Who claimed legal ownership of the Sylacauga meteorite fragment after it struck Mrs. Hodges?

Her neighbor, Mrs. Eldridge

Following the dramatic incident where the Sylacauga meteorite struck Ann Hodges, the legal ownership of the recovered space rock became a significant point of contention, leading to interpersonal conflict and stress for the Hodges family. The specific individual who asserted a claim over the fragment immediately after the event was Mrs. Eldridge, who was the neighbor of Mrs. Hodges. This dispute over possession highlights an unusual aspect of the famous strike, where the bureaucratic and legal drama following the physical impact overshadowed the physical event itself, turning the meteorite into a valuable object of property dispute rather than just a scientific curiosity.