Garden of Angels Murder Memorial At their trial, Carolyn Barker was horrified to hear two men not only confess to killing her granddaughter, but remark that they hoped to get famous for the deed. That’s when she decided something is wrong with society’s glorification of murderers, and that it is their victims who should be celebrated and remembered. Barker placed a small white cross in memory of Amy Robinson, her 19-year-old granddaughter, in the area where her body was discovered by police. Soon, other crosses appeared. As of 2013, 102 white crosses stand in memory of Texas murder victims. Different…
Category: Historic Cemeteries
Aurora Cemetery With over 1800 graves, Aurora Cemetery claims more inhabitants than the town itself, with its population of 376. As you might imagine, not much happens in Aurora, Texas. There’s no courthouse, no historic town square, no central shopping area at all. There’s so little to this town that it’s nearly impossible to tell you are there. Bizarre Incident Mentioned on its Historical Marker Even so, Aurora Cemetery attracts a steady stream of curiosity seekers. They come to look for the grave of a space alien who allegedly crashed there in 1897. The bizarre incident is even mentioned on…
Welcome to the Haunted Travel blog carnival I’m pleased to present a blog carnival focused on paranormal travel and tourism. Have you ever stayed in a haunted hotel or motel? Have you ever driven out of your way to check out the site of an infamous ghost story or joined a ghost hunting session? If so, click on over to the Haunted Travel carnival submission form and share your eerie tale with us! Our first edition features the following six tales of ghostly travel: 1. Shelly Tucker presents Ghost Hunting at the Saint Anthony Hotel posted at This Eclectic…
Gold Buried Beneath a Fort Worth Tree Seceding from the United States was not an easy decision for the State of Texas, and many Texans, including Charles Turner (1822-1873) a farmer, merchant and Texas Ranger, were against it. Even so, once the state voted to withdraw from the Union, Mr. Turner reluctantly went along with it – up to a point. While Charles Turner showed his support of secession by funding a company of volunteer soldiers with his own money, he balked at the idea of exchanging his hard-earned fortune for Confederate notes, which is why he ended up burying…
Quirky Statue in Paris, Texas After mentioning Paris, Texas recently in the post A to Z Texas: E is for Eiffel Tower I’m bringing up that little burg again because it’s home to a quirky statue known locally as the, “Jesus in cowboy boots.” This statue is actually the 20 foot tall grave marker honoring a man named Willet Babcock, who died in 1888. While impressive, it would hardly be the quirky tourist attraction that it has become were it not for the unusual footwear worn by the cross-bearing figure it depicts; instead of the bare feet or sandals one…
Blogging from A to Z I’m blogging about Texas from A to Z this month, with an emphasis on the quirky side of the Lone Star State. Bloggers all over the world are working their way through the alphabet, too, with topics as diverse as wacky princesses, vegan recipes and Romanian culture. If you’d like to join along, check out the official A to Z blogging challenge for details. A is for: Alien Grave in Aurora, Texas Last year, I learned of a strange incident that allegedly occurred in Aurora, Texas. According to a newspaper article published by the Dallas…