The Story Behind This Ghost Town Cemetery In Texas Will Chill You To The Bone
By Katie Lawrence|Published January 30, 2018
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Katie Lawrence
Author
Katie Lawrence is a Southeast Texas native who graduated 18th in her high school class with a GPA of 4.25. She attended college in the Houston area and began writing for OnlyInYourState in 2015.
Today, Katie writes, edits, and performs several other tasks for OnlyInYourState and has never been more passionate about a job before. Outside of work, you can likely find her curled up on with a hot cup of coffee, practicing yoga, baking, or exploring the beautiful Lone Star State (in particular, the vast and mystical West Texas desert).
Texas is full of creepy graveyards, but none are quite as haunting as the Terlingua Cemetery – mainly because the dead just might outnumber the living in this quintessential ghost town. Check it out for yourself…if you dare.
A haunting sense of somberness fills the air as you walk through the two brick pillars delineating the cemetery's entrance.
One of the most photographed graveyards in the country, there's nothing fancy at all about this place. Wooden crosses are haphazardly embedded in mounds of dirt (often with no tombstones in sight), and simple memorials with handmade accents are scattered about instead of grandiose mausoleums.
Most of the people laid to rest here were miners who succumbed to the toxicity of the mercury they were digging for. A lack of efficient mining equipment combined with less than adequate ventilation resulted in deaths on a somewhat regular basis.
Other than miners, victims of the 1918-19 influenza outbreak are also buried here. Without modern medicine, nearly everyone who contracted the virus ended up dying from it.
Not only miners and flu victims lie in the Terlingua Cemetery - this is the grave of a Civil War veteran. He must have family in the area who requested his body be buried here. Looks like someone still pays tribute to him once in a while in the form of an American flag.
The one time of year when the cemetery "comes to life" is during the Mexican celebration of Day of the Dead in early November. The typically monochromatic graveyard transforms into a blast of color from flowers, candles, streamers, and other decorations. With the majestic Chisos Mountains towering in the background, the view is truly unforgettable.
