Entry No. 20 — the Pittsburgh file — filed under: roadside-attraction
The Kecksburg UFO Monument
A quirky, acorn-shaped UFO replica originally built as a prop for a 1990 episode of Unsolved Mysteries to commemorate the town's famous 1965 UFO incident, now proudly displayed on a pedestal behind the local fire department.
The story
On December 9, 1965, around 4:45 PM, a fiery object cut across the Western Pennsylvania sky and slammed into the woods outside Kecksburg. Locals who beat the military into the thicket reported seeing a metallic, bronze-colored object shaped like a giant acorn, etched with strange, hieroglyphic-like symbols around its rim. Federal authorities cordoned off the area, ordered civilians out, and eventually declared that nothing had been found at the site. The town, predictable in its skepticism, wasn't buying it.
Fast forward to 1990, when the television show Unsolved Mysteries arrived in Westmoreland County to film a reenactment of the incident. To make the segment work, prop builders sculpted a full-scale fiberglass replica of the legendary 'Space Acorn.' When shooting wrapped, the crew didn't bother hauling the heavy prop back to Los Angeles. The Kecksburg Volunteer Fire Department claimed it, hoisted the prop onto a high wooden pedestal behind their station house, and officially turned a left-behind TV prop into a permanent monument to cold-war paranoia.
What it's like
Drive down Water Street and pull up behind the fire station to find the giant, bronze-painted acorn looming over a small patch of lawn. It is delightfully unvarnished roadside lore—no velvet ropes, no glossy visitor center, just a fiberglass TV prop elevated above the grass. If the volunteer fire station is open, step inside to browse alien-themed shirts, patches, and stickers, with proceeds directly supporting the town's first responders. The entire visit takes about fifteen minutes, but standing underneath a television relic that serves as a collective nudge to government secrecy is rural PA at its absolute finest.
The move: Grab some alien-themed merchandise from the volunteer fire department's gift shop, snap a selfie under the 'Space Acorn,' and then head to a nearby diner in the Laurel Highlands.
- 📍 Mount Pleasant
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: 5113 Water St, Mount Pleasant, PA 15666
Hours: Added 2026-07-21 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- The Big Mac Museum Restaurant — Pair a cold-war alien crash site with a visit to the home of a fast-food icon 15 miles northwest in North Huntingdon.
- The Living Dead Museum — Follow up a TV-prop UFO monument with a trip to Monroeville's homage to pop-culture zombie history.
- The Murrysville Tree Sign — Trade a fiberglass acorn in a firehouse yard for an 850-foot-long hillside sign made entirely of living spruce trees.
Good to know
Why is the monument shaped like an acorn?
Eyewitnesses who saw the object in the woods after the December 9, 1965 crash described a metallic, acorn-shaped craft roughly the size of a small car, featuring unusual symbols carved along its base.
Who built the UFO replica?
The prop department for the television series Unsolved Mysteries constructed the fiberglass object for a 1990 episode about the Kecksburg crash, gifting it to the town after filming ended.
Where is the monument located and when can I see it?
The monument is located behind the Kecksburg Volunteer Fire Department at 5113 Water Street in Mount Pleasant. Because it stands outside on the lawn, it is accessible to view 24 hours a day.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Atlas Obscura · golaurelhighlands.com · susquehannavalley.blogspot.com · triblive.com
last checked: 2026-07-21