60th Anniversay of he Salem UFO

During the summer, residents from across the nation flock like crazy to the Halloween capital of America (although Amoka, Minnesota might have something to say about that) - Salem, Massachusetts.

Salem is the home of quaint restaurants, a lovely waterside, a summer funspot called Salem Willows, and lots of tourist attractions. However, it is also home to one of the most unusual UFO sightings in history.

The UFO story itself is not without a lot of controversy. The year was 1952 and UFOs were big business in America. Just 5 years earlier, the UFO flap began as Kenneth Arnold first reported chasing a flying saucer while piloting a plane. From that time on, UFOs have been the topic of interest in the world.

In that summer 60 years ago, on July 16, Shel Alpert, a US Coast Guard Seamen was on duty at the Winter Island Coast Guard Station. While manning the weather room, Alpert noticed some strange lights outside the window, not far from the station. According to reports, there were four lights in formation near what is now the Salem power plant. The lights seemed to dim and brighten while Alpert was on duty. He had a camera nearby and snapped the picture of the eerie lights. The picture is a classic and has been voted one of the most famous UFO pictures of all time. Chances are you've seen it, but if not, here is a link below.

Salem UFO picture

What Alpert saw to this day remains a mystery. Alpert was pretty convinced the lights were real. The government investigated the incident and it appears a conundrum occurred. To this day, the results of the investigation remain inconclusive. According to local lore, the original reports said the lights could not be explained, yet the official report now is that the lights were caused by the reflection of lights in the office off the window. When the picture was snapped - the government explained - it was just a mirror of the lights behind Alpert.

To this day, no one knows what happened in Salem in 1952, yet the picture lives on in UFO books and on websites. There are many who believe the government's official story is just as hollow as the light bulbs hanging in the office that day. No matter what the source of the lights, they remain one of Massachusetts most famous mysteries and it happened 60 years ago this year.

The Real Home of Witches

You have probably grown up thinking that the real home of witches was Salem, Massachusetts. After all, the trials are actually called the Salem Witch Craft trials.

However, what you may not know is that the trials did not occur in what is known as Salem. Nay, the real witch city to visit is Danvers, Massachusetts. Now, during the witchcraft hysteria, it is important to point out that Danvers was known as Salem Village. It was a subsection of Salem Town (the current Salem) and a more rural version at that.

At the time of the trials, there was a definite division between the people of town and village. In fact, many of the people accused of " witchcraft" were villagers. The rift between the town and village grew. After the trials were over and time passed, the village wanted to separate itself from the negative history created by the trial and the disdain people had for the Town....so it became Danvers (exactly where the town got its name is lost to history).

So the next time you visit the Witch City, don't forget the real witch city - Salem. There you will find sites, monuments, and houses (including the Rebecca Nurse house as well as three other houses from the time of the trials) that are all testimony to the witchcraft legacy.