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URECAT - UFO Related Entities Catalog

URECAT is a formal catalog of UFO related entities sightings reports with the goal of providing quality information for accurate studies of the topic. Additional information, corrections and reviews are welcome at patrick.gross@inbox.com, please state if you wish to be credited for your contribution or not. The main page of the URECAT catalog is here.

JANUARY 26, 1965, BRAND FLATS, VIRGINIA, USA, STEVE MILLER, CHARLES WEAVER, AND OTHERS:

Brief summary of the event and follow-up:

In Brand Flats, near Staunton, Virginia, USA, on January 26, 1965, at about 07:30 p.m., a group of teenagers, including one Steve Miller, 16, were riding on Route 250 when they saw a little man about 3.5 feet tall who came from a field, going to the route.

The boys first did not think much of the little man, but became intrigued when he sat by the road and watched the passing cars, thinking that maybe the figure was one of the men from the flying saucers seen in the area, so the boys stopped the car to watch. It is said this little man was wearing a tight-fitted silvery looking one-piece garment.

Eventually they got out of the car and pursued the little man who ran away over a hill. Then two more little men joined the first and ran with him, easily outrunning the boys and leaving no footprints in the muddy ground.

One of the boys or the boys contacted the Staunton police and at about 9 p.m. a party of about 10 reserve police officers was on the scene, as well as a young photographer, Charles Weaver. The police party found nothing and left, whereas Weaver and an man named Huffer stayed.

Weaver approached what was described as a strange "glowing" aluminum-looking "barn" or shack, in which he entered. Eventually Huffer heard Weaver call, and Huffer then found Weaver knocked down, later claiming something struck him.

They left the barn, but as they fled, they looked back, and Weaver paused long enough to take a picture of the "barn" using the flash, and the pair "joined the other investigators". Weaver said that when he took the photograph, the flash light revealed to his eyes that one of the little men stood by the "barn". The photograph was apparently never shown.

This all was reported a few days after the close encounter of the third kind report by William Blackburn, in a context when local people and the police were on the alert for "little green men" or "Martians" and UFOs in the area. The local newspaper went as far as to publish a hoaxed picture of "little green men" and their saucer to "prove the gullibility" of their readers by revealing they hoaxed the pictures in a later issue. Eventually, Staunton sheriff John Kent reportedly said that these "Martian hunts have gotten completely out of hand" and "outlawed all saucer hunts."

Basic information table:

Case number: URECAT-000781
Date of event: January 26, 1965
Earliest report of event: January 28, 1965
Delay of report: Hours, 2 days?
Witness reported via: Allegedly report to local police.
First alleged record by: Local newspaper.
First certain record by: Web article Ira Adams.
First alleged record type: Local newspaper.
First certain record type: Web article.
This file created on: August 20, 2008
This file last updated on: August 20, 2008
Country of event: USA
State/Department: Virginia
Type of location: Field, near road.
Lighting conditions: Evening then night.
UFO observed: No
UFO arrival observed: No
UFO departure observed: No
UFO/Entity Relation: Uncertain
Witnesses numbers: 3 then 1
Witnesses ages: 16 and not reported.
Witnesses types: Not reported. Group of teenagers, then 2 men or youg men.
Photograph(s): Alleged.
Witnesses drawing: No.
Witnesses-approved drawing: No.
Number of entities: 3
Type of entities: Humanoid
Entities height: 1.20 meters
Entities outfit type: One piece tight fitting.
Entities outfit color: Silver.
Entities skin color: Not reported.
Entities body: Not reported.
Entities head: Not reported.
Entities eyes: Not reported.
Entities mouth: Not reported.
Entities nose: Not reported.
Entities feet: Not reported.
Entities arms: Not reported.
Entities fingers: Not reported.
Entities fingers number: Not reported.
Entities hair: Not reported.
Entities voice: None heard.
Entities actions: Were there, fled.
Entities/witness interactions: Fled.
Witness(es) reactions: Observed, approached, took picture, reported.
Witness(es) feelings: Not reported.
Witness(es) interpretation: Not reported.
Explanation category: Extraterrestrial visitors, confusion or hoaxes.
Explanation certainty: None.

Narratives:

[Ref. mu1:] MUFORG BULLETIN:

NEWSCAST

Recent items in the Daily Express have been fascinating.

[...]

January 30

Alarmed by flying saucer reports, the citizens of Augusta County, in Virginia, organised an armed hunt for Martians this week after three boys reported seeing a little green man walking around. Now Sheriff John Kent - declaring "this thing has gotten completely out of hand" - has outlawed all saucer hunts.

[...]

[Ref. ia1:] IRA ADAMS:

From Staunton, Virginia came the following report on January 28, 1965: "A Staunton teenager told police that he and six friends saw 'three little spacemen' near here Tuesday night, and that a companion may have succeeded in getting a photograph - as well as a swat on the head - to prove it. The youth, Steven Houghton, said he and his six friends were driving in the Brands Flats, east of here on U.S. 250, when he saw 'what looked like a man walking' toward the road from a field, but thought nothing of it until the man sat down near the road 'and seemed to be studying the cars passing by.' Houghton said it suddenly occurred to him that the man might be from one of the flying objects reported in this area.

They stopped the car, got out and ran toward the man who dashed over a hill, Houghton said. Then two other little men appeared and also ran away. 'They left us way behind,' the boy said. The figures, Houghton explained, were about three and a half feet tall, and were wearing a one-piece, skin-tight garment that was silver in color. They couldn't find any footprints in the muddy field where the figures were seen, he said. Their report to the Staunton pollice brought 10 reserve policemen to the scene, and a photographer, Charles Wilson.

A police search at 9 p.m., an hour after the reported incident, failed to turn up anything and the officers left. But Houghton and Wilson stayed to search further.

The two came upon a 'glowing' aluminum barn that looked odd and decided to investigate it, Houghton said. Wilson entered the barn, he said, and apparently was hit by something. Houghton said he and the photographer started to run away but that Wilson turned to take a picture of the barn as they left. As the camera's flash bulb went off, Houghton said its light showed one of the little men standing by the barn."

[Note: in her article, Ira Adams changed all the names of all the witnesses of all the cases she told about.]

[Ref. go1:] GODELIEVE VAN OVERMEIRE:

The ufologist indicates that on January 28, 1965, in the USA, in Staunton, Virginia, a young man went to tell to the police force that he had met with his friends three small men from space and that one of his buddies had taken a photograph to prove it.

The boy, Steven, said that they were seven in a car driving by Brand Flats when they saw like a man coming out of a field in direction of the road, then seeming to examine the cars that passed by.

Remembering the stories of flying saucers in the area, he stopped the car, they came out and wanted to catch the entity who fled on the hill, where two other entities appeared.

They ran much faster than the boys, measured approximately 1 m 20 and were covered with one tight-fitting one-piece silver colored outfit.

In the field there was no footprint from the aliens. The police force sent 10 men including a photographer on the spot to investigate. At the end of one hour, having found no evidence, the police officers left but the young man remained on the spot with the photographer. They found a small shining aluminum shack where they entered, and at this time they had the impression that the shack was lifted up and they came out fast, but Wilson succeeded in taking a photograph of the shack rising up.

In the light of the flash, Wilson saw one of the small men standing close to the shack.

The ufologist comments on that all these stories coming from the source "APRG, on the Internet in May 1997", seem unbelievable to her, since here the young man claims at the beginning that one of his buddies already took a photograph, whereas in the story, it is the photographer sent by the police force who took a photograph.

[Ref. ni1:] NICAP WEBSITE:

The website indicates that on January 28, 1965, near Staunton, Virginia, USA, a Steven Houghton said he and 6 friends saw 3 little spacemen. They were driving in the Brands Flats, East of Staunton on US 250 when they saw what looked like a man walking toward the road from a field, but thought nothing of it until the man sat down near the road and seemed to be studying the cars passing by. They stopped the car and ran toward the man who dashed over a hill. Then two other little men appeared and also ran away.

The creatures were about 3.5 feet tall and were wearing one-piece skin-tight silver garments. The [witnesses] couldn't find any footprints in the muddy field where the figures were seen.

Their report to the Staunton police brought 10 reserve policemen to the scene and Charles Wildon, a photographer. The police search at 2100, an hour after the reported incident, failed to turn up anything and the officers left. Houghton and Wilson [The summary at this source ends here.]

The sources is indicated as "Internet (Ira Adams)".

[Ref. ar1:] ALBERT ROSALES:

Albert Rosales indicates in his catalogue that in Brands Flat, Virginia, on January 26, 1965, at 1930, a group of teenagers, including Steve Miller, 16, were riding on Route 250 near Brands Flats when they saw a little man about 3 ½ feet tall sitting by the road watching the cars passing. He was wearing a silvery looking one-piece silvery garment. They got out of the car and pursued the little man; two more joined the first and ran with him, easily outrunning the boys and leaving no footprints in the muddy ground. The group contacted the Staunton police; within an hour a group of police were on the scene, as well as a young photographer, Charles Weaver. Weaver, and a man named Huffer, approached a barn, which the photographer entered; calling out to Huffer, who found his companion knocked down. Weaver claimed something struck him. They left the barn, but as they fled, believed they saw a little man standing in front of the building; Weaver paused long enough to take a picture, and the pair joined the other investigators. The disposition of the photograph was never determined.

Albert Rosales indicates as source "Local Police and Newspaper source."

Points to consider:

On the one hand, this seems to be not very far from a humanoids sightings series with multiple witnesses in two independent groups. On the other hand, the account is somehow fragmentary and the reliability of the various witnesses and their stories remains unfathomable as obviously no ufology investigation took place, the occurrence source being unverified and incomplete local Press quotes by ufologists.

The first "little man" was reportedly by the road observing passing cars. Thus is this was true and if the little man was really out of the ordinary, people from passing cars could have been reporting seeing the little man but apparently there was no such report.

A photograph was allegedly taken, but it seems to be nowhere to see.

An impression is given that the "strange" and "glowing" "aluminum barn" or shack was not really a barn or a shack; however, whereas it would have been easy to check whether there was or was not a real barn at the place, this was apparently not checked.

List of issues:

Id: Topic: Severity: Date noted: Raised by: Noted by: Description: Proposal: Status:
1 Data Severe August 20, 2008 Patrick Gross Patrick Gross Primary source in local Press not available and incorrectly referenced. I asked the local newspaper for original article(s) copies in May 2008 but no answer came. Opened.
2 Ufology Severe August 20, 2008 Patrick Gross Patrick Gross Apparently no ufological investigation of the occurrence done or made available. Help needed. Opened.
3 Ufology Severe August 20, 2008 Patrick Gross Patrick Gross Alleged photograph was apparently not released. Help needed. Opened.
4 Ufology Severe August 20, 2008 Patrick Gross Patrick Gross Meager description of entities. Help needed. Opened.
5 Ufology Severe August 20, 2008 Patrick Gross Patrick Gross Fragmentary and insufficient data, for example, no indication of sightings distances. Help needed. Opened.

Evaluation:

Extraterrestrial visitors, confusion or hoaxes.

Sources references:

* = Source I checked.
? = Source I am told about but could not check yet. Help appreciated.

Document history:

Authoring

Main Author: Patrick Gross
Contributors: None
Reviewers: None
Editor: Patrick Gross

Changes history

Version: Created/Changed By: Date: Change Description:
0.1 Patrick Gross August 20, 2008 Creation, [mu1], [ia1], [go1], [ni1], [ar1].
1.0 Patrick Gross August 20, 2008 First published.

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This page was last updated on August 20, 2008