Haunted October: Galveston’s Intriguing Ghost Stories and Tours

With Halloween just around the corner, October not only brings images of spooks and goblins, but chilling tales from the island’s stormy and dramatic past.  Ghost stories abound within Galveston cemeteries, haunted Victorian homes and in island hotels – all brought on by a history of marauding pirates, yellow fever and malaria epidemics, cannibalistic Indians and punishing hurricanes.  In fact, the “The Great Storm” of 1900 – the country’s deadliest natural disaster – killed upwards of 8,000 islanders.

“Many, many people have lived and died by these waters, and perhaps some of the dead still reside here,” asserts Dwayne Jones, Executive Director of the Galveston Historical Foundation.  “We invite our guests to listen to the stories and decide for themselves. But you don’t have to believe in ghosts to know that the dead are a presence on this island.”

One of the island’s most intriguing tales is “The Face.”  It’s an eerie image appearing on the walls of Ewing Hall at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB).  The shadowy face takes shape on a second floor exterior panel facing the harbor, and can only be seen from the water.

According to legend, “The Face” is that of a man who once owned the property on which the UTMB building now stands.  When approached by UTMB to buy the land, the owner vowed never to do so.  The daughter, however, sold the property after the man’s death.  The ghostly face later appeared on one panel of the building.  After sandblasting the image, it disappeared on that panel but reappeared on another.  Further sandblasting efforts were fruitless as well and “The Face” remains today.

Another haunting tale is that of a young woman who hung herself in the century-old Hotel Galvez, and whose ghost still haunts room 501 today.  Known as the “Ghost Bride,” the woman was staying in the room in the early 1950s.  She was engaged to a sailor and would walk from her room to the hotel’s West Turret atop the roof to meet him.

“One day, word came of a great storm and that everyone including the sailor perished on the ship,” explains Hotel Galvez Concierge Jackie Hasan.  “She continued to go to the West Turret, but one day she succumbed to the news and hung herself in the turret.  But he didn’t really die.  He had been trying to get word to her that he was OK.  He returned to the hotel and he found out about her death.”

The ghost story becomes even more intriguing as a hotel guest who made contact with the “Ghost Bride” found out the ghost wanted to marry her lost lover.  So a local spiritualist performed the wedding on July 4, 2010 in room 501.  “I saw the two energies come together and actually stand there before us while the spiritualist was reciting the wedding vows,” says Hasan.  “The entire room turned pink.  It was beautiful.”

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GALVESTON GHOST TOURS

Hotel Galvez “Dinner with the Ghosts” Tour
Date: Thursdays in October
Time: 6 p.m.
Price: $35 per person (includes three-course dinner; reservations required)
Location: Hotel Galvez, 2024 Seawall Boulevard
Info: Call 409-765-7721
*Tours also available Sundays with ghost tour packages

Haunted Mayfield Manor
Date:  Open Throughout October
Time: 4-9 p.m. (Mon-Thurs); 5-11 p.m. (Fri); 12-11 p.m. (Sat); 12-7 p.m. (Sun)
Price: $10
Location: 2312 Harborside Drive
Info: galveston.com/mayfieldmanor/
*Extended hours during Halloween weekends

Bishop’s Palace – The House at Night Tour
Date: October 28 and 29
Time: 8 p.m.
Price: $15 per person (32 people per tour max)
Location: 1402 Broadway

Ashton Villa – Are We Haunted? Tour
Date: October 30 and 31
Time:  7 p.m.
Price: $20 per person (25 people per tour max)
Location: 2328 Broadway Avenue
Info: www.galvestonhistory.org

Haunted Harbor Tour
Date: Oct. 21 -22 and 28-29 plus Halloween
Time: 4 p.m. & 5:30 pm
Price: $15 per person (45 people per tour max)
Location: Pier 22, at 22nd Street and Harborside Drive
Info: www.galvestonhistory.org

“Spirits of the Past” Cemetery Tour
Dates:
October 21: 7pm and 9pm
October 22: 7pm and 9pm
October 28: 7pm and 9pm
October 29: 7pm and 9pm
Price: $15 per person (limit 25 per tour)
Location: Broadway Cemetery, 40th Street and Avenue K
Info: www.galvestonhistory.org

Dash Beardsley’s Secret Society Cemetery Tour
Date: Fridays and Saturdays year round
Time: 8 p.m.
Price $15 adults/ $10 children 10 years old and younger
Location: Old City Cemetery, 43rd and Broadway Avenue
Info: www.ghosttoursofgalvestonisland.com

Dash Beardsley’s Restless Spirits Tour
Date: Fridays and Saturdays year round
Time: 8 p.m.
Price $15 adults/ $10 children 10 years old and younger
Location: Crows Cantina, 2408 Strand Street (Historic Downtown District)
Info: www.ghosttoursofgalvestonisland.com

Ghostly Gardens
Date: Oct. 30
Time: 2-4 p.m.
Price: Free
Location: Moody Gardens, One Hope Boulevard
* Free Trick-or-Treating, Creepy Crafts and Costume Contest for Kids plus $5 Admission to Moody Gardens Attractions.