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Tale of alien abduction lives on in Area 51 of New England

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A road in Lincoln, N.H. where Betty and Barney Hill in 1961 claimed to have encountered a UFO, the first widely-reported such encounter, seen here on Oct. 24, 2025. Through trinkets and tales, a UFO story that once captured national attention lives on in Lincoln. (John Tully/The New York Times)

A road in Lincoln, New Hampshire, where Betty and Barney Hill in 1961 claimed to have come into contact with an unidentified flying object, one of the first widely reported encounters.

PHOTO: JOHN TULLY/NYTIMES

Michaela Towfighi

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LINCOLN, New Hampshire – Alien mood rings, alien magnets, alien rubber balls, alien earrings, alien figurines, alien lamps and alien fuzzy pens line the shelves of the Indian Head Resort gift shop on a highway running through Lincoln, New Hampshire.

The extraterrestrial creatures come in all shapes, sizes and colours. Some resemble the creature from the movie E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982). Others mimic the Little Green Men from animated film franchise Toy Story (1995 to present).

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