Aurora in Wise County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Aurora Cemetery
Photographed By Jackson Frye
1. Aurora Cemetery Marker
The oldest known graves here, dating from as early as the 1860's, are those of the Randall and Rowlett families. Finis Dudley Beauchamp (1825-1893), a Confederate veteran from Mississippi, donated the 3-acre site to the newly formed Aurora Lodge No. 479, A.F. & A.M., in 1877. For many years, this community burial ground was known as Masonic Cemetery. Beauchamp, his wife Caroline (1829-1915), and others in their family are buried here. An epidemic which struck the village in 1891 added hundreds of graves to the plot. Called "spotted fever" by the settlers, the disease is now though to have been a form of meningitis.
Located in Aurora Cemetery is the gravestone of the infant Nellie Burris (1891-1893) with its often-quoted epitaph: "As 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.
Struck by epidemic and crop failure and bypassed by the railroad, the original town of Aurora almost disappeared, but the cemetery remains in use with over 800 graves. Veterans of the Civil War, World Wars I and II, and the Korean and Vietnam conflicts are interred here.
Erected 1976 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 240.)
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Location. 33° 3.212′ N, 97° 30.062′ W. Marker is in Aurora, Texas, in Wise County. Marker is on Cemetery Road (Highway 507) north of Brammer Road, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 507 Cemetery Road, Rhome TX 76078, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. George Lawson Bledsoe (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Teague Cemetery (approx. 0.7 miles away); United Methodist Church of Rhome (approx. 1.6 miles away); Eagle Mountain Lake MCAS Auxiliary (Rhome Field) (approx. 1.6 miles away); Masonic Lodge #479 (approx. 4.1 miles away); Deep Creek Community (approx. 4˝ miles away); Sam Woody's Cabin (approx. 4˝ miles away); Thurmond-Fairview Cemetery (approx. 4˝ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Aurora.
Also see . . . Original Newspaper Article on the Crash.
About 6 o'clock this morning the early risers of Aurora were astonished at the sudden appearance of the airship which has been sailing through the country.(Submitted on October 9, 2021, by J Frye of Fort Worth, Texas.)
Photographed By Jackson Frye
2. Aurora Cemetery Marker
Photographed By Jackson Frye
3. Grave of “Ned”, the alien pilot
Credits. This page was last revised on October 10, 2021. It was originally submitted on October 9, 2021, by J Frye of Fort Worth, Texas. This page has been viewed 935 times since then and 68 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 9, 2021, by J Frye of Fort Worth, Texas. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
