Kelly–Hopkinsville "Little Men"
On the evening of 21 August 1955, members of the extended Sutton–Lankford family at a farmhouse near Kelly, Kentucky said that Billy Ray Taylor had seen a bright object come down in a gully. They then reported several small, glowing, large-eyed "little men" approaching the house over several hours. The men fired rifles and shotguns at them, apparently without effect. Around 23:00 the family drove to the Hopkinsville police. The police chief, state troopers, a deputy sheriff and military police from Fort Campbell searched the farm and found bullet damage but no creatures. The Kentucky New Era carried the story the next day. Project Blue Book did not formally investigate. Its file nonetheless contains a Project 10073 record card ("LITTLE MEN. SEE CASE FILE.") marked UNIDENTIFIED. It also holds a 1957 report by Major John E. Albert and a memo to J. Allen Hynek naming the police chief and Fort Campbell personnel as sources. The detailed reconstruction comes mainly from Isabel Davis's field interviews (1955–56) and the Davis & Bloecher monograph (CUFOS, 1978). No physical evidence survives, and WHOP radio's taped interviews were reportedly erased.
Evidence, in date order (4)
- 21 Aug 1955State trooperwitnesssaw meteor-like objects heading towards the farm Patrick Gross, Kelly-Hopkinsville timeline (secondary compilation, used for orientation)
- 22 Aug 1955Hopkinsville police chiefwitnessfound a luminous patch where a creature had fallen Patrick Gross, Kelly-Hopkinsville timeline (secondary compilation, used for orientation)
- 22 Aug 1955Fort Campbell military policeofficialinvestigated at the farmhouse that night Patrick Gross, "The Kelly-Hopkinsville case, 1955: Blue Book case card" (scans of the Project 10073 record card and the Hynek memo)
- Project Blue Bookofficialrecord card lists the case as unidentified Patrick Gross, "The Kelly-Hopkinsville case, 1955: Blue Book case card" (scans of the Project 10073 record card and the Hynek memo)
How plausible · High
A named family went straight to police, and officers, military police and a Blue Book card back them; no physical evidence survives.
- ●●Access At their home.
- ●●Cost of speaking Ridicule for decades.
- ●●No gain sought They refused payment.
- ●●Consistent over time Stable account.
- ●●Independent convergence Eleven people.
- ●●Checkable details check out Police and Blue Book records.
Plausibility weighs how well an account fits where secrecy hides the documents by design, so missing records never count against it. Strength measures what is documented. Assessed 2026-10-23.
On the record
- Blue Book record card: the Air Force file lists the case as "UNIDENTIFIED", with the summary "LITTLE MEN. SEE CASE FILE." This contradicts the often-repeated statement, including on Wikipedia, that Blue Book listed it as a hoax. The card is the primary evidence.
- Hynek memo: per the Hopkinsville police chief, Fort Campbell military police and a Pfc (named "Mr. Hodson", whose account and pictures appeared in the Clarksville, Tennessee Leaf-Chronicle) investigated at the farmhouse. The Kentucky State Police also have a report and sketches on file. This records official military presence at the scene, but the chain is secondhand (chief → Captain Gregory → Hynek).
- Firsthand recorded testimony from the family: the earliest records are the police statements and the WHOP radio tapes, which were reportedly erased within a year. I did not find any surviving firsthand recording apart from later interviews quoted by investigators.
Claims
Where
In The picture
Similar cases · sharing people, threads, topics or era
People and organizations
Threads · click one to see it on the board
Sources
- Patrick Gross, "The Kelly-Hopkinsville case, 1955: Blue Book case card" (scans of the Project 10073 record card and the Hynek memo)
- Patrick Gross, Kelly-Hopkinsville timeline (secondary compilation, used for orientation)
- Joe Nickell, "Siege of 'Little Green Men': The 1955 Kelly, Kentucky, Incident", Skeptical Inquirer (2006); mirror
- Skeptic (UK), "Guns and Goblins: what really happened during the Kentucky Alien Invasion?" (Jan 2024)
- Isabel Davis & Ted Bloecher, *Close Encounter at Kelly and Others of 1955* (CUFOS, 1978). Not read in this session.
- Wikipedia, "Kelly–Hopkinsville encounter" (orientation only; its "hoax" listing conflicts with the record card)