Red Springs, NC being encounter — December 1951

One evening in December 1951, Sam Coley’s 12-year-old son called his father and 17-year-old sister outside their Red Springs, North Carolina home. They reportedly watched an object descend and stop approximately 6 feet above the ground, about 300 yards away. HUMCAT’s narrative says dusk, although its heading supplies 9 p.m.; the surviving material does not reconcile those times. The object resembled two saucers placed rim to rim, with a raised cabin-like structure in the center. Light came from windows in that cabin, and Coley said a human-looking figure was visible inside. The object made little sound beyond a faint hum. After hovering for about ten minutes, it reportedly accelerated away with extraordinary speed. The description does not establish the occupant’s height, face or clothing. The family reported their observation to local authorities. HUMCAT cites the Lumberton Robesonian of 7 August 1952 and names the Red Springs police chief and State Defense Director B. Z. Jones as investigators. Isabel Davis and Ted Bloecher also summarize the case in their historical introduction to Close Encounter at Kelly and Others of 1955. Nearby later reports provide regional context, but should not be added to this family’s December observation as though they were one event.