On the night of September 19, 1961, Betty and Barney Hill drove through New Hampshire’s White Mountains on their way back to Portsmouth from their honeymoon trip to Niagara Falls and Montreal. On Route 3, near Franconia, they saw a light in the sky.

Their world, and ours, was never the same again. While the Hills rose to fame due to their tale of alien abduction and subsequent influence on pop culture, the Hills’ impact reaches far beyond the extraordinary events of that night. As Portsmouth residents, civil rights activists, and community leaders, Betty and Barney Hill were part of a powerful and often overlooked chapter in local and national history.