Most People Don’t Know That Aliens Invaded New Jersey In The 1930s
Grover's Mill in New Jersey became famous for the 1938 Orson Welles radio broadcast that caused panic by reporting a fictional Martian landing.
It was October 30th, 1938 and 12 million Americans were tuned into an evening radio broadcast when a "live news update" alarmed them all. "Good Lord, they're turning into flame!" - Orson Welles reported a Martian landing in Grover's Mill (West Windsor Township), New Jersey. While it was merely a pre-Halloween prank, a radio adaptation of H. G. Wells' novel, The War of the Worlds, many took the broadcast as fact.
Martian Landing Site
Residents in the area panicked, mistaking a water tower for a UFO and shooting it to pieces. The remnants of the tower remain, barely visible and on private property near Cranbury and Clarksville roads. In Van Nest Park, off Cranbury Road, a monument, erected in 1988, commemorates the Martian landing site.
Grover's Mill Coffee House
A local coffee shop also commemorates the event with their name and theme; you can find alien-related goods and gifts here, along with great coffee and desserts.
Did you have any idea this happened? If you're in the area, check out the coffee shop and monument for a fun photo-op. A unique roadside attraction, here are 12 more quirky roadside stops in the Garden State.
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