In March of 1639, long before the advent of aircraft or other man-made flying objects with which UFOs are often confused, James Everall and two companions made America’s first documented UFO sighting in colonial Boston. Purportedly, the three Massachusetts colonists observed a startling, immense flying light in the sky near Muddy River. Their description, which was recorded and survives to this day, mentions a great light in the sky which, “when it stood still [hovered], it flamed up, and appeared about three yards square, and when it ran, it contracted into [a strange] figure...”.
James Everall and his two companions, thoroughly startled by the strange experience, made a formal report to John Winthrop, Governor of the colony. Winthrop, who considered the strange incident significant and credible enough to record it in writing, described Everall as “a sober, discreet man.” In his journal, Winthrop writes that Everall observed the flying object “run swift as an arrow towards Charleston, and so up and down for about two or three hours. Other credible people saw the same light, after, at about the same place....”
The object’s strange back-and-forth motion over a period of “two or three hours” seems to rule out a comet or meteor. No explanation for the curious light in the sky was ever determined.
Excerpt from Charles Turek Robinson’s book, “True New England Mysteries, Ghosts, Crimes & Oddities
Do you have a spooky story? Maybe you grew up in a haunted house or saw a UFO? Perhaps you’ve encountered a Bigfoot on a lonely trail? If so, please contact me at lisa.f.matthews@gmail.com - I’d love to hear your story. And if you enjoy mysterious stories like the ones featured in the 13 Days of Halloween Tales of Terror, look for our Mysterious Harbor Electric Bike and Walking Tours starting in Spring 2024.
