(KTAB/KRBC) – It’s spooky season, and what better way to celebrate than by visiting one of the Big Country’s most haunted locations?
The following haunted locations were provided by HauntedPlaces.org and are all considered some of the ‘most haunted’ places in Texas:
Abilene
The Grace Museum (102 Cypress Street)
Visitors at the Grace Museum in downtown Abilene have reported a lot of paranormal activity over the years. The 3rd and 4th floors seem to be the hot spots with other reports coming from the ballroom and basement – perhaps ghosts of guests past from the Grace Museum’s beginnings as the Grace Hotel, built in the early 1900s.
Wooten Hotel (302 Cypress Street)
Now apartments, there have been reports of ghost sightings at the Wooten Hotel for decades. Residents have seen a woman in an old-fashioned dress and a bellhop throughout the building, and visual haunts are not the only reports! Ghostly laughter and ballroom music is also heard on the regular.
Paramount Theater (352 Cypress Street)
At the Paramount Theater, footsteps and mysterious orbs in photographs have made up the bulk of the reports.
Weather Bureau Building (1482 North 1st Street)
A former chief meteorologist fell down the stairs and died one stormy night. Employees now report hearing someone falling and this activity increases during severe weather.
Minter Mansion (340 Beech Street)
Employees at an architecture firm that took over the Minter Manson experience all sorts of paranormal activity, including seeing multiple faces and even an apparition who is so well known, she has a name — Annie.
Whitten Inn (840 E Hwy 80)
Visitors have reported strange activity such as bathroom lights activating themselves, random offensive smells, and disappearing objects, as well as a red-headed man who multiple witnesses have seen.
The Swenson House (1726 Swenson Street)
It’s no secret the Swenson House is haunted. A lady in grey is rumored to rule over the 1910 mansion, often seen on the staircase before disappearing completely.
Travel Inn (2202 West Overland Trail)
At this hotel, there are also reports of lights activating by themselves and objects moving around. Employees have also seen a man in a green coat wandering the halls and stopping by the office.
Fort Phantom Hill (10818 FM 600)
One of the most famous haunts in the Big Country, Ft. Phantom Hill, has been featured on TV’s Unsolved Mysteries. Reports of Native American Ghosts and women who drowned in the lake are rumored to haunt the old military fort. Footsteps and a feeling of being watched are common reports.
Anson
Anson Lights (Intersection of 387 and 376)
Local legend says a woman in the 1800s was waiting for her kids to come home. She signaled to them by flashing her lantern 3 times, but they never returned. Now, paranormal enthusiasts can drive down a dirt road that leads to a cemetery, turn around at a cross roads, and flash their lights three times. This is supposed to trigger lights off in the distance — as the ghost of the woman continues to search for her kids.
Anson Opera House (1120 Eleventh Street)
Actors have heard footsteps, had objects go missing, and have even seen a spirit in the dressing room.
Ballinger
Olde Park Hotel and Antiques (107 South Sixth Street)
Paranormal investigators from around the country visit the Olde Park Hotel, which has been named one of the most haunted places in Texas. More than two dozens spirits are rumored to haunt the building, which was once a schoolhouse and saloon. Regular sightings including an older man in an armchair, a cowboy, and young child in overalls, and a woman in an old-fashioned dress.
Texas Grill – Gonzalez Restaurant (700 Hutchings Avenue)
The ghost of ‘Norton’ haunts the Gonzalez Restaurant. He was shot and killed by authorities and now allegedly hangs around, moving objects, causing cold spots, and even appearing in full cowboy attire ever once in awhile.
Brownwood
Flatwood Park – Lake Brownwood
An apparition of a little girl is often heard laughing at night and has even been seen playing near the water a few times. There have also been several drownings in this area and mysterious boat troubles plague many who try and recreate here. A drowning in Pecan Bayou is possibly to blame for the hauntings.
Colorado City
Baker Hotel (Walnut Street and West Main Street)
The Baker Hotel burned down in the 1900s, killing several employees who are now rumored to haunt the now-closed hotel.
Stamford
The Old Stamford Inn
Rebuilt into a nursing home before closing in the 1980s, the Old Stamford Inn burned down and killed 5 people. A man is often seen in the basement.
The structure burned down and took the lives of five people within. It was rebuild and served a while as a nursing home at the end of it’s days before it was abandoned in 1980. It is said that a man haunts the basement of the structure.
Sweetwater
Mulberry Manor (1400 Sam Houston Street)
Back in the 1900s, Mulberry Manor was a mental institution and several apparitions are now rumored to haunt the grounds, including a Civil War general, a nurse, and more. Visitors often feel uneasy and objects are moved around.
