A Meteorite Hit Benld! What's That Like?

Nov 15, 2019

Much excitement has come to our area after a streaking meteor set the sky ablaze on this past Monday, 11/11 at 8:51 PM. Many security cameras in the area captured the image, including the cameras right here at Studio 312, the home of the What’s That Like? Podcast. As I am certainly interested in local history, this recent event recalls a story that many may have never heard before. It was a cool morning, about 9 AM, on September 29, 1938, when Benld, IL became the site of an interstellar landing.

Mrs Carl C Crum was working in the rear part of her yard, about 50 feet from the garage on the property of Edward McCain. She heard a loud “roar” and a “crack” and smelled sulfur in the air. Expecting an explosion or collapse, she rushed around the back of the barn and saw… nothing. But it bothered her the rest of the day. Mrs Edward McCain, who had been further away on her property, also heard great noise, but dismissed it as an airplane.

After 3pm that same day, Edward McCain came home from his day working at the mine, entered his garage, “to take his car out and go up town”. Upon opening the door, he saw a large hole in the seat cushion. He then yelled to his neighbor, “Come over hear Carl, look what the rats have done to my seat”. He said, “I knew the rats were getting thick around here”. Carl looked and said, “Ed, no rats ever made that hole”.

They then looked up, and saw a clean hole through the roof of the car, and upon backing it out of the garage, found it had also crashed through the garage roof, hit the bottom of the car, and found the meteorite itself imbedded in the seat cushion. It was then the ladies who had been home recalled the earlier noises and determined what had happened. It came from the sky. The Meteorite itself is about the size of a fist, and weighs a little less than four pounds.

Later that evening the Meteorite was shown all over Benld, in the shops, stores, and of course local watering holes, and it was brought to the attention of the High School Principal FA Bertetti, and the Science Teacher Archie Toigo. Investigators where called in, and upon later determination, was one of the first documented meteorites to cause property damage in the world… and it happened right here in Macoupin County… Benld, IL…

For more information. The seat cushion, and the meteorite itself were later displayed in the Chicago Museum of Natural History as seen here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNffGZJphyY

See the full report of the meteorite from 1938… simply known as “Benld” here - http://adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1938PA.....46..548W

For more stories and Central Illinois happenings... check out the What's That Like? Podcast, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major outlets.