Overview
The Kelly-Hopkinsville encounter took place on the night of August 21 to 22, 1955, at a farmhouse near the hamlet of Kelly in Christian County, Kentucky. Eleven people were in the house. They said small, strange beings kept appearing at the windows and doors, and the men fired at them with a shotgun and a .22 for nearly four hours. Around 11 p.m. the group drove to the Hopkinsville police station to ask for help.
The creatures were described as two to four feet tall, with large heads, big pointed ears, long arms, claw-like hands and glowing yellow eyes. Their bodies were said to shine like metal. Witnesses said bullets hitting them sounded like shots on a metal bucket and that the beings floated or fell back rather than going down. The word 'green' was added later by the press; the earliest reports do not use it.
Police and others took the call seriously. Four city officers, five state troopers, three deputies and four military police from Fort Campbell searched the property. They found broken windows and screen holes, likely from the gunfire, and no other trace. The families said the creatures came back around 3:30 a.m., after the officers left.
The case is one of the best-known close encounters in UFO history. It shaped the phrase 'little green men', inspired films such as Critters, and is celebrated each year at the Little Green Men Days festival in Kelly. Skeptics favor great horned owls defending a nest.
Timeline
- Aug 21, 1955, eveningBilly Ray Taylor says he saw a bright object streak across the sky and land.
- Aug 21, 1955, nightSmall figures appear at the windows; the men open fire.
- Aug 21, 1955, about 11 p.m.The group drives to the Hopkinsville police station.
- Aug 22, 1955, early hoursCity, state, county and military police search the farm; find no creatures.
- Aug 22, 1955, about 3:30 a.m.Families say the creatures returned.
- Aug 22, 1955Kentucky New Era runs the first story; national coverage follows.
- 1978Isabel Davis's study Close Encounters at Kelly is published by CUFOS.
- 2006Joe Nickell proposes great horned owls in Skeptical Inquirer.
Reported sightings
Sutton farm, Kelly, Christian County KY
Aug 21, 1955, evening On the record
Billy Ray Taylor, a visitor at the farmhouse, went out to the well and said he saw a bright object streak across the sky and come down beyond the trees. The others laughed it off. Researchers later noted the timing matches reports of meteors seen in the region that night.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgSutton farmhouse, Kelly KY
Aug 21, 1955, night On the record
Elmer 'Lucky' Sutton and Billy Ray Taylor said short, dark figures began showing up at the doorways and windows, and they fired at them. More figures appeared at windows and on the roof over the next hours. The men kept shooting; the hits sounded like metal and the figures seemed to float away.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgSutton farmhouse porch, Kelly KY
Aug 21, 1955, night On the record
In a widely repeated detail from the owner's earlier research, one figure on the roof reached down and touched Billy Ray Taylor's hair as he stepped outside. One witness compared a creature to a five-gallon gas can with a head on it. These details helped make the case famous.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgHopkinsville police station KY
Aug 21-22, 1955, about 11 p.m. On the record
Five adults and seven children (counts vary) arrived at the station saying creatures from a spaceship had been attacking their house. Police described them as frightened. A large search followed with city police, state troopers, deputies and MPs from Fort Campbell. They found broken windows and holes in screens, an odd glowing patch along a fence, and a green light they could not trace.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgSutton farmhouse, Kelly KY
Aug 22, 1955, about 3:30 a.m. On the record
After the officers left, the household said the creatures came back. When police returned later that day, the families had packed up and left the farm. The household included Glennie Lankford, her sons Lucky and J.C. Sutton, their wives, O.P. Baker, Billy Ray and June Taylor, and three Lankford children.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgHopkinsville KY (newspaper)
Aug 22, 1955 On the record
The Kentucky New Era ran the first story under a headline about a space ship and twelve little men. It raised the creature count to 12 to 15, the figure most often repeated since. Within days the case was national news.
Source: news.google.comEvidence
Bullet holes and broken windows Explained
Found by police; consistent with the men's own gunfire.
Luminous patch and green light Disputed
Seen by officers along a fence. Skeptics suggest foxfire, a glowing fungus on rotting wood.
Bright object in the sky Disputed
Taylor's 'flying saucer' coincides with meteor reports that evening.
Physical traces of creatures Unexplained
None found by the search party.
What each side says
What witnesses and researchers report
UFO researchers note that eleven people told broadly the same story, that they were frightened enough to drive to the police in the middle of the night, and that officers said no drinking appeared to be involved. The family gained little and moved away soon after, tired of the crowds.
Isabel Davis's detailed 1978 study for the Center for UFO Studies treated the witnesses as sincere and the account as one of the strongest close-encounter cases on file.
What skeptics and scientists suggest
Joe Nickell and Brian Dunning argue the visitors were most likely great horned owls. These owls are active at night, fly silently, have yellow eyes and ear tufts, stand close to two feet tall, and attack aggressively near a nest. In poor light, an owl on a roof or tree limb could match much of the description.
Skeptics add that the 'spaceship' fits a meteor, the green light fits foxfire, and some household members were carnival workers. Project Blue Book listed the case as a hoax. Dunning also found no proof for later claims that Air Force investigators visited the next day.
Open questions
- Could owls really account for a four-hour siege seen by eleven people?
- What was the green light the officers saw by the fence?
Visiting
Where: Kelly, a hamlet north of Hopkinsville in Christian County, Kentucky.
Access: The farmhouse site is private property and posted no-trespassing; there is nothing to see there. The story is told in Hopkinsville and Kelly.
Events: Little Green Men Days Festival, held each year in Kelly to mark the anniversary.
Did you know?
- Steven Spielberg once planned a film based on the case, called Night Skies.
- The 1986 film Critters was loosely inspired by the encounter.
- Psychologists have used the case to teach students scientific thinking.