Did a UFO Crash in Texas in 1897? The following is an adapted excerpt from Unexpected Texas – my best-selling travel guide to quirky, offbeat and overlooked places near Dallas and Fort Worth. Check it out if you enjoy learning quirky facts, or are looking for offbeat road trip ideas in north Texas. Back in 2012, I learned of a strange incident that allegedly occurred in Aurora, Texas. According to a newspaper article published by the Dallas News in April of 1897, a cigar-shaped object crashed in a farmer’s field, an alien body was found in the debris, and this…
Tag: texas travel
Quirky Statue in Paris, Texas The following is an adapted excerpt from my Amazon Best Seller: Unexpected Texas. Enjoy! The north Texas town of Paris is home to a quirky statue known locally as the “Jesus in cowboy boots.” This statue is actually the 20-foot 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 often associates with Biblical folk, this one…
Lost Cemetery of Infants is in Paranormal Texas [The following is an adapted excerpt from my book, Paranormal Texas – a travel guide to haunted places in North Texas that you can actually visit. I hope you enjoy it! Also, full disclosure: that’s an Amazon affiliate link. If you buy stuff after clicking it, I make a few pennies at no additional cost to you.] More photos here To see a 5-minute info-video I made to accompany this story (with even more photos) click below: While single mothers are common in today’s world, and it’s often an intentional life choice, back…
The following is an adapted excerpt from my Amazon Best Seller: Unexpected Texas. Enjoy! Wild West Toys in Azle, Texas If you enjoy retro collectibles, Wild West Toys in Azle, Texas will knock your socks off. This funky shop is stocked with vintage playthings from the 1950’s and 60’s, as well as specialty sodas (sarsaparilla and the like), candies, turquoise jewelry, western-themed dishes, housewares, and play clothes for kids. Made in the USA Wild West Toys is also the only place in the USA to manufacture metal cap guns. They must be top notch, too, because even Chuck Norris owns…
The World’s Smallest Skyscraper Built in 1919, the Newby-McMahon Building in downtown Wichita Falls (701 La Salle, Wichita Falls, TX) is more commonly referred to as “the world’s smallest skyscraper.” Here’s the story behind this quirky structure and how it got its nickname: J.D. McMahon was an engineer and oilman from Philadelphia who breezed into Wichita Falls with blueprints to build a high-rise building in the downtown area. McMahon must have been a good talker, because it didn’t take him long to raise $200,000 (a fortune for that time) from local investors. The Difference Between Feet & Inches At a glance, it appeared…