Sign Text for New Hampshire Landmark #224:
On the night of September 19-20,1961, Portsmouth, NH couple Betty and Barney Hill experienced a close encounter with an unidentified flying object and two hours of “lost” time while driving south on Rte 3 near Lincoln. They filed an official Air Force Project Blue Book report of a brightly-lit, cigar-shaped craft the next day, but were not public with their story until it was leaked in the Boston Traveler in 1965. This was the first widely reported UFO abduction report in the United States.
More about the Betty and Barney Hill Incident:
Before their cosmic encounter, Betty and Barney Hill were, respectively, a social worker and a postal worker, both divorced and remarried as an interracial couple 7 years before Loving v. Virginia! They were both active for civil rights, and—wouldn’t you know it—skeptics of their story actually cited their uncommon marriage as a reason not to believe their account!
The Hills told the Air Force about the glowing lights in the sky and the two extra hours of their drive home from Montreal that they couldn’t remember. They told a local UFO study group and their church congregaton. It was a recording of one of their talks in church that got leaked to the Boston Traveller via reporter, John H. Luttrell! He ran the front page story “UFO Chiller: Did THEY Seize Couple?” on October 25, 1965!
So what happened in the two hours that disappeared from the Hills’ roadtrip? Betty dreamed that she and Barney were taken into a ship, where humanlike examiners ran tests on them. Barney later corroborated many of the details under hypnosis by Benjamin Simon, who concluded they were sharing a fantasy inspired by Betty’s dreams! And yet, they couldn’t otherwise explain their mysterious injuries, Betty’s spontaneous drawing of the Zeta Reticuli star system, or the magnetic anomalies on their car! The Hills went on to do many interviews, and Betty continued UFO research long after Barney died of a cerebral hemorrhage at the age of 46. Their experience changed the way folks talk about extraterrestrials and abductions, the template for close encounters of all kinds!
How Can I #HelpTheHelpers?
- Become a member of the New Hampshire Historical Society!
- Donate to the New Hampshire Historical Society!
- Be a responsible visitor! Please respect the signs and pathways, and treat all structures and artifacts with respect. They’ve endured a lot to survive into the present. They’ll need our help to make it into the future!
How Do I Get There?
US-3 & Shadow Lake Ln
Lincoln, NH 03251
(Take Me There!)
When Should I Visit?
Whenever the mood strikes you!