Springfield’s Forgotten UFO: The Bizarre 1897 'Airship' That Hovered Over Missouri

In the spring of 1897, long before powered, heavier-than-air flight became a reality, residents across southwest Missouri reported a string of strange sightings: a mysterious 'airship' described by witnesses as a cigar-shaped vessel with dragonfly-like wings and multi-colored searchlights drifting silently over trains, yards and town streets.

Detailed Eyewitness Accounts

One of the most detailed accounts appeared in the Springfield Weekly Republican from Judge J.A. Frink, a respected local figure. Frink said he saw the craft the night of April 21, 1897, near Cabool after the train he was riding stopped so suddenly that passengers were roused. Stepping onto the platform, he found himself standing in a shadow cast not by clouds but by a large machine overhead.

Frink described two pairs of wings like those of a dragonfly: an upper pair roughly twice as wide and about six times as long as a passenger coach, and a lower pair about half that size extending rearward. The hull was cigar-shaped and about the length of a passenger coach, with a long, narrow tail section that Frink believed contained lighting and propulsion equipment. He speculated the hull might be aluminum and that hollow plates could contain hydrogen; a large canvas cover, he wrote, billowed and might have held a 'gravitation resisting gas.' Electricity, he added, seemed to power the craft, with wires running from a so-called dynamo room to the rest of the vessel.

Witnesses reported two rotating searchlights at the bow that could change instantly between clear, green, red and blue, colored incandescent globes along the deck, and a tail that glowed 'like something phosphorescent.' The craft made little noise — only a faint crackling, likened to a trolley car in wet weather — and when stationary the dominant sound was the slow swaying of its large wings.

Close Encounters in Springfield

The ship was later reported over Springfield, where several residents described close encounters. George Pepperdine and his family said the craft descended about 30 feet above their yard. Pepperdine claimed the captain tipped his hat, told them, 'We are shooting ducks and canvassing for Bryan's book on the First Battle and Bimetallism,' and tossed a copy down before ascending — likely referencing William Jennings Bryan's 1896 book about his presidential campaign and free silver.

Charles J. Wright said the machine passed within a few feet of his porch and that he briefly spoke with the operator, who allegedly claimed President McKinley had sent the airship to investigate municipal-election reports. G.B. Cunningham reported music, horns and drums before the vessel hovered about 15 feet above his home; the captain supposedly asked whether Cunningham had a Republican available to answer a question about slot machines on the city council. Other locals, like Frank B. Parker, stressed they had not seen the craft but believed neighbors' consistent stories meant 'something' was in the air.

The train that Frink rode had apparently halted because a horse had been mysteriously struck and killed on the tracks. Observers noted the track had been clear moments earlier, prompting speculation the animal had fallen from — or been dropped by — the airship.

Context and Possible Explanations

Whether these 1897 incidents were misidentifications, hoaxes, exaggerated eyewitness reports or something else remains unclear. Historians note the 'mystery airship' phenomenon swept parts of the American Midwest that spring, producing a wave of similar reports. The technological references in the accounts — dynamo rooms, electric lighting and a modified fluoroscope allegedly able to 'see through' roofs — reflect a mix of contemporary fascination with electricity and the limits of period reporting and imagination.

Historical Note: These sightings were reported in the Springfield Weekly Republican and other period papers. They form part of a curious chapter in pre-aviation American folklore and remain a subject of interest for historians of technology, journalism and anomalous reports.

Summary based on contemporaneous newspaper accounts and modern historical context.