hotel in 1990 because they thought it deserved to be saved and remain a part of the town. The September Mothman Festival and year-round tourists and film crews are keeping her rooms full, Mary Ruth says. "Sometimes we send people across the river," she says. "There has been an increase in revenue, but we're expecting more of an increase down the road of course. Our town's definitely moving and growing, but it doesn't happen overnight."
The other piece of the tourism puzzle are the museums and parks. Point Pleasant has five city parks and one state park, not bad for it's size. It also boasts two original museums, the Point Pleasant River Museum and the West Virginia State Farm Museum. In April the River Museum had its best month yet. This year, Krodel Park's Fort Randolph- which sat empty a few years ago except for two annual festivals-will host four new festivals.
The tourism center is coming off their busiest months even though winter is typically a slower season. The tourism center saw 216 visitors this past April, up from 149 in 2005. A little over 200 visitors may not seem like a lot, but to Mason County it is nearly double what they have seen in the past. "The timing is perfect," says Denny. "We both feel that if we don't do it now, it won't ever get done. For years people from outside were brought in to do tourism, but they used it as a stepping stone for a better job. We're two homeboys who came back to get involved. This is our county; Charles and I are going to do this until they run us out of town or we get it done."
The challenge now is keeping the momentum going-which will take help from the state and the local people. "I think we're definitely a county, a city on the move. We've been very fortunate. We've had a lot of people who have retired and are doing a lot of jobs for no money," the mayor comments. "We're going to have people believing in our town again and saying, 'I think we can make it.' Sometimes it takes an attitude change. We're starting to get it here. I've seen the change, but I haven't seen it totally." Who says small towns can't have big dreams?
