‘Come for the aliens, stay for the history’: Portsmouth opens Betty & Barney Hill exhibition

‘Come for the aliens, stay for the history’: Portsmouth opens Betty & Barney Hill exhibition

Portsmouth, N.H. — The Portsmouth Historical Society has launched a new exhibition exploring the famous 1961 Betty and Barney Hill alien abduction story — while shining a light on the couple’s overlooked work as civil rights activists.

The exhibition, titled “Betty & Barney,” opened April 1 and runs through November 2, 2026. It features hypnosis sketches of the aliens, Betty’s dress from that night, and artifacts highlighting the Hills’ leadership in the NAACP, anti-discrimination efforts, and community activism in the Seacoast region.

“I really feel like this one night… has defined their whole story,” said Emma Stratton, executive director of the Portsmouth Historical Society. “But their lives were so much bigger than that one night.”

Exhibitions manager Meredith Affleck noted the story’s lasting impact on popular culture, helping shape the modern image of gray-skinned aliens with large eyes seen in films and TV shows.

The museum deliberately takes no position on whether the abduction occurred. “The point is that this story affected these people’s lives and it affected our lives and how popular culture and science fiction happens today,” Affleck said.

Stratton hopes the show will draw both UFO enthusiasts and history buffs: “If they come for the aliens, we hope they stay for the history.”

The exhibition is at the Portsmouth Historical Society, 10 Middle Street, Portsmouth, NH. Open daily 10 a.m.–5 p.m.

For more information and tickets, visit: https://portsmouthhistory.org

Original story: https://www.nhpr.org/nh-news/2026-04-13/aliens-stay-for-the-history-portsmouths-new-betty-and-barney-exhibition