Oak Grove in Talladega County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)

Stars Fell On Alabama
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Hodges Meteorite

Stars Fell On Alabama Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tim & Renda Carr, June 16, 2011

1. Stars Fell On Alabama Marker

Inscription. Stars Fell On Alabama November 30, 1954. It was a cold, clear early afternoon when Dr. Moody Jacobs left his office for lunch. In the sky, he saw a trail of dark smoke and heard an explosion before white smoke shot out in several directions. “I thought a plane had exploded,” Moody said. Back by 1 p.m. he received a call to an Oak Grove home to treat Mrs. Ann Hodges who’d been struck by a “comet.” The descending fireball had actually been seen by many people across Alabama that day. The Air Force even searched for a crash. The next day, Julius K. McKinney, a farmer who lived near the Hodges, was driving a wagon when his mules shied away from a black rock in the road. After geological confirmations, McKinney sold the 3½ pound rock to the Smithsonian Institute where it resides today in the Hall of Meteorites. The Hodges and McKinney Aerolites are the only known meteors from that day but other “comets” surely reached the ground the day “Stars Fell On Alabama.”

Hodges Meteorite The Town of Oak Grove, Alabama has the distinction of being home to the first modern instance of a meteorite striking a human being. On this property,

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owned by the Guy Family, an 8½ pound “comet” crashed into a house that stood 50 yards southwest of this site facing Odens Mill Road. It was around 12:30 p.m. on November 30, 1954 when Elizabeth Ann Hodges, who was feeling a bit ill, was taking a nap on the couch in the living room. The meteorite crashed through the roof, bounced off a radio and stuck her thigh. Even though she was under a couple of blankets, the grapefruit-sized rock left severe bruises on Mrs. Hodges left hip and hand. She became an instant celebrity. The Hodges meteorite has been on display at the University of Alabama’s Museum of Natural History in Tuscaloosa since March of 1956.

Erected 2010 by Alabama Tourism Department and the Town of Oak Grove.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Notable Events. In addition, it is included in the Alabama Tourism Department series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1954.

Location. 33° 11.362′ N, 86° 17.671′ W. Marker is in Oak Grove, Alabama, in Talladega County. It is on Old U.S. 280 0.2 miles north of Odens Mill Road (County Road 36), on the left when traveling north.

Hodges Meteorite Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tim & Renda Carr, June 16, 2011

2. Hodges Meteorite Marker

Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Sylacauga AL 35150, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in East Alabama. It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the original Cherokee Nation,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Marble City Cemetery Sylacauga (approx. 2.3 miles away); Gantts Quarry Post Office (approx. 2.6 miles away); The B.B. Comer Memorial Library (approx. 2.7 miles away); Hightower Brothers Livery Stable (approx. 2.7 miles away); Sylacauga Historic Commercial District (approx. 2.9 miles away); Sylacauga Marble (approx. 2.9 miles away); Fort Williams (approx. 2.9 miles away); Sylacauga Cemetery (approx. 3 miles away).

Also see . . . Hodges Meteorite Strike (Sylacauga Aerolite).

Stars Fell On Alabama / Hodges Meteorite Marker (North View) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tim & Renda Carr, June 16, 2011

3. Stars Fell On Alabama / Hodges Meteorite Marker (North View)

Encyclopedia of Alabama website entry (Submitted on January 14, 2015, by J. Makali Bruton of Washington, District of Columbia.)

Stars Fell On Alabama / Hodges Meteorite Marker (South View) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tim & Renda Carr, June 16, 2011

4. Stars Fell On Alabama / Hodges Meteorite Marker (South View)

Odens Mill Road, right side of the road was the site of the Hodges home. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tim & Renda Carr, June 16, 2011

5. Odens Mill Road, right side of the road was the site of the Hodges home.

The home was later demolished after the Hodges moved out.

Hodges Meteorite image. Click for full size.

Photographed by University of Alabama, Natural History Museum

6. Hodges Meteorite

Credits. This page was last revised on July 27, 2022. It was originally submitted on July 5, 2011, by Timothy Carr of Birmingham, Alabama. This page has been viewed 7,151 times since then and 186 times this year. It was the Marker of the Week November 30, 2014. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 5, 2011, by Timothy Carr of Birmingham, Alabama. 3, 4, 5. submitted on July 10, 2011, by Timothy Carr of Birmingham, Alabama. 6. submitted on January 14, 2015, by J. Makali Bruton of Washington, District of Columbia. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.

Stars Fell On Alabama⎯⎯⎯Hodges Meteorite

Stars Fell On Alabama
⎯⎯⎯
Hodges Meteorite