Back in July, I had briefly mentioned how much I had enjoyed the most recent season of “Unsolved Mysteries” currently on Netflix- although I was surprised that one of the episodes was dedicated to a phenomenon that occurred not too far from where I currently live back in 1969.
I was even more surprised to know that there was a park and monument to commemorate it- given that the phenomenon in question was an alleged UFO sighting right here in Massachusetts.
I’m sure most of you who have been reading Coffee & Chiffon for any length of time know by now that I love a good road trip, roadside attraction/oddity or tourist trap- and the more creepy and bizarre the better- so earlier this week when I had an afternoon off from work I decided to make the drive into the small town of Sheffield to find the location for myself.
The Thomas E. Reed monument, named after the man who reportedly encountered extraterrestrials on September 1, 1969- an encounter that was corroborated by multiple people in the town who also saw what they could only describe as a UFO that night- is beyond the Upper Sheffield Covered Bridge, a pedestrian walkway that is surrounded by a lovely little park with benches, flowers and solar-powered lanterns.
Although the road to get to the bridge was initially hard to see from the main through-way in Sheffield- I eventually found it and the nearby parking area so I could stretch my legs and take some photos before it started raining out.
And even though walking through the darkened bridge was admittedly a little creepy- I was not abducted by any space creatures or anything- so overall it was just a relaxing, peaceful afternoon in the mountains.
I’m sure as Fall gets underway- I’ll find even more unusual places to showcase here since New England is historically a pretty weird place to begin with- but this was a good start, I think!
xo
Coffee & Chiffon 