1394: "The Great Barrington UFO Encounter of 1969"

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Written By JC

Interesting Things with JC #1394: "The Great Barrington UFO Encounter of 1969" – One peaceful night in 1969, the skies over western Massachusetts lit up, and so did the phone lines. What followed became one of America’s most credible UFO cases.

Curriculum - Episode Anchor

Episode Title: The Great Barrington UFO Encounter of 1969
Episode Number: #1394
Host: JC
Audience: Grades 9–12, college intro, homeschool, lifelong learners
Subject Area: History, Media Literacy, U.S. Cultural Studies, Scientific Inquiry

Lesson Overview

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

  • Define key terms related to the Great Barrington UFO event using context from the episode.

  • Compare the eyewitness accounts from the 1969 encounter with common explanations for UFO phenomena.

  • Analyze how local institutions (like WSBS Radio and the Great Barrington Historical Society) influence public understanding of unexplained events.

  • Explain the long-term cultural and historical significance of the Great Barrington UFO encounter in both local and national contexts.

Key Vocabulary

  • UFO (YOO-eff-oh) — Unidentified flying object. In the episode, it refers to the glowing metallic craft reported across multiple towns.

  • Housatonic (HOO-suh-ton-ick) — A river valley in western Massachusetts where multiple sightings occurred.

  • Displacement (dis-PLAYSS-muhnt) — Described by Thom Reed as a sensation of sudden environmental change and loss of time.

  • Hangar-like (HANG-er-like) — A large space similar to an aircraft hangar, used to describe the interior where the Reed family found themselves.

  • Monument (MAHN-yuh-ment) — A structure commemorating an event; in this case, one erected and later removed to recognize the Reed encounter.

Narrative Core

  • Open: A quiet evening in the Berkshires, disrupted by a flood of mysterious phone calls to a local radio station.

  • Info: Eyewitnesses from multiple towns describe a strange, silent craft—some calling it a saucer, others a cigar shape.

  • Details: The Reed family's vivid experience, including their account of being transported to a massive, silent structure.

  • Reflection: The validation of their account by the Great Barrington Historical Society and ongoing debate surrounding the event.

  • Closing: These are interesting things, with JC.

Black-and-white stylized illustration showing a large, glowing UFO hovering silently above a rural valley at night. Below, eight silhouetted figures stand on the roadside looking up at the craft. A vintage car is parked nearby, and rolling hills, trees, and a farmhouse are visible in the distance under a starry sky. Bold white text at the top reads: 'Interesting Things with JC #1394 – Great Barrington UFO Encounter – September 1st, 1969.

Transcript

On the night of September 1, 1969, the southern Berkshires (BURR-shires) of Massachusetts (Mass-uh-CHOO-setts) were settling into early autumn. The air dipped to about 55 degrees Fahrenheit (13 degrees Celsius). In Great Barrington (BARE-ing-ton) and neighboring towns, radios hummed, families wound down their evenings, and children braced for the first days of school. It was quiet. Until the phones at WSBS radio station started ringing.

Around 8:30 p.m., dozens of calls came in. People across Sheffield (SHEFF-field), Stockbridge (STOCK-bridge), Great Barrington, and Egremont (EGG-reh-mont) reported seeing a huge glowing object moving over the Housatonic (HOO-suh-ton-ick) River Valley. Some described it as a saucer, others said it looked more like a cigar. It was metallic, it reflected light, and beams shot down across pastures and treetops. Unlike a plane or a helicopter, it made no noise. It didn’t pass like a meteor either. It hovered, shifted, then darted away in ways no conventional aircraft could match.

Nine-year-old Thom Reed (TOM REED) was one of those who experienced it up close. He was in a station wagon with his mother Nancy, his grandmother Marian, and his younger brother Matthew, crossing near the Old Sheffield Covered Bridge about 8 miles (13 kilometers) from downtown Great Barrington. Without warning, their car was swallowed in a brilliant amber light.

The family recalled an eerie stillness—so quiet that the sudden roar of crickets and frogs afterward felt deafening. Then everything changed. Thom later described a “displacement.” When awareness returned, they were no longer in the car. They were inside a vast, hangar-like space, larger than a football field. The walls curved, the air was cool, and fluorescent-style lighting filled the space. It had a faint vibration, and it smelled faintly of ozone. Thom remembered seeing tall, indistinct figures moving around them—humanoid, but not fully human.

When they found themselves back in their station wagon, hours had passed. They were shaken and disoriented.

They weren’t alone. That same night, somewhere between 40 and 250 people across the Berkshires reported seeing the same thing: the lights, the shape, the silence. Their stories matched, even though many of the witnesses had never met each other.

For decades the story lived in memory, but in 2015 it reached a turning point. The Great Barrington Historical Society formally recognized the Reed family’s encounter as “historically significant and true,” one of the rare times a civic institution validated a UFO report. A 5,000-pound concrete monument was installed near the Sheffield Bridge with a plaque, benches, and lighting, though it was later removed in 2019 after a dispute over its location on town property.

Skeptics have argued the sightings could have been military aircraft from Westover (WEST-over) Air Reserve Base, about 45 miles (72 kilometers) away, or unusual atmospheric conditions bending light. But those explanations don’t easily account for the number of people who saw the same thing, or for the Reed family’s description of missing time inside a hangar-like structure.

The story has since appeared in books, television, and documentaries, including a 2020 episode of Unsolved Mysteries. More than half a century later, Thom Reed—once the nine-year-old boy caught in that light—still talks about what happened. The encounter shaped his life, just as it became part of the Berkshires’ shared history.

It remains one of the most widely witnessed UFO events in the United States. A night when dozens—perhaps hundreds—looked up at the sky and saw something that has never been explained.

These are interesting things, with JC.

Student Worksheet

  1. What year did the Great Barrington UFO event occur, and what were the weather conditions like that night?

  2. Name three towns where people reported sightings of the UFO.

  3. How did the Reed family describe the interior of the craft they believed they were taken to?

  4. What decision did the Great Barrington Historical Society make in 2015 regarding the Reed encounter?

  5. Do you think the explanation of military aircraft accounts for all aspects of the event? Why or why not?

Teacher Guide

  • Estimated Time: 1 class period (45–60 minutes)

  • Pre-Teaching Vocabulary Strategy: Use image-based vocabulary cards with pronunciation support for key terms; integrate short historical/geographic map reviews of Massachusetts and the Berkshires.

  • Anticipated Misconceptions:

    • Students may assume “UFO” implies extraterrestrial origin; clarify its broader meaning.

    • Confusion between anecdotal reports and verified scientific claims.

  • Discussion Prompts:

    • What makes a community believe in a shared experience?

    • Should local institutions have the authority to label events as “historically true”?

  • Differentiation Strategies:

    • ESL: Visual aids and sentence starters.

    • IEP: Shortened worksheet, scaffolded vocabulary.

    • Gifted: Independent research on similar events and comparison writing.

  • Extension Activities:

    • Watch the "Unsolved Mysteries" episode and compare narrative style with JC’s version.

    • Write a journal entry from the perspective of someone who saw the UFO.

  • Cross-Curricular Connections:

    • Physics: Flight dynamics and how light behaves in the atmosphere.

    • Sociology: Community memory and group psychology in unexplained phenomena.

    • Ethics: Responsibility of civic institutions in shaping historical narratives.

Quiz

Q1. What date did the Great Barrington UFO encounter take place?
A. October 12, 1971
B. September 1, 1969
C. July 4, 1965
D. August 23, 1970
Answer: B

Q2. What river valley was central to the UFO sightings?
A. Connecticut River
B. Merrimack River
C. Housatonic River
D. Hudson River
Answer: C

Q3. What made the flying object unusual, according to eyewitnesses?
A. It emitted a high-pitched sound.
B. It flew like a commercial airplane.
C. It was completely silent and moved unpredictably.
D. It exploded in the sky.
Answer: C

Q4. What did Thom Reed describe about the interior of the craft?
A. It was hot and full of smoke.
B. It resembled a football field-sized hangar.
C. It was completely dark.
D. It was a small metal room.
Answer: B

Q5. What happened to the monument placed at the Sheffield Bridge?
A. It was expanded into a museum.
B. It was removed after a dispute.
C. It was never installed.
D. It became a national historic site.
Answer: B

Assessment

  1. In your own words, describe how the Great Barrington UFO incident became a part of local history.

  2. Why do you think the Great Barrington Historical Society chose to validate the Reed family's experience?

3–2–1 Rubric:
3 = Accurate, complete, thoughtful
2 = Partial or missing detail
1 = Inaccurate or vague

Standards Alignment

U.S. Standards

  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.1 — Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis.

  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1.D — Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives, summarize points of agreement and disagreement.

  • C3.D2.His.1.9-12 — Evaluate how historical events are interpreted through various sources.

  • ISTE 1.3.D — Students build knowledge by actively exploring real-world issues and problems.

  • CTE.AV.2.1 (Arts, Media & Entertainment Pathway) — Analyze the role of media in shaping public understanding of cultural events.

International Equivalents

  • UK (AQA History GCSE 8145/1A) — Understanding historical environments and interpretations of the past.

  • Cambridge IGCSE Global Perspectives (0457) — Analyze perspectives and understand how different sources influence interpretation.

  • IB MYP Individuals and Societies (Individuals & Societies Criterion B) — Investigating: Students develop factual and conceptual knowledge through inquiry.

Show Notes

In this compelling episode, JC explores the 1969 Great Barrington UFO encounter—an event with over 40 reported eyewitnesses, including a detailed abduction account from the Reed family. The episode examines not only the strange lights and sounds reported in the skies of the Berkshires, but also the aftermath: how a local historical society made the rare decision to formally validate the event. For classrooms, this story offers an interdisciplinary lens to discuss collective memory, historical documentation, skepticism, and the media’s role in storytelling. Its ongoing relevance lies in the tension between institutional authority and personal experience in shaping what we accept as “history.”

References

JC https://jimconnors.org
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