11/01/2025
In the spring of 1897, a reported UFO 👽 crash occurred on a farm near Aurora in Wise County. According to local accounts, the wreckage was too extensive for investigators to draw any conclusions about its origin. The crash was said to have killed the pilot, described as "not of this world" and believed by residents to be “a native of Mars.” The townspeople buried the being in Aurora Cemetery.
Nearly a century later, Aurora resident Etta Pegues alleged in a Time magazine article that the story had been fabricated to attract attention to the town, which had suffered through disease, crop failure, and the loss of a railroad connection.
Despite the tale, the THC awarded a historical marker to Aurora Cemetery in 1976, recognizing its broader history. The marker notes the area’s “spotted fever” epidemic, the more than 800 graves on the grounds, and a mention of a mysterious spaceship.