O U R--V A C A T I O N--I N C L U D E D
F A M O U S--U F O--H I S T O R I C A L--S I T E S
by Paul & Terry Althouse
Since our retirement, my wife and I planned a number of long term road trips visiting various parts of North America. This includes a trip in 2019 that took us from our home in Ohio to Prince Edward Island in Canada. As we traveled, we made a point of visiting places that were of interest to either or both of us. Here are two fo the stops we made.
Shag Harbour UFO Incident
Shag Harbour, Nova Scotia
After leaving Prince Edward Island, we made a point of visiting Nova Scotia including Halifax and points along the lower peninsula. One of the better known UFO incidents of the 20th century occurred at the bottom of the peninsula near a small village known as Shag Harbour in 1967. (BTW – the locals pronounce Shag with a long A, as in "shake") Today, a small, modest and almost unrecognizable yellow wooden structure along the water’s edge houses a museum or “Incident Center” as they call it. Inside there are a number of exhibits including maps, newspaper clippings and copies of correspondence between the locals, The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), the US Military, the Canadian Coast Guard, and local law enforcement. The US Navy has a presence further up the coast from this location.
Shag Harbour area, Nova Scotia
Map Legend:
1 - Where Laurie Wicken was when he saw the UFO in area #2
2 - Where the UFO was seen moving over the penninsula in a SW direction
3 - The Coast Guard did an extensive search of this area for a crashed object as some had reported
The Shag Harbour Incident Center
While visiting the center, we were lucky enough to meet Laurie Wickens, now in his 70's, who was the first to phone the RCMP regarding what looked like a plane crashing somewhere nearby on the peninsula. (Water sightings were yet to come.) He related that a total of 11 or 12 more witnesses had called the RCMP to report that they thought they were witnessing a plane crash somewhere in the wooded areas of the peninsula.
Laurie Wickens
Subsequently, no evidence of a plane crash was found in spite of the fact that the RCMP had sent teams of men to search the area. A short time after the initial sightings, Laurie and a few others traveled to the western shore of the peninsula and met up with others who had seen a bright glowing object enter the water and subsequently travel some distance under water.
No conclusion as to what was seen over and in the water near Shag Harbor was ever reached despite extensive searches by the RCMP, Coast Guard, and US Naval personnel. There are a number of books available on this well documented incident and I highly recommend checking them out to learn many more details then I have room to report here. Laurie showed me a document written by the RCMP, which stated that the origin of the object witnessed was unknown and did not match any known terrestrial vehicles. This conclusion was based on the witness reports of the crafts movements and its subsequent movements under water.
Before leaving, I asked Laurie if there had been other sightings since the events of 1967. He told me of a sighting that occurred last year in the same area that included photos and videos taken by witnesses of a disc shaped object with rotating lights. This part of Nova Scotia, while fairly sparsely populated, contains many fishing villages as the sea has supported the residents of the peninsula for over 100 years.
Inside the center
Betty and Barney Hill Abduction
Lincoln, New Hampshire
As we worked our way back to Ohio, we made a point of trying to find the historical marker that had been erected in 2006 noting the 1st well documented abduction experience of Betty and Barney Hill in 1961. A little investigating on my smart phone led us to a point about 3 miles north of Lincoln on NH Route 3.
The Historical Marker
It should be noted that this area contains many winding roads that weave through numerous small mountains that dot the landscape. There are many lodges in the area as this is prime skiing territory. You could easily be a mile from someone and not be aware of their presence in the least.
Not only is there a historical marker, but just a few hundred yards away sits a gas station with a mural painted on the outside commemorating the Hills’ abduction. Inside the Irving gas station is a large posting board (strategically placed next to the beer coolers) full of news clippings and other info relating to the event.
The Irving gas station
BTW - We stopped at Oak Island (as in The Curse of Oak Island) for a visit since it was about half way
between Halifax and the Shag Harbour Incident Center, but thats a story for another day.
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