I am no longer surprised by the things I discover about Arkansas. In fact, I look forward to learning about these fun facts because they help my trivia game. This time around, I dove into the story about the Paragould Meteorite that struck the small town almost a hundred years ago. And at a whopping 820 pounds, it’s one of the largest observed meteorites recovered in the US. How about that for trivia? Read on to discover more about the real story behind the massive meteorite that landed in the small town in Arkansas.

Imagine being asleep in your comfy bed while having the most vivid dream of your life, only to be awakened by the loudest sonic booms you can imagine.
Mark Seton/Flickr
That’s exactly what happened at 4:08 a.m. on February 17, 1930. A massive meteorite survived Earth’s atmosphere and landed in a field outside the small town of Paragould.
Hilts uk/Flickr
During this rare phenomenon, the sky illuminated from the falling rock, the barnyard animals went wild, and of course, folks thought the world was ending.
Mike Lewinski/Flickr
The enormous fireball was also witnessed in multiple states including Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Tennessee, and Kansas. The meteorite was so big that it created an 8-foot-deep crater on the farmland owned by Joe H. Fletcher.
Paragould Regional Chamber of Commerce/Facebook
After steady digging efforts, Fletcher and crew managed to release the meteorite from its crater.

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At some point after it was retrieved, Fletcher sold the rare rock to Harvey H. Nininge, a meteoriticist from Kansas. Then, it was sold again to the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago.
Lydia Fizz from Vancouver, Canada, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
It remained in the Midwest for decades until 1988, when it was loaned to the Arkansas Center for Space and Planetary Sciences at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.
Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
With all the recent celestial events including the upcoming solar eclipse of 2024, members of the Paragould Chamber of Commerce decided that the meteorite should return home.
Paragould Meteorite
Paragould Regional Chamber of Commerce/Facebook
And so it did. It’s currently on display (as a loan) at the Greene County Museum, where it can be viewed by locals and visitors alike.
Greene County Museum/Facebook
The Paragould Meteorite is said to be billions of years old, so I can understand the fascination behind this ancient rock. My only hope is that the meteorite can remain in Paragould where it truly belongs.
Paragould Meteorite
Paragould Regional Chamber of Commerce/Facebook

Did you know the real story behind the Paragould Meteorite that landed in Arkansas in 1930? If so, do you have any additional information to share about the event? Tell us below! Learn more about the meteorite by visiting the Greene County Museum website.

Want more interesting facts? Check out our article featuring 10 unique trivia about Arkansas that might surprise you.

10 Unique Trivia Facts About Arkansas You Might Not Have Heard Before

 

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Paragould, AR 72450, USA
Greene County Museum Inc, 130 S 14th St, Paragould, AR 72450, USA