So I have been meaning to get around to this article for awhile now, since reports of new "goblin" sightings in the town of Hopkinsville actually, but I have been getting sidetracked with other things. It seems that the delays were worth it as Hopkinsville has experienced a completely different kind of weird phenomena. Yes, I am talking about the giant bird flocks that had plagued the town a couple of weeks ago. Still, I will start at the beginning of the Hopkinsville lore.
The Original "Goblin" Incident
Within Christian County, Kentucky lies the little city of Hopkinsville and located nearby is the even smaller town of Kelly. Kelly, as you probably guessed, is a rural area filled with farms. During the fall of 1955, one of these farms belonged to the Sutton family. Their home was actually located between Kelly and Hopkinsville and were a pretty good distance away from any neighbors. In other words, the setting was perfect for strange things to happen.
On the evening of August 21, 1955 the Suttons had Billy Ray Taylor over for supper. In all there were 11 people in the house during the event. The Sutton home had no running water which meant everyone would have to go outside to use the water pump. Billy Ray Taylor went out to do just that at around 7:00 pm. Outside, Taylor witnessed strange lights in the sky to the west and even described seeing a disc-shaped aircraft "all of the colors of the rainbow". He ran inside to tell the Suttons about the craft, but the family did not believe him even having a bit of fun at his expense.
At 8:00 pm unusual noises were heard and the family dog even began barking loudly in the yard before running underneath the home. Both Taylor and Elmer "Lucky" Sutton decided to investigate, bringing along their guns. At this point both men say that they saw a strange creature come out of the nearby trees. When it approached both men fired at it. When the bullets seemingly hit the creature they heard a noise like "bullets being rattled about in a metal drum". The creature itself just flipped over and ran back into the woods. The two men, sure that they hit their target, began to go look for it when they saw another one of the creatures perched on an awning. They fired at that one and heard the same peculiar noise as the creature was knocked off the roof, apparently unharmed.
Being understandably shook up, the men returned to the home but didn't get much time to collect their thoughts as one of the creatures was spotted looking in through a window. Some of the other Sutton men fired at it, shattering the window, but leaving the creature unharmed. That is when the situation became incredibly frightening. The creatures were heard on the roof, scurrying around and trying to find a way in. They peered in through windows, appeared at the front door and seemed to be toying with the family. The "goblins" kept this up for a few hours before the Suttons and their guest made a mad dash to the family car at around 11:00 pm.
At the same time, a state trooper reported seeing "meteor-like objects" flying in the sky near Kelly. The state trooper reported this independently with no knowledge of what was happening at the Sutton home.
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| Actual Sutton drawings |
After a 30 minute drive, the Suttons and Taylor arrived at the Hopkinsville police station. Here they told the police what had happened. The family also told police that the goblins would get hit by gunfire only to produce that same curious noise and remain unharmed. They even claimed that the goblins seemed to float instead of walk at times and would float, not fall to the ground when shot from the roof or trees. More bizarrely, they said that some of the goblins wore shiny, silver clothing.
The police saw the obvious terror of the victims and were convinced that there may be something in the area. 20 police officers were sent to escort the family back to their home and investigate. They questioned neighbors who also reported seeing strange lights in the skies, strange sounds and even hearing the gun battle the Suttons had with the creatures. Some physical evidence was also found. Police found "an odd luminous patch along a fence where one of the beings had been
shot, and, in the woods beyond, a green light whose source could not be
determined." The family was deemed sane and not under the influence of drugs or alcohol and police believed that they genuinely saw something out of the ordinary. As for the physical evidence, the sample patch was photographed but was not investigated at the time. When authorities went back the next day, it was gone.
Unfortunately for the Sutton family, the police could do no more and left at 2:45 am. According the victims, the goblins returned soon after the departure of the police. Billy Ray would fire one more shot before realizing that the bullets were not going to help. The creatures terrorized the family until around 4:45 am.
The event became a media sensation and was one of the first reports of "little green men" to gain a national audience. Most however, believed the incident to be a hoax. Alcohol was brought up as the culprit, despite being ruled out by the original police investigators. Still, the Sutton home became a tourist attraction much to the chagrin of the family. At first they would attempt to drive people from their home, later they would charge money to try and discourage the visitors. The fee charged made more people believe that the event was a hoax. In the end, the Suttons refused all visitors and never talked about the incident again, except to researcher Isabel Davis.
The last official word about the incident from the family came in 2002 when Geraldine Hawkins, Lucky Sutton's daughter, stated the following:
"It was a serious thing to him. It happened to him. He said it happened
to him. He said it wasn't funny. It was an experience he said he would
never forget. It was fresh in his mind until the day he died. It was
fresh in his mind like it happened yesterday. He never cracked a smile
when he told the story because it happened to him and there wasn't
nothing funny about it. He got pale and you could see it in his eyes. He
was scared to death."
Two years later, a member of the armed forces came out with a "explanation". U.S. Air Force Major John E. Albert concluded that the goblins were actually a monkey. Yes, he actually said that it was a
"monkey painted with silver [that] escaped from a circus,". People have wondered why someone from the Air Force would comment on the case almost two years later, and give an absurd explanation. This has fueled conspiracy theories that the U.S. military had investigated, and found information or evidence regarding the incident. The :"goblins" were never seen again. Unless these new claims are true.
Check out this book detailing the case:
And this book about other strange creatures:
Click here for the Wikipedia page.
The Return of the Goblins?
While I was making my rounds on the Internet, looking for some paranormal news that I could put on here, I ran into the Who Forted? blog and a post about a possible new sighting of the goblins. One of the writers on WF? received an email from someone claiming to have seen the goblins. It is a lengthy read so I will give a brief rundown, but if
you are willing here is the link.
Anyway, the emails, which are VERY sketchy, come from a man that claims that he is being harassed by these creatures. He claims to live on the border of Kentucky and West Virginia(which has a lot of weird history) and has even provided pictures. Here is one from the Who Forted? post:
Like I said, the whole thing seems suspicious. The story is very much like the original Hopkinsville case with a little bit more flourish. The man claims that his daughter first alerted him about "little bald children" playing in the yard. Eventually the emailer says that he investigated the woods a bit and found that the "goblins" appear to live in a cave. Quite possibly this cave is the entrance to a secret alien base. He mentions a man named Terry Wriste (who gave him the WF? writer's contact details allegedly) who turns out to be the pseudonym used by an ex-military occultist who claims to have destroyed underground alien bases as part of a group of a secret U.S. task force (This research was done by the WF? writer, Greg Newkirk and is in the post). This man's story is so crazy, he even says that the underground aliens are lead by Indrid Cold. For those of you who don't know, Indrid Cold was thought to be the Mothman and/or the Grinning Man by some people.
Though not very credible, the emails have brought to light a new theory on the "goblins". Could they have been an underground race lured to the surface by "aliens". The original descriptions of the goblins are not typical, at least here in the States. The above picture however screams "grey" alien. Even if this whole sighting turns out to be a complete hoax it is an interesting story. And if you do decide to read the original post (which I recommend) don't forget to look at the comments. Specifically at one from January 8, 2012. It's the long one, and it's a hell of a kicker.
But let us move on to the latest Hopkinsville weirdness that is 100% true and documented.
The Hopkinsville Bird Flock
Though these birds are not attacking anyone, they are a danger to the environment. People in the town are saying that the ground is literally covered in bird fecal matter. Whole trees have been turned white and car owners are extremely frustrated with the situation.
Does this have anything to do with the goblins? Maybe not, but the fact that Hopkinsville has experienced this, and has experienced this in the past according to town historian William Turner(the 70s to be more precise), is just strange when you think about the goblin sightings. The bird flocks in themselves are strange, but add to the fact that they are also in the vicinity of one of the most publicized "close encounters" in history makes it all that much stranger.
The birds have become such a nuisance that pest control has used air cannons to scare away the birds. Several blasts from these cannons are needed just to keep the flock moving.
And while this may just be a coincidence, you also have to keep in mind that Kentucky is bordered by West Virginia, a hotbed for strange incidents like Mothman sightings. Could it be that the general area may be a paranormal hotspot?
If you live in the area and have your own strange experiences, I would love to hear about it. Write in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @Mr_DM6.
It seems the point of these postings is to embarass people who are connected with President Obama in some way or who are considered the trash of American pop culture. 
