POINT PLEASANT, W.Va. (WTRF) — West Virginia played an important part in the wartime effort during World War II.
Not only did its citizens fight in the war, but some also stayed stateside to produce munitions.
The West Virginia Ordinance Works opened at the height of the war just north of Point Pleasant, according to Only In Your State.
Around 3,500 workers were employed at the TNT factory, manufacturing 500,000 pounds of TNT every day.
Soon after the war ended in 1945, the plant closed, leaving more than 8,000 acres of land to be repurposed. A 3,655 section of the land was designated for wildlife as the McClintic Wildlife Management Area and is now used for hunting and fishing.
Some of the old TNT factory relics were left behind, though, and some visitors call them creepy. Old TNT storage bunkers or igloos are visible. But beware, some people doubt that all of the TNT was removed from the site, so a visit could be dangerous.
In fact, in 2010, one of the bunkers exploded after 20,000 pounds of unstable materials were found on the site.
In 1983, the area was designated as a Superfund site due to massive amounts of contamination from the old munitions plant.
A legend also arose from the ruins of the TNT plant, Mothman, the mythical winged creature rumored to live there.
If you like adventure and aren’t frightened away by explosives or mythical creatures, then a visit to the old TNT plant in Point Pleasant might be a good choice for you.
