SPOOKY SEASON ARRIVES

Galveston loves Halloween

Halloween is finally here, and that usually means cooler weather and that the island made it unscathed through another storm-prone September. With this month comes the holiday that Galvestonians love to celebrate: Halloween. The island, now considered by paranormal investigators to be one of the most “haunted” cities in America, has long been recognized for its ghostly past and the “past-to-present” tales of the unexpected and things that go bump in the night.

An entire industry has blossomed and bloomed for those locals and visitors interested in learning more about the island’s haunted history. The tours range from rather light-hearted and embellished tales to very serious lectures and walks to visit some very documented areas known for paranormal activity. There are graveyard tours, red-light district tours, building and structure tours as well as lantern-held walking tours. For a few extra bucks, ghost seekers can even take a night-time coach ride around the downtown area which points out several known “active” areas. When locals and visitors share their ghost stories, and they will, I think of little Carol Ann in the movie Poltergeist. “They’re hee-eere.” Yes, they are!

Just about everyone that has lived on the island for years, or generations, has a story to tell. Old houses and buildings seem to keep their own spirits to themselves. Even with new structures, mostly homes, some residents have reported odd activities, like lights that go off and on and garage doors that open and close. Some see shadow figures and phantom animals walking around in the house. Locals love the lore and the odd attention it brings. It can make for some great barroom talk and party chatter, especially if you are lucky enough to be a guest in one of the known houses or buildings. It seems some old drunks never leave their favorite watering hole, even after death!

Many people attribute the abundance of “ghosts” on the island to the Great Storm of 1900. Thousands lost their lives in a matter of hours. Some believe those that die in catastrophic events never realize they are dead and are trapped. Others believe that some, after dying, travel back and forth through portals or wormholes in time. I mean, why else would Abraham Lincoln sit around in a dusty room for 161 years, waiting to be summoned by drunks and partygoers. If they are real, they must come and go.

The haunted Menard home. Does he still walk inside?

 

While working for the Galveston Historical Foundation, Brian Davis — a trustworthy friend — told me of a strange happening at the Menard home at 1605 33rd Street. He received a notice that some alarm had sounded at the mansion. Walking through the many rooms, he found nothing odd or out of place. As he was leaving an upstairs bedroom, he looked down the hall and saw a man in dark period clothing walking by. The man looked directly at Davis, sort of nodded and proceeded to walk into the wall.

There are many such stories on the island, some well-known and some kept rather private. There is the haunted room on the 5th floor of the Galvez and the picture of Bernardo de Galvez in the stairwell that follows viewers and seems to change shapes. There are actually Haunted Galvez tours available.

And one cannot overlook the haunted wall of Ewing Hall at the UTMB campus. Legend has it that a very disgruntled landowner, possibly a Mr. Wallace, told his children to never sell the land. They did. The image appeared and remains there to this day. Located on the dock side and in the water, the 4th floor image has intrigued locals and visitors or decades. Some call him the Old Bearded Man, some say it is Jean Lafitte and some say it is Mr. Wallace. Whatever it is, it is not going away; the tiles which comprise the wall have been painted, sand blasted and cleaned repeatedly. Still, the face remains.

The haunted remains of Jean Lafitte’s Maison Rouge

 

And just up the street a few blocks at 14th and Harborside Drive there stands the remains of the foundation of Maison Rouge, the island of home of the infamous pirate, Jean Lafitte. After Lafitte left New Orleans, he came to Galveston to create his Campeche compound. Though the structure is long gone and another was built on top, also gone, the stone foundation and steps remain. Legend has it that Voodoo queen Marie Laveau, a friend of Lafitte, put a protective spell on him and his security in his new home. Supposedly, she conjured the hounds of hell to surround and protect Maison Rouge. There are those on the island who say — perhaps with a lot of wine and a wish — that around 3 a.m. one can hear howling dogs, hellhounds, cards being dealt and men coughing.

Galveston’s haunted Walmart

 

Lastly, is the world-famous Haunted Walmart of Galveston, Texas. Look it up on YouTube. The store sits on the exact location where the 1900 storm killed the orphans and the nuns found in the mud, still lashed together with clothesline. There are many reports of strange happenings in the store, especially along the toy aisle. Are “they” here? Have they been here?

Lizzie murdered her husband and children

Certainly, before the 1900 storm there had been documented odd happenings. There were murders, hangings and disappearances that went to from fact to legend and lore. Too, there are some fairly modern weird things that happened. On December 4, 1894, Elize “Lizzie” Alberti, wife of a local butcher, poisoned her four children and her husband. A teenage daughter survived. A stroll through the hauntingly beautiful old City Cemetery on Broadway will reveal the Alberti graves and others that are associated with mystery and paranormal activity. (Check out the Ghost Walk tour with Galveston’s Kathleen Macca. She knows where the skeletons are buried!)

One cannot think about ghosts, mysteries and unsolved cases of interest on the island without remembering millionaire Robert Durst. In 2001, the millionaire killed and dismembered Morris Black, his 71-year-old neighbor. Many theories exist about just what actually happened that night. Thing is, Black’s head has never been found and is often the topic of discussion.

So, if you are looking for something a little more than trick-or-treating this Halloween, visit the island and some of the best haunts in America. You won’t be disappointed. Be safe.

Forest Riggs lives in Galveston. His book, ‘Galveston Memories and Related Stories’ is available at Amazon.com, OutSkirtsPress.com and ForestRiggs.com.

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