Pocahontas 'Meteorite'

Resting in the center of a rural Arkansas town is a half-ton rock that locals say fell from space.

Local legend holds that in the summer of 1859, a meteorite broke through the atmosphere and landed barely north of the town of Pocahontas. It stayed there for around 40 years until the town’s stationmaster, A.H. Keith, decided to take it home and put it in his front yard.

The large rock stayed in the Keiths’ yard for over half a century, during which treasure hunters whittled away around 66 percent of the rock for themselves. In 1986, the Keith family gave the rock to the local government to celebrate Arkansas’ 150th anniversary.

Despite the lore, this rock is not alien. Scientists have analyzed it and came to the conclusion that it’s just a normal, earthly rock. But that hasn’t deterred the town of Pocahontas, which continues to proudly display the storied stone in front of their new courthouse. It’s surrounded by a small fence and has a plaque that reads, “This meteor fell July 1859 in the Black River bottoms of Randolph County. It was discovered by A.H. Keith. Donated by the Keith family March 1986 in celebration of Arkansas sesquicentennial.”