Editing Exploring the UFO phenomenon



**By Hannah Poling**  
**Staff Writer**

Are UFO’s real?

![](https://www.columbusmessenger.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/ufo-rendering-web.jpg)

Messenger photo by Hannah Poling  
Chris Franz and Cameron Jones presented the program “UFO’s Are Real” at Wagnalls Memorial Library in Lithopolis on Nov. 16. Pictured here is an artist’s rendering shown at the presentation of what is believed to be the acorn shaped UFO which allegedly landed in the woods near Kecksburg, Pa., on Dec. 9, 1965.

A discussion on the UFO (Unidentified Flying Object) phenomenon, both past and present, was held at Wagnalls Memorial Library in Lithopolis on Nov. 16 to explore that question. It was presented by Cameron Jones with special guest Chris Franz from the Round Town UFO Society.

The Round Town UFO Society is one of the oldest UFO groups in the nation. It meets the second Thursday of the month at 6 p.m. at the Circleville Public Library and the meetings are open to the public.

The Nov. 16 presentation at Wagnalls included information regarding ancient art work, famous crashes, UFO sightings, reported abductions, and more.  
Jones said UFO sightings are common as there were 58,828 UFO sightings reported across the U.S from 1995 to 2014.

According to Jones, there is evidence of the existence of UFO’s dating back to the 15th century. She said there are pieces of ancient art work showing what appears to be unidentified flying objects. From paintings to tapestries, there are many art works throughout history where unidentified objects in the sky are allegedly present.

The oldest known UFO photo was taken in Mt. Washington, N.H., in 1870. The photo was taken with newly installed camera equipment at a weather observatory. In the photo, the UFO appears to be cigar shaped.

In April 1897, in Aurora, Texas, it was reported a UFO fell from the sky and crashed into the town. Allegedly there was a pilot on the ship and his remains were badly disfigured, but it was thought that he was not an inhabitant of this world. The ship was said to be crafted of an unknown metal and it was thought by some that the UFO and its pilot were from Mars.

These days, UFO crashes and sightings continue to be reported from California to the midwest to the east coast.

The most famous UFO case was located at Roswell, N.M. According to Jones and Franz, in 1957, a man found a debris field on his property after an intense thunderstorm. He notified the sheriff who contacted the Roswell Army Air Base for assistance. Metals were found with allegedly strange properties and unreadable hieroglyphics. The wreckage was transported to the Roswell Army Air Base. A press release was issued stating the wreckage of the crashed disk had been recovered. Hours later, a second press release was issued rescinding the first claiming it was incorrectly identified and it was a weather balloon, not a crashed ship.

According to Jones and Franz, many people have experienced encounters with UFO’s. In 1980, three people were driving near Houston, Texas, when they allegedly saw a bright UFO hovering just over the road. In 1961, a couple said they were allegedly abducted by aliens on their way home from Niagara Falls.

They saw a bright light following their car and when they got home, they claimed they had lost two hours of time. After experiencing disturbing dreams, they agreed to go under hypnosis and both are said to have individually remembered being taken from their car to a strange craft in the woods where they were examined by strange beings.

Being a UFO investigator consists of taking reports and investigating UFO sites. UFO researchers talk to individuals and correlate information with other known events, celestial objects, aircrafts, and things that have occurred in an area.

It is estimated only 10 percent of UFO sightings are reported and, according to Jones, Ohio is one the top 10 places for UFO sightings.

In their presentation, Jones and Franz sought to pique people’s curiosity and inspire them to research alleged UFO events, read more on the subject, and make their own conclusions about what is going on in our world, country, state, and our own backyards.

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[[Category: People]]
[[Category: Ufology]]
[[Category: UFO]]
[[Category: UFO Sightings]]
[[Category: Kecksburg Incident]]
[[Category: Military]]