For many of us, Halloween is the time for terrifying tales. Many families love to recount both personal and widely believed accounts of hauntings and the supernatural. Some of us have had our own encounters with those who have passed beyond the veil.
What’s out there? Are these bone-chilling stories of the macabre factual? Is there a time when, after we leave this body, we walk freely among the living? Miller Funeral Services & Cremation Society of Texas can’t answer these questions with assurance, but we do know that there are some very convincing stories of the paranormal in Texas.
Here are a few of our favorites.
7 Unsettling Stories of the Paranormal in Texas
- The Lady in White
At the Baker Hotel in Mineral Springs, the late redheaded mistress of Mr. Baker is known to do some mischief. The “Lady in White” still haunts her former lover’s hotel, with special attention to the seventh floor.
It is said that the mistress jumped to her death from the balcony because she was so distraught over the loss of the relationship. Former staff would find drinking glasses with lipstick on the rims when the room was unoccupied, and several have seen her looking out the window from her former suite.
- Spirits of the Cemetery
Many people in Texas are familiar with this landmark Huntsville cemetery, considered to be one of the most haunted in the country. The Martha Chapel Cemetery has seen much paranormal activity over the decades, including possession of those who visit to gaze upon the headstones. Reports of screams, cries, and even laughter have been the frightening basis of why we think this graveyard is a top ghostly attraction.
- Italian Dining… with Ghosts?
The Spaghetti Warehouse has a longstanding reputation as being the most haunted place in Houston. According to some records, a man fell to his death down the elevator shaft, and now the second floor of the building seems to be the main site of the supernatural activity. Many unnerved guests have seen objects floating and suspended in air and have felt unexplained spots of cold, damp air.
- Tavern of Terror
Carl, the former bartender of the oldest haunted bar in Houston, La Carafe, is said to haunt the building, shouting “Last call!” as he did in his former life. Patrons have heard the sounds of moving furniture, breaking glass, and strange footsteps. Even scarier; several sightings of Carl looking down from the second floor window has caused many a guest to drive away quickly.
- Haunted Highway
Southeastern Texans immediately have shivers when anyone mentions Bragg Road, located in Saratoga. This quiet stretch of roadway is believed to be visited by a deceased railway worker who was decapitated by an oncoming train. Many motorists have reported seeing a distance light from a lantern along the road, and some say it is the railway worker still looking for the rest of his body.
- Hospital of Horror
No ghost story is complete without one that’s about a haunted hospital. The Bexar County Hospital is said to be haunted by an evil apparition that was killing patients from one room to the next, in succession. Patients reported hearing an entity speak to them or try to grasp them, when a few days later the patients died. Sadly, this hospital was also home to the real-life “Angel of Death”.
- Creepy Collection
The National Museum of Funeral History naturally lends itself to accounts of the paranormal. With its collections of coffins, embalming techniques and tools, and exhibits covering other topics on death, visitors have reported hearing screams, whispers, and crying here, along with the occasional shaking casket or unexplained movement of items.
Whether you are a believer or skeptic, hauntings have a way of perking up the ear. Lingering memories of former homes, favorite places, old institutions, and long, lonely highways are the thing of great and ghoulish storytelling. And, these stories help us to better understand our mortality and come to appreciate the mystery of what we cannot completely understand.
From all of us at Miller Funeral Services, we wish you a very Happy Halloween. If you have some ghostly encounters or tales of the supernatural in Texas you would like to share, please comment on our Facebook or give us a call.
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