Cemeteries hold a plethora of stories, some stories whispered in hushed tones, others etched into weathered gravestones. Yet, among the countless tales that echo through these solemn grounds, few captivate the imagination quite like the legend of Aurora, Texas. Nestled within this sleepy town lies a tale that has sparked debates, fueled curiosity, and even garnered national attention. It is a story that intertwines the realms of science fiction and historical mystery, revolving around an alleged UFO crash in 1897 and the purported burial of its extraterrestrial pilot in the town's historical cemetery.
On April 17, 1897 the sleepy town of Aurora, Texas was startled awake by an early morning crash that came from the big, blue Texas sky. The crash was so exciting that an article about it was printed in Dallas Morning News on April 19, 1897. It stated that,
"About 6 o'clock this morning the early risers of Aurora were astonished at the sudden appearance of the airship which had been sailing through the country. It was traveling due north, and much nearer the earth than ever before. Evidently some of the machinery was out of order, for it was making a speed of only ten or twelve miles an hour and gradually settling toward the earth. It sailed directly over the public square, and when it reached the north part of town collided with the tower of Judge Proctor's windmill and went to pieces with a terrific explosion, scattering debris over several acres of ground, wrecking the windmill and water tank and destroying the judge's flower garden. The pilot of the ship is supposed to have been the only one on board, and while his remains are badly disfigured, enough of the original has been picked up to show that he was not an inhabitant of this world. Mr. T. J. Weems, the United States signal service officer at this place and an authority on astronomy, gives it as his opinion that he was a native of the planet Mars. Papers found on his person-evidently the record of his travels-are written in some unknown hieroglyphics, and can not be deciphered. The ship was too badly wrecked to form any conclusion as to its construction or motive power. It was built of an unknown metal, resembling somewhat a mixture of aluminum and silver, and it must have weighed several tons. The town is full of people to-day who are viewing the wreck and gathering specimens of the strange metal from the debris. The pilot's funeral will take place at noon to-morrow.”
According to legend, the pilot was given a Christian burial that was conducted by a traveling pastor. He was laid to rest in the Aurora Cemetery and a stone marker was placed at the head of the grave. However, that stone marker no longer exists. There is a marker that was placed by the Texas Historical Commission on the fence leading into the cemetery. The marker gives a brief history of the cemetery's beginnings in the 1860s and talks about some of its more prominent families.
One paragraph on the marker says, “Located in Aurora cemetery is the gravestone of the infant Nellie Burris with its often quoted epitaph, “I was so soon done, I don’t know why I was begun.” This site is also well known because of the legend that a spaceship crashed nearby in 1897 and the pilot, killed in the crash, was buried here.” Of course, humans have long been fascinated by the idea that there may be life outside the planet Earth and have actively pursued seeking it. However, many believe that this alien burial was simply a very elaborate hoax. In 1980, Time Magazine conducted an interview with Aurora resident Etta Pegues who was 86 at the time of the interview. Etta claimed that some of the town’s men “meant it for a joke to bring interest to Aurora. The railroad bypassed us and the town was dying.”
Sometime in the 1970s a group of people tried to have the remains exhumed to find out if they were really human or not, but a court injunction from 1972 stated that an exhumation could only take place if the next of kin of the deceased could be notified. Of course, not knowing exactly who is buried in the grave means there is no way to notify family and thus the remains have been left to rest in peace. If this all was meant as an elaborate hoax, then it has succeeded in its endeavors to bring attending to the community of Aurora, Texas as the story of the crash and the alien gravesite has been the subject of TV shows, documentaries and writings.
(Photo: Historical Marker at the Aurora Cemetery in Aurora, Texas. This work has been released into the public domain by its author, Sf46. This applies worldwide.)
