Why Galveston remains one of the country’s top haunted travel destinations
By Sara G. Stephens
“You don’t have to believe in ghosts to know that the dead are a presence on island,” says Dwayne Jones, executive director of the Galveston Historical Foundation (GHF). “Many, many people have lived and died by these waters, and perhaps some of the dead still reside here.”
Jones’ words reinforce Galveston Island’s reputation as “the cemetery with a beach attached.” It’s a reputation that brings honorary ghost hunters to the island year-round, particularly in the ghostly month of October.
Haunted Mayfield Manor
Stone and sands thickened with history make Galveston Island one of the top destinations in the country for “haunted” travel. The Island houses many sites that are considered haunted, including an 1867 building that served as a morgue after the 1900 Storm—still the deadliest storm in U.S. history, with an estimated death toll of 8,000 Galveston residents (see “Portrait of a Legend: The Great Storm of 1900: St. Mary’s Orphan Asylum,” at houstonfamilymagazine.com).
The building now houses Haunted Mayfield Manor, a year-round haunted house attraction in downtown Galveston. The haunted house embraces the spooky history of the building’s past, while providing guests with a psychologically thrilling experience.
“Haunted Mayfield Manor is designed to be a psychological haunt that is quite scary,” says Joyce McLean, spokesperson for the Mayfield Manor. “We suggest that visitors be nine years of age and older.”
McLean adds that the Manor occasionally has patrons come in who insist they have read stories and seen testimonials about the attraction and are certain the attraction is actually the original house from 1900, rebuilt inside the building. “Obviously it is not, but try as we do to convince them, they are still certain our ghosts are real,” she explains.
There just might be something to the convictions of these true believers. Several paranormal investigations have been conducted at the attraction, uncovering strange, unexplainable happenings. “It’s said ghosts are everywhere in Galveston, and our attraction is filled with pieces of furniture and especially portraits and dolls that are of the era,” McLean offers. “Maybe it’s a residual ghost attached to those things that lurks inside Haunted Mayfield Manor.”
Hotel Galvez
Also embracing its reported haunting is the island’s 102-year-old Hotel Galvez, which has been featured on the Travel Channel’s “Ghost Stories” and on the Discovery Channel’s “Ghost Lab” for its paranormal significance. The hotel, which offers ghost tours during October, is said to be haunted by a “Ghost Bride” who reportedly has been seen in room 501 and in the hotel’s west turret. Legend has it that the bride hanged herself in the west turret during the mid-1900s after hearing reports that her fiancé had died at sea. Tragically, her fiancé eventually returned to the hotel looking forward to a marriage that would never be.
One psychic reported that she felt the presence of a nun named Sister Katherine (Ghost Stories produced an episode on The Travel Channel called “The Ghost of Sister Katherine”). “The psychic reported that she was there to protect the children, possibly from the orphanage in 1900,” shares Christine Hopkins, Director of Communications for Hotel Galvez & Spa.
Hopkins adds that, although The Hotel Galvez Ghost Tour Dinner is appropriate for any age, she would discourage parents with very small children (under eight years old), as the group will be dining in the hotel restaurant after the tour.
Ashton Villa
The 1859 Ashton Villa is often called the “most haunted building in America.” The site is reportedly haunted by the spirit of “Miss Bettie,” daughter of the home’s first owner James Moreau Brown, one of Texas’ wealthiest businessmen, says GHF’s Will Wright. The home’s construction of brick and cast iron helped make it one of the very few to survive the Great Storm of 1900 that killed more than 6,000 people and led to the island’s virtual abandonment.
During this devastating hurricane, the Browns strategically opened the front door of the mansion, encouraging the flood waters to move all the way through the home and out the back door, gambling that the resulting pressure relief would keep the home from being pushed by the waters.
Water came in through the front door as high as the tenth step up and flowed through the house like a river. All the while, one of the youngest Brown daughters sat on the main staircase and watched in fascination. Mansion tourists have reported seeing the ghost of Bettie Brown standing in the Gold Room at the top of the staircase. They have also heard Bettie playing the piano at one of her famous music recitals. Other visitors report feeling a presence joining them on the tour. A chest of drawers in Bettie Brown’s dayroom locks and unlocks spontaneously, even though the key has been missing for years. Ceiling fans turn themselves on. One bed refuses to stay made. The top of the staircase where Bettie’s ghost has been seen leads to the dayroom.
Other tourists at the home report seeing soldiers march through the house and on the grounds of Ashton Villa, which was used as a hospital for Confederate soldiers during the Civil War.
Haunted Island Tours
The Galveston Historical Foundation (GHF), which manages many of the island’s well-preserved historical sites and Victorian mansions, also offers ghost tours throughout October. Many of the island’s historic places have ghost stories attached to them, as Galveston has been home to epidemics of disease, war, fires, storms and many merciless pirates, including the famous Jean Laffite, whose lavish and lawless den of thieves was the island’s first European settlement.
Located on the West End inside the Galveston Island State Park, The Three Trees is another reputedly haunted destination. According to legend, you can still hear a Native American woman crying at night at this site where three lone trees stand together. It was the location of a battle between the Karankawa Indians and Jean Lafitte in 1818. After Lafitte’s men kidnapped a Karankawa woman, warriors of her tribe attacked and killed five men of the colony. The corsairs aimed the artillery at the Karankawa, killing most of the men in the tribe. GHF offers ghost tours of the island’s harbor, cemeteries and historic mansions. Galveston is also home to the nationally recognized paranormal expert Dash Beardsley, who offers ghost tours in the island’s cemeteries, downtown district and other parts of the island year round. Visit http://www.ghosttoursofgalvestonisland.com for information on Dash Beardsley tours. Are all the reported hauntings of Galveston Island fact or are they fiction? Supernatural reality or superstitious ramblings? GHF’s Jones answers with an irresistible beckoning: “We invite our guests to listen to the stories and decide for themselves.”
Ghostly Galveston
Haunted Harbor Tour
Date: Oct. 25, 26 and 31
Time: 5:30 p.m.
Price: $15 per person
Location: Pier 22 (Harborside and 22nd Street)
Info: http://www.galvestonhistory.org
* The narrated exploration of spooky corners and tragic sites in and around Galveston’s storied harbor
Dash Beardsley’s Restless Spirits Tour
Date: Various year-round
Time: 8 p.m. & 10 p.m.
Price $20 adults/ $10 children 10 years old and younger
Location: Crows Cantina, 2408 Strand Street (Historic Downtown District)
Info: http://www.ghosttoursofgalvestonisland.com
Dash Beardsley’s Original Ghost Tour on The Strand
Date: Daily year-round
Time: Various
Price $20 adults/ $10 children 10 years old and younger
Location: Crows Cantina, 2408 Strand Street (Historic Downtown District)
Info: http://www.ghosttoursofgalvestonisland.com
Menard After Dark: GHOST HUNTS (NEW)
Date: Oct. 26-30
Time: 9 p.m.
Price: $20 per person
Location: 1605 33RD Street
Info: http://www.galvestonhistory.org
*Explore the secrets, spirits and history of Galveston’s oldest existing residence, the 1838 Michel B. Menard house.
Parlor Games at Menard House (NEW)
Date: Oct. 31
Time: 7 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Price: $20 per person
Location: 1605 33rd Street
Info: http://www.galvestonhistory.org
Palm Readings with Sandra Logan at Menard House (NEW)
Date: Oct. 31
Time: 7 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Price: $50 per person
Location: 1605 33rd Street
Info: http://www.galvestonhistory.org
Séance Aboard the 1877 Tall Ship ELISSA (NEW)
Date: Oct. 26
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Price: $150 per person
Location: Pier 22 (Harborside and 22nd Street)
Info: http://www.galvestonhistory.org
* During the 19th century, séances were popular in Victorian culture and The Tall Ship ELISSA has stories to tell.
Hotel Galvez Ghost Tour and Dinner
Date: Wednesdays through Fridays in October with overnight package
Time: 6 p.m.
Price: $40 per person (includes three-course dinner; reservations required)
Location: Hotel Galvez, 2024 Seawall Boulevard
Info: 409-765-7721 or http://www.WyndhamHotelGalvez.com
Dash Beardsley’s Secret Society Cemetery Tour
Date: Fridays and Saturdays year round
Time: 8 p.m.
Price $20 adults/ $10 children 10 years old and younger
Location: Old City Cemetery, 43rd and Broadway Avenue
Info: http://www.ghosttoursofgalvestonisland.com
”Spirits Along Broadway” Cemetery Tour
Date: Oct. 18-19 and 25-26
Time: 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.
Price: $15 adults/ $12 youth 17 and younger
Location: Broadway Cemetery, 40th Street and Avenue K
Info: http://www.galvestonhistory.org
Movie Nite on The Strand
Date: Oct. 5
Time: Dusk
Price: Free
Location: Saengerfest Park, 2302 Strand
Info: http://www.galveston.com
*Free outdoor showing of Beetlejuice
Music Nite on The Strand
Date: Oct. 12
Time: 6-9 p.m.
Price: Free
Location: Saengerfest Park, 2302 Strand
Info: http://www.galveston.com
*Free outdoor concert featuring Voodoo Dance Party with Idiginis
Mini Monster Bash
Date: Oct. 26
Time: 1-4 p.m.
Price: Free
Location: Saengerfest Park, 2302 Strand Street
Info: http://www.galveston.com
*Family-friendly Halloween carnival with trick-or-treating, costume contest, games and prizes in downtown Galveston.
Music Nite on The Strand
Date: Oct. 26
Time: 6-9 p.m.
Price: Free
Location: Saengerfest Park, 2302 Strand
Info: http://www.galveston.com
*Free outdoor concert featuring Zombie Dance Party with CSMDP
Ghostly Gardens
Date: Oct. 27
Time: 2-4 p.m.
Price: Free
Location: Moody Gardens, One Hope Boulevard
Info: http://www.moodygardens.org
*Trick-or-treating, creepy crafts and costume contest for kids plus $5 admission to Moody Gardens attractions
