Aerial survey · USDA NAIP · public domainThe Kelly farmstead where in August 1955 a family reported a multi-hour siege by creatures with glowing eyes — one of the most witnessed and police-investigated close-encounter reports in UFO history.
Kelly, KY, Hopkinsville, KY 42240
Research updated September 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Annual Alien Invasion Day festival in Hopkinsville; free to visit the general Kelly, KY area. Festival may have ticketed activities.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Rural community; paved roads throughout. The original Sutton farmhouse is no longer standing.
Equipment
Photos OK
1955 Kelly-Hopkinsville UFO Encounter · Police-Investigated Close-Encounter Report · Origin of 'Little Green Men' Cultural Trope · Annual Alien Invasion Day Festival
On the evening of August 21, 1955, Billy Ray Taylor was visiting the Sutton family at their farmhouse outside the small community of Kelly, north of Hopkinsville. Taylor went to the outdoor well and upon returning claimed to have seen a luminous object descend into a gully near the farm. Shortly after, small creatures with large glowing eyes and elongated arms began appearing at windows and on the roof and trees surrounding the house.
For approximately three hours, the Sutton family group — numbering around eleven people — fired at the creatures with rifles and shotguns. Several of the creatures were reportedly struck and knocked back but not permanently deterred. After midnight, the Suttons drove to the Hopkinsville police station to report the incident. Officers returned to the farm, found physical evidence consistent with a disturbance, but no creatures. The event was covered by local papers within days.
The Kelly-Hopkinsville encounter became one of the most analyzed close-encounter reports in UFO history, notable for the number of witnesses, the extended duration of the alleged event, the contemporaneous police response, and the lack of any identified conventional explanation. History.com and Wikipedia both identify it as the origin point for the cultural stereotype of 'little green men,' though the entities described in 1955 were silvery or dark, not green. The encounter is commemorated annually in Hopkinsville through the Alien Invasion Day festival, and Kelly itself has become a named dark tourism destination.
Sources
The Kelly-Hopkinsville encounter stands apart from most UFO reports in its documentation density. The witnesses numbered around eleven, spanning multiple ages and two family groups. The incident lasted several hours, not moments. The Suttons drove to the police station within hours to report it, and officers found physical evidence of disturbance when they returned — broken glass, shell casings, and signs of a struggle, though no creatures. Regional newspapers covered it the following day.
Descriptions of the creatures were consistent across witnesses: small, roughly three feet tall, with large eyes that glowed with a yellowish light, elongated arms, and silver or dark skin. Several were reportedly struck by gunfire and knocked from their positions, but no bodies were found. The event generated significant media attention and has been analyzed repeatedly by UFO researchers in the decades since.
Roadsideamerica.com and similar dark tourism resources have documented Kelly as a named destination for visitors interested in the 1955 event. Hopkinsville's annual Alien Invasion Day festival, held each August near the anniversary, draws visitors from across the region and country.
Notable Entities
Media Appearances
The community of Kelly, north of Hopkinsville, is the documented site of the 1955 encounter. The original Sutton farmhouse is no longer standing, but the rural area and signage related to the event draw dark tourism visitors year-round.
An annual festival held in Hopkinsville commemorating the 1955 Kelly-Hopkinsville encounter, drawing UFO researchers, enthusiasts, and dark tourism visitors to the area each August.
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