‘Tis the season for things that go bump…at the water cooler. When you’re out and about for work this month in the great state of Texas, be on the lookout for these top haunts.
“Capitol” Punishment in Austin
While Governor Rick Perry plans to move on, other politicians have refused to leave office at the Texas State Capitol in Austin, TX. Visitors and staff at the Capitol claim to have seen the likes of Governor Edmond Jackson Davis who passed away in 1883 and Comptroller Robert Marshall Love who was shot and killed in his first-floor office in 1903. Several other ghosts are said to roam the halls including a “lady in red” who still waits for her beau in his former office and adjacent secret stairwell.
The Texas Capitol isn’t the only politically haunted building in Austin. Look across the street at the Governor’s Mansion, and you may catch a glimpse of Governor Sam Houston pacing nervously, perhaps still contemplating his opposition to Texas joining the Confederacy (an opinion that cost him his job in 1861). And, just a few blocks away, President Lyndon B. Johnson has been seen in recent years watching election results in his favorite spot at The Driskill Hotel. Hauntings have also been reported at the Texas State Treasury Building, the Littlefield Building, and the Texas Classroom Teachers Association office at 7th and Guadalupe.
Letting Loose in Dallas/Fort Worth
Like to make time for fun while working in Dallas/Fort Worth? You’re not alone. It appears spirits in the area like to play as well. Local television station CBS DFW has called Arlington’s Six Flags Over Texas quite possibly “the most haunted place in Texas.” Ghosts have been spotted at the Music Mill, The Palace, and around the Log Ride. Be sure to stop into E.G. Sugarwater’s Snacks, where employees claim the spirit of “Annie” causes mischief in the historic farm house.
Not to be overshadowed, the Fort Worth Zoo is said to be the home of a dedicated (and deceased) elephant trainer and a “woman in white,” who takes strolls near the café. Rumors of hauntings at Cowboys Stadium (formerly Texas Stadium) and the Fort Worth Stockyards abound as well.
Unusual Bunkmates in San Antonio
While the Alamo is a logical haunt in San Antonio, business travelers take note: Downtown San Antonio is filled with world-class hotels that include some unique spiritual perks. St. Anthony Riverwalk Wyndham Hotel, The Emily Morgan Hotel, and Sheraton Gunter Hotel are just a few.
Perhaps the most spirited of the accommodations is the Menger Hotel, said to be haunted by at least 38 ghosts. As Public Relations Director Ernesto Malacara recently told the Austin American-Statesman, “The hotel has been here for 154 years…there are apparitions that cannot be explained.”
Among those spirits is believed to be President Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt visited The Menger Hotel three times and, as legend has it, favored the Menger Bar as a spot to recruit cowboys off the Chisholm Trail to ride with his notorious Rough Riders. If you’re hoping to become a recruit yourself, you might find him at the bar.
Ghost Boom in Beaumont
Beaumont, TX, is rich with colorful history. The area holds evidence of great prosperity and tragedy, often tied to the region’s most famous resource both then and now: petroleum.
Spindletop Hill turned Beaumont into a boom town when, in 1901, oil was discovered there. But Spindletop has always intrigued Native Americans and other early settlers for another reason. As Texas Monthly reports, “According to one story about Spindletop, ghosts under the ground would get angry when people searching for oil would come and poke holes on the hill. However, a more plausible scientific theory suggests ‘the ghosts’ are the heavy mist and fumes that rise up from the sulfur water and gas under the hill. Another theory states that St. Elmo’s Fire (or static electricity) explains why there were ‘dancing figures’ on top of Spindletop Hill.”
The site is still an active oil field, but we have yet to hear from any of the thousands of engineers who have worked there whether they believe the paranormal is still present. What do you think? Have you experienced any Texas workplace hauntings? We want to hear your story!
Texas Capitol Image: Larry D. Moore CC BY-SA 3.0
Six Flags Over Texas Image: GuideToSFoT.com
Menger Hotel Image: Courtesy of the Menger Hotel
Beaumont “side gusher” Image: Courtesy of Texas Energy Museum
