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Flying Saucer.

Site of 1955 Alien Attack

Field review by the editors.

Kelly, Kentucky

The tiny community of Kelly got some unwelcome guests on the evening of August 21, 1955: an invading horde of over a dozen short, dark creatures with glowing eyes. They besieged a farmhouse for nearly four hours, and were held off only by the occupants' terrified gunfire through the screen windows and doors.

Kelly Station Park sign.

Kelly became famous among UFO buffs for its "Little Green Men," but the invaders never returned and the locals showed no interest in preserving their memory.

On the 50th anniversary of the attack, Kelly finally decided to hold a commemorative festival for its most newsworthy occurrence. The town was shocked by how many people showed up. Bus tours ran all day from Hopkinsville, the nearest big town, because so many visitors were interested.

Kelly decided to make the festival an annual event -- held the third weekend in August -- and built a flying saucer in the town park where the festival is held. Then in 2022 the town removed in saucer and replaced it with a Ten Commandments plaque.

The site of the attack is only a quarter-mile up the road, but Kentucky has never bothered to commemorate it with a state historical marker. It should.

Site of 1955 Alien Attack

Kelley Station Park

Address:
7490 Old Madisonville Rd, Kelly, KY
Directions:
From downtown Hopkinsville drive north about 7.5 miles on Virginia St./US-41. Turn right onto Kelly Church Rd, cross the train tracks, then turn left onto Old Madisonville Rd. Drive a quarter-mile to the park on the right. The attack site is another quarter-mile up the road, also on the right, but it's unmarked private property.
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Nearby Offbeat Places

King Arthur's Round Table - Literary ParkKing Arthur's Round Table - Literary Park, Hopkinsville, KY - 6 mi.
Grave of Edgar Cayce, Famous ProphetGrave of Edgar Cayce, Famous Prophet, Hopkinsville, KY - 7 mi.
Edgar Cayce and the Hopkinsville GoblinsEdgar Cayce and the Hopkinsville Goblins, Hopkinsville, KY - 8 mi.
In the region:
Radio Invented Here, Maybe, Murray, KY - 53 mi.

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