Project 1947 and the Sign Historical Group (SHG)

Archive Name

Archive Location

Project 1947, P.O. Box 391, Canterbury, CT 06331

Conditions of Access

The primary public access is via the website (project1947.com)

Contains Archives of:

Jan L. Aldrich

Era Covered

1947/

Material Physical Size

Historical progress reports describe a collection that grew to over 30,000 pages of clippings, investigative reports, personal accounts, scrapbook copies, and related documents from worldwide sources

Description

Project 1947 is not a formal nonprofit with a distinct legal corporate name beyond the project itself; it is an ongoing research initiative coordinated by Jan L. Aldrich and associated with the Sign Historical Group (SHG), whose materials it hosts.

Description of the organization:
Project 1947 is a worldwide research effort, initiated around 1995 and coordinated by Jan L. Aldrich (retired U.S. Army Master Sergeant with a background in history, meteorology, intelligence, and related fields). It was supported early on by the UFO Research Coalition (including CUFOS, the Fund for UFO Research, and MUFON). Its purpose is to document the origins of the modern UFO phenomenon through systematic collection of official documents (via FOIA and archive visits), newspaper articles, contemporary accounts, and personal reports—particularly from the 1947 wave—to establish a solid historical foundation. Goals include compiling comprehensive histories of key periods, clarifying the documentary record for future research and FOIA work, filling gaps in early coverage, and fostering a network of researchers via email lists and shared materials. Aldrich has visited more than 150 libraries, universities, archives, museums, and historical societies. The project also hosts materials for the Sign Historical Group, an association of scholars focused on the history of the UFO phenomenon and related institutions.

Description of the archive:
As a data archive for the UAP phenomenon, Project 1947 specializes in primary historical source materials from the formative years of the modern UFO era. It aggregates and makes available digitized newspaper clippings, official government documents (including early Project Sign-related materials, Ghost Rocket records, Navy/Marine/Coast Guard reports, and FOIA releases), personal accounts, investigative reports, catalogues of sightings (e.g., 1947 wave expansions, naval cases, pre-1947 Australian reports, electromagnetic effects, “lost” or orphan files absent from Blue Book), and related compilations. The website serves as the main public repository, with sections on historical reports, catalogues, articles, Roswell-related contextual materials, and Sign Historical Group resources (including oral history efforts). Materials emphasize verifiable contemporary documentation over later interpretations, supporting scholarly reconstruction of how the phenomenon entered public and official awareness. Contributions from hundreds of researchers worldwide have expanded the holdings, and portions have been integrated into larger institutional archives (such as those now associated with NUFOHRC) to ensure long-term preservation and digitization.

Conditions of access to archival material:

The primary public access is via the website (project1947.com), which freely hosts digitized reports, newspaper accounts, official documents (including FOIA-obtained materials), catalogues, articles, and historical compilations. Contributors and researchers can share materials through the project’s email research list/network. Physical materials are primarily in the personal/research collection of the coordinator; some boxes and files have been transferred to other archival efforts (such as CUFOS-related holdings curated by the National UFO Historical Records Center). Interested parties are directed to contact Jan Aldrich at project1947@earthlink.net for arrangements, contributions, or inquiries about specific holdings. Access to physical items is not open public browsing but is facilitated for serious researchers through coordination and deposits.

Project 1947 is archived on Archive.org at this link

Sign Historical Group (SHG)

Sign Historical Group (SHG) (mentioned above) was (and to a limited extent remains) an independent, invitation-only association of scholars, researchers, and historians focused on the history of the UFO/UAP phenomenon. It is not a large formal organization with ongoing public membership or a high-profile independent website; its main public presence has long been hosted on the Project 1947 site.

Description

SHG formed following a UFO History Workshop held over Memorial Day weekend in 1999 in Chicago. Participants were researchers actively involved in documenting and preserving UFO history. The group’s Statement of Purpose states that it is:

“an association of scholars and researchers who have come together to facilitate and promote the discovery and preservation of materials, and the production and dissemination of publications, about the history of the UFO phenomenon and the institutions and persons who investigated it.”

It emphasizes traditional historical and archival methods, examining the interface of the UFO phenomenon with government, military, academic, cultural, technological, and social contexts. It explicitly “espouses no theory as to the cause of the UFO phenomenon,” though individual members may hold their own views. Membership has always been by invitation only and not open to the general public. The group shares materials with members and interested researchers when possible.

Key activities have included:

The 1999 workshop and publication of its proceedings.
Hosting and disseminating historical documents, inventories of collections, and research materials.
Supporting the Sign Oral History Project (SOHP), which records interviews with witnesses, Air Force personnel, scientists, investigators, and others connected to UFO history (coordinated primarily by Thomas Tulien).

Current Status

SHG does not appear to function as a highly active, independent organization with regular new public initiatives in recent years. Its main online presence is described as a “temporary” hosting arrangement on the Project 1947 website, with materials copyrighted primarily 1999–2014 and some resources last updated around that period. The Sign Oral History Project continues to have a presence and associated materials linked through Thomas Tulien’s work (including on Academia.edu). Individual members and related archival efforts (such as those connected to Project 1947 and CUFOS) have continued historical research and preservation work.