Unexplained Smith County

By Eddie West

Staff Writer

While many reports of out of the ordinary occurrences from our county’s past are associated with the early 1900s or before, others are somewhat more current.

For instance, in November of 1957, several Smith County residents looked skyward and witnessed mysterious lights not that far in the distance.

One particular resident reported witnessing two objects described as “red round dome shaped lights”, much like that of emergency lights on police vehicles in the 1950s.

The lights were hovering  above the ground in the New Middleton area.

The witness, New Middleton resident, Mrs. Banks Scudder, reported what she was observing to then Sheriff Sidney Harper.

When spotted by Mrs. Scudder, the lights were hovering above a cemetery located beside a Baptist church in the New Middleton community and was said to be “lower than the tree tops”.

Sheriff Harper also witnessed the lights; however by the time he arrived on the scene they had moved an estimated ten miles away and traveling west.

The lights were also witnessed by other individuals in the area.

Witnesses said there was no sound associated with the lights which were last seen traveling in the direction of Watertown.

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