Ghosts along the Texas Coast Read online

  Ghosts along

  the Texas Coast

  Docia Schultz Williams

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Williams, Docia Schultz.

  Ghosts along the Texas coast / Docia Schultz Williams.

  p. cm.

  Includes bibliographical references and index.

  ISBN 978-1-55622-377-8

  1. Ghosts--Texas--Gulf Region I. Title.

  BF1472.U6W554 1994

  133.1`09764’1--dc20 94-11994

  CIP

  © 1995, Wordware Publishing, Inc.

  A REPUBLIC OF TEXAS PRESS BOOK

  An Imprint of the Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group

  4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200

  Lanham, MD 20706

  Distributed by National Book Network

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

  Printed in the United States of America

  The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.

  Contents

  Acknowledgments

  Introduction

  “There are Ghosts”

  Dedication

  Chapter 1

  Ghosts that Dwell in Coastal Towns

  and on the Windswept Beaches

  “Ghosts”

  Ghostly Guardians of Buried Treasure

  The Three-Master

  El Perro Negro

  House Plays Host to Live-in Ghost

  The Night the Karankawa Came Calling

  Someone’s in the Kitchen at Beulah’s

  The Graveyard Ghost

  Chapter 2

  Ghosts of the Lower Rio Grande Valley

  “They Are Here”

  Fort Brown, Where Old Soldiers Never Die

  Concerts on a Phantom Organ

  The Pasture of Souls

  La Abuela

  The Man With the Shovel

  The Brick-Throwing Ghost

  A Dead Dog’s Devotion

  Is There an Explanation for This?

  Chapter 3

  History and Mystery in Far South Texas

  “Bright Shines Bailey’s Lights”

  The Light on Bailey’s Prairie

  The Legend of Knox Crossing

  Reeves Thicket’s Ranch House

  A Strange Visitor to Reeves Thicket

  The Spirits at Sutton’s Mott

  The Ghosts at Goliad

  Poor Chipita

  The Ghost at Little Egypt

  Chapter 4

  Corpus Christi’s Resident Spirits

  Corpus Christi

  The Ghost at Blackbeard’s on the “C.C.” Beach

  The “Great Blue Ghost” Has Ghosts of Her Own!

  The Disappearing Nun

  The Circle of Flames

  Chapter 5

  The Ghosts of Galveston

  Galveston Island

  Strange Spirits at the Williams House

  Miss Bettie’s Still in Charge at Ashton Villa

  A Welcome to The Oaks

  Sarah, the Friendly Spirit

  The Boarding House on Avenue K

  The Ghost of Fire Station Number Six

  Is the Captain Still There?

  The Ghost Who Left His Walking Cane

  The Haunted Portrait

  Chapter 6

  Houston . . . a Haunting City

  Hauntings in Houston

  The Spirit Goes On

  The Sounds of Strings

  The Strange Old Pagan Church House

  The Newport Story

  More Spirits Than Ale at the Ale House

  A Couple of “Mini” Ghost Tales

  Spring’s Haunted Saloon

  Chapter 7

  Ghosts of the Golden Triangle

  The Golden Triangle Area

  “Mysterious Nights”

  Spirits at the Sabine Pass Lighthouse

  Joe Lee Never Left Nederland

  Is the Spirit Still Around?

  The Ghost of Christy Hardin

  The Cove Light

  The Ghost of Turtle Bayou

  The Mysterious House at Browndell

  Where the Ghost Car Used to Run

  Jasper’s Old Haunted House

  Chapter 8

  Legends Worth Telling Again

  “Strange Unexplained Things”

  Legends Worth Telling Again

  La Llorona

  The Ghostly Lady in Black

  The Girl in the Pink Dress

  The Romantic Story of Princess Kisselpoo

  The Legend of the Indian Maidens

  The Legend of El Muerto

  The Headless Rider at Dead Man’s Lagoon

  The Strange Legend of Bouton Lake

  “Sara Jane . . . oh, Sara Jane . . .”

  Saratoga’s Ghostly Light

  Epilogue

  Sources

  Index

  Acknowledgments

  I am greatly indebted to many people who have assisted me in researching the material for this book. The historians, librarians, newspaper editors, and private individuals who have shared their stories with me have contributed greatly towards bringing Ghosts Along the Texas Coast to fruition. I am sure I will forget, and therefore omit, many who were helpful to me, but I would like to especially thank the following individuals who shared their time and their stories with me: Clouis and Marilyn Fisher, Rockport; Sue Casterline, Estes Flats; Julie Caraker, Port Aransas; Charlie Faupel and Susan Purcell of Reeves Thicket Ranch, Victoria; Wilbur Butler, Beaumont; Debbie and Jim Sandifer, Port Neches; Anne Malinowsky Blackwell, Nederland; Diane Cox, Jasper; Pat Chance, Jasper; Brenda Greene Mitchell, Spring; Mrs. Merle E. Eisenhour, Galveston; Eleanor Catlow, Galveston; Paula and Steve Bonillas, Corpus Christi; Colonel Larry Platt, Pleasanton; Mary Lou Polley Featherston, Port Arthur; Father Jim Vanderholt, pastor, St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, Port Arthur; Catherine Polk, LaMarque; Nancy Polk, Houston; Mario P. Ceccaci Jr., Galveston.

  Also, the librarians, museum curators, and newspaper staffs who gathered and sent so much helpful material to me, including: Casey Edward Greene, Assistant Archivist, Rosenberg Library, Galveston; Ellen Hanlon, “The Texas Room,” Houston Public Library; Yolanda Gonzalez, Librarian, Arnulfo L. Oliveria Memorial Library, University of Texas at Brownsville; Bruce Aiken, Brownsville Historical Museum; Newton Warzecha, Museum Director, La Bahia, Goliad; Kevin Young, San Antonio, formerly museum director, La Bahia, Goliad; Derek Neitzel, Resident Graphic Artist and assistant to the curator, USS Lexington Museum, Corpus Christi; Kathleen Hink, former director, Williams House Museum, Galveston; Kevin Ladd, Director, Wallisville Heritage Park.

  Many thanks to Sam Nesmith and his wife, Nancy, who as historians and psychics contributed much advice and encouragement.

  The following individuals gave me some good leads in tracking down stories, and to them I am most grateful: GiGi Starnes, San Antonio; Dr. Joe Graham, Dept. of Sociology, Texas A&M, Kingsville; Nancy Vernon, Rockport; Faye Duncan, Port Arthur; and Mrs. W.A. Ewert, Riviera. Also Dr. Juan Sauvageau, author of Stories That Will Not Die, for his encouragement, and the late Catherine Munson Foster of Angleton, folklorist and author of Ghosts Along the Brazos, for her help in my research. Also Libby Butler of Raisin; Dorothy Hirsch of Brownsville; Kitten Carter of Houston; Juanita Williams of Andrews; and Betty Boriak of Houston. Also my thanks to Greg Marshall, resident historian, Rice University; an
d Ann Douglass, reference librarian, Houston Public Library.

  Lastly, by far the most important contributor towards the completion of this book is my husband, Roy D. Williams, whose constant encouragement and “prodding” kept me on track, as he accompanied me on trips along the coast, interviewing and taking pictures. And when the stories were all done, he spent endless hours at the computer getting the manuscript ready for the publishers. My love and heartfelt thanks, Roy.

  Introduction

  As a small child, I shivered simultaneously with fear and delight as Halloween stories of goblins and ghosts were told to me. There’s a fascination with the unknown, that other dimension wherein dwell the restive spirits of departed souls, that we all have in one degree or another. Perhaps you share with me the belief that there really are such things as “ghosts” or “spirits.” Or perhaps you remain skeptical, totally unconvinced that there could be, or are, such things at all.

  Because you personally have never experienced the seeing, hearing, or feeling of the presence of a ghost, you may obviously doubt there are such things. Having interviewed many people and corresponded with countless others, I am impressed by the intelligence and honesty displayed by those who have shared their stories with me so that I might bring them to you, my readers. Believe them or not, they deserve your respect and are not to be ridiculed. I for one, do not doubt their stories. Since my first book on the subject of ghosts, Spirits of San Antonio and South Texas, which I co-authored with Reneta Byrne was published in December 1991 (Republic of Texas Press, an imprint of Wordware Publishing, Inc.), I have made many radio and television appearances and have given numerous programs and book reviews. It is truly amazing how many people have contacted me after hearing me speak. They must recognize a “kindred spirit.” Often I have been told, “I’ve never told anyone about this before; I was so afraid they would laugh at me.” These people realize that I believe that there are such things as “spirits” or “ghosts,” and they will have the ear of a sympathetic listener. I have heard some strange, yet believable stories as a consequence, and I have met many interesting people in the process.

  Now, I am not a psychic. I have friends and acquaintances who are, and they have been of great help in explaining the “unexplainable” to me. And in consulting with these psychics I have learned that certain times and certain conditions contribute greatly to the sightings of apparitions, or the hearing of “ghostly noises.” “Ghosts” or “spirits” seem to be the most common names associated with the unexplained presences that represent the restless souls of now dead human beings. They are, I believe, all around us. Some are kindly, benevolent guardians that protectively watch over someone or over a place they once loved. Others are very disturbed entities, not yet accepting that they are dead. These souls wander impatiently, often frightening us as they appear, disappear, and reappear, over and over again. You see, time means nothing to a ghost!

  A common consensus seems to be that these spirits often come back to the place where they actually died, but this is not always the case. Sometimes they just come back to places where they were happy in life with someone they loved. The anniversaries of their deaths seem to call forth some spirits. And then, some ghosts seem to appear with great regularity at just a certain time of day or night. For instance, there might be a regular “6 p.m.” ghost, or a “midnight spirit,” or a “twilight specter.” And, contrary to what one might think, many of them do appear in broad daylight. Some of them look just like a regular human being, while others are transparent, misty, or foggy in appearance. Generally they only appear for an instant and then completely disappear!

  A full moon phase often draws out ghosts, and I’ve been told by psychics that they are generally more likely to appear during hot summer months than during cold weather. (Maybe they “hibernate” in the winter months!)

  Some spirits guard hidden treasures or valuables, so the sighting of an apparition might possibly indicate that something of value may be hidden close by. And then, some of them just “hang around” for no particular reason at all!

  This book contains stories of ghosts that have appeared in the coastal area of Texas, and it is the result of many months of researching. Most of the stories are well documented. A few are legends, tales that have been told over and over again, sometimes for generations, and which often have several variations. I included a few of these that I felt worthy of repeating once more in the last chapter. Many of the stories appear for the first time in print. The setting for some of them centers around the coastal plains and low-lying marshes and woodlands that constitute the Texas Gulf Coast. The windswept beaches, offshore islands, and mysterious swamps bring forth tales of buried pirate treasure and adventurers such as the legendary buccaneer, Jean Lafitte. There are “big city” stories about Galveston, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, and the great metropolis of Houston. And there are tales centered around the Golden Triangle, which is comprised of Beaumont, Orange, and Port Arthur, and the area surrounding those cities. Historic landmarks, such as the Presidio of La Bahia at Goliad and the Old Lighthouse at Sabine Pass, are included as well.

  Some of the stories are sweet and tender. Some of them are frightening. This is because ghosts have personalities just as mortals do. The character traits they had in life seem to follow them to the hereafter, so that kind and loving people probably return as watchful, benevolent spirits bent on protecting their loved ones. Mean-spirited, cruel, selfish and unkind mortals will doubtless return as fearful poltergeists, bent upon bringing horror into the lives of those who see or hear them. And then there are the pitiful, little lost souls who are just sad and unhappy, hanging around because they can’t seem to find peace on the “other side.”

  And therein lies the mystique and the fascination of the entities we call “ghosts”. . . .

  After reading the stories related in this book, perhaps the skeptics may still say, “Bah! Humbug!” about the tales contained within these covers. Or maybe, just maybe, they might decide that keeping a night-light on in the bedroom isn’t such a bad idea after all!

  Docia Schultz Williams

  THERE ARE GHOSTS . . . . .

  Docia Williams

  From the sunburnt town of Brownsville,

  ’Way down near Mexico . . .

  There are ghosts and roaming spirits

  Where’ere you chance to go.

  They come back to roam the beaches

  And the farmers’ sun-parched land.

  They’re in the far flung reaches

  Where rolling waves meet sand.

  They’re known to roam the islands

  And the marshlands by the sea.

  Their graves cannot contain them,

  For their souls roam wild and free.

  They’re in Galveston and Houston,

  Port Arthur has a few;

  They’re in dark and hidden places,

  And in hotel rooms with a view!

  Wherever men have worked and lived,

  Wherever men have died;

  Wherever women laughed or danced,

  Wherever they have cried;

  They’re anywhere and everywhere,

  And forever they must roam.

  The Texas Coast . . . their cordial host,

  And the ageless land, their home.

  The Bolivar Island lighthouse on the Texas Gulf Coast

  Dedication

  This book is dedicated to my husband, Roy D. Williams, and my daughter and son-in-law, Sarah and Dennis Thaxton, who have been my staunchest supporters, with my love and thanks.

  CHAPTER 1

  Ghosts that Dwell in Coastal Towns and on the Windswept Beaches

  GHOSTS . . .

  From the long and lonely outer reaches

  Of swampy lowlands and windswept beaches

  All along the Texas coast;

  There are legends, there are stories

  Of the tumults, and the glories,

  And of strange and eerie spirits known as ghosts.

 
; Ghostly Guardians of Buried Treasure

  Now, Jean Lafitte was a pirate bold,

  A pirate bold was he!

  He boarded ships and plundered gold

  From sea to shining sea.

  Now buried on the Texas coast

  Just where, we’ve not a clue;

  His gold is guarded by his ghost,

  If what we’ve heard is true!

  Tales of buried pirate treasure and the ghostly guardians still standing watch over the ill-gotten booty of the buccaneers who raided shipping off the Texas coast have been around for many long years. By now, what is fact and what is fiction is a bit hard to sort out, as there are so many conflicting tales. However, most all the stories make mention of that most famous of pirates known to sail the waters off the Texas shores, the dashing swashbuckler Jean Lafitte.

  Although the Encyclopedia Americana lists Lafitte as “American, Pirate and smuggler,” he was actually born in a small village on the Garonne River in France in the year 1780. Little seems to be known of his youth. At one time he was known to have been a privateer in the employ of Cartagena for the purpose of the destruction of British and Spanish commerce. He soon turned to piracy (where he could be his own boss!) and around 1809 he turned up in New Orleans, along with his brother, Pierre, and a stalwart band of followers of the same persuasion. Jean opened up a blacksmith shop in New Orleans that may have been a “front” for his real vocation, which was smuggling slaves into New Orleans. The hapless blacks were offered at $1 a pound, and the Lafittes did a big business. At the same time, they supplied New Orleans’ citizenry with contraband goods, which they often sold at Grand Terre Island in the Barataria Bay. From this locale, it was easy for the pirate band to plunder shipping in the Gulf of Mexico.

  Jean was a handsome, dashing figure of a man, and he became a well-known personality in the gambling salons, quadroon ballrooms, at the opera, and at theatrical productions in New Orleans.