Columbus City Cemetery, in Columbus, Texas, is one of the most photogenic cemeteries in southeast Texas, and it may be one of its most delightfully haunted.
In the daytime photo above, an orb appears near the angel monument. The skies were heavily overcast, so this wasn’t a lens flare; the sun wasn’t visible, and no flash was used.
During three separate visits to the cemetery, nearly every photo of this angel shows at least one orb, and sometimes two or three.
These graves are almost in the center of a very large field that’s been set aside as the Columbus City Cemetery at 1300 Walnut Street in Columbus, Texas. Only a small percentage of the graves have headstones, but those that do are often extraordinarily beautiful… and haunted.
This cemetery is described in more detail in my book, The Ghosts of Austin, Texas. That book contains a full chapter about haunted sites in nearby Columbus.
Ectoplasm? I’m not sure what caused the odd misty areas in the unretouched photo at left. (And, to be honest, I’m not sure anyone knows what ectoplasm is. We usually use the term to mean an expansive area of colorful, translucent energy.)
Look for the whitish, pink, and red areas in the photo. I have no explanation for any of those anomalies. They remind me of the colorful orb-ish shapes in the anomalies at New Orleans’ Jackson Square.
The photo was taken with a tripod and a delayed shutter. I stood to the side of the camera. When the flash went off, I could clearly see anything that might have been in front of the camera.
In other words, I didn’t see any bugs to explain these odd, colorful areas.
There was no chance of a camera strap, jewelry, or hair reflecting light on the lens. Also, since I was over five feet away when the photo was taken, it’s not breath.
I took over 200 photos in this cemetery, and none of them show insects. As usual, I’d looked for bugs before taking any photos. I saw none except the mounds indicating fire ants. (I was in sandals and kept my distance.)
The Columbus City Cemetery — also called Old City Cemetery — is on Walnut Street in Columbus, Texas, not far from the middle of town. In 1870, it was deeded to the city as an existing cemetery.
No one is certain how old the graves are, but the earliest headstone is dated 1853.
This wasn’t the first time I’d seen non-orb anomalies in Columbus photos. I’d seen possible ecto in a photo taken during a “Live Oaks and Dead Folks” tour, a popular annual event in Columbus, Texas.
This is an especially interesting cemetery. Many of the grave markers were washed away in a flood at the end of 1913. Disturbed graves could explain the recurring fog-like mist or ectoplasm in photos. There are at least 500 unmarked graves there.
This cemetery also contains the grave of Jonathan W. Sargent (1877 – 1929), who was killed in a car accident near Columbus. He’d assisted Howard Carter in Egypt, and may have been a victim of the famous “curse” of King Tutankhamen’s tomb.
In addition, the cemetery was the final resting place of many Confederate soldiers, as well as victims of the 1873 yellow fever epidemic.
Any one of these could account for higher-than-average paranormal activity in this lovely cemetery.
I recommend this cemetery for ghost enthusiasts, but only during daytime hours. After dark, uneven ground and the possibility of snakes make investigations treacherous.
The cemetery is patrolled regularly by police, who visited while I was there. Day and night, they can see activity in the cemetery from at least three nearby roads, so don’t expect to escape notice when you’re in the cemetery.
Since Columbus Cemetery’s orbs can be photographed in daylight, an early morning or late afternoon visit could be worthwhile.
Most of the orbs were at or near the entrance to the depot, shown on the previous page. The opposite side of the depot building confirmed orbs in the same area, especially above the roof:
MKT CABOOSE
Nearby, the old MKT caboose was a challenge to photograph. With several shiny glass windows, the camera must be positioned carefully to avoid reflected light. However, at least one of our photos produced a strong orb:
The orb in this picture is one of the prettiest I’ve seen:
We have a few orbs in other locations, including the water tower in town, but from our first investigations, the depot area is good for ghost research.
A romantic couple haunted the Katy Depot area on the evening of January 2nd, 2006.
I don’t often talk about my psychic perceptions, but this imagery was one of those “clear as day” visual images. Others who’ve visited the depot and stumbled onto this website have been amazed that I sensed the couple, as well.
The impression was so vivid, I could sense the couple as soon as I got out of my car. He’s a man in a brown suit with lapels trimmed in braid. She’s taller than him, especially with the tall, perky hat that she wears. And, she holds his arm as they stroll around the depot.
I’ve sensed this couple before, but — until that particular night — their images weren’t so clear in my mind… or in photos.
I like to think that they’re remembering a time when they took a romantic journey by train, perhaps to some still-wild part of the Southwest, or a second honeymoon in Kansas City or Chicago, during a more genteel era.
Did this couple show up as twin orbs in my photos around the depot? Maybe. It’s a fun thought. Here’s one of several photos of the twin orbs, taken over the rail car by the Katy depot:
Of course, I’d suspect that something was reflecting dual orbs, or perhaps a lens flare. When I see orbs in a straight line, I almost always think, “Lens flare.” However, at the depot building at least 20 feet away, my photos included the same twin orbs. Here’s another photo of them:
(These photos are grainy because — too late — I discovered that I was taking the pictures at a film speed of 100.)
Ghost orbs continue to appear regularly around the Katy Historical Society’s depot building, and near the bright red rail car displayed nearby. These orbs can be explained in non-paranormal ways, but they’re such fun, I decided to post them anyway.
One of the most vivid photos that I took on January 2nd, 2006, was over the train depot:
Oddly, some of the most visible orbs are also in a straight line, which I’d ordinarily discount as a lens flare. The brightest orb, over the word “Texas,” looks like a light bulb. It isn’t. It’s another orb. It was quite dark at the depot on that quiet Monday evening.
However, my favorite photo of the evening shows a bright green orb that–to me anyway–looks as if it has a classic Halloween “jack-o-lantern” face:
It’s not a perfect jack-o-lantern face, but this one caught my attention because the color is unusual, and the expression is different from the usual “smiley face” orbs.
These are digital photos taken at a slow (100 ISO) speed, so they are more grainy than I’d like. At a higher film speed, I might have captured far more orbs that night.
It was an ideal evening for ghost hunting. Fog in the early morning hours had reduced dust and pollen as factors. By evening, the air was quite dry, but the dirt hadn’t dried out enough to be a problem. And, it was too chilly for bugs.
The vicinity of Spring, Texas features many wonderful cemeteries, and Old Town Spring has the reputation of being very haunted. On Sunday evening, 22 May 2005, we visited several locations, with interesting results.
Wunsche Cemetery
Wunsche Cemetery is a lovely little cemetery with a big reputation, located between the feeder road and I-45, immediately after the Cypresswood exit, heading north. This can be a challenging place to stop, although there is a small parking area for visitors. (You will be re-entering feeder road traffic, including cars leaving I-45 that may still be driving at interstate speeds.)
We checked Wunsche Cemetery twice, and feel that it may have some low-level hauntings. However, we were there during daytime hours and at dusk; it may be better after dark.
Wunsche Bros. Cafe
Haunted room #5 at the Wunsche Bros. Cafe
This is one of the few sites in Old Town Spring that’s almost sure to be haunted. We have no conclusive outdoor photos yet, but several good indoor pictures.
At the right is a photo of one of the rooms where EVP has been reported. According to legend, it was one of the girl’s rooms when the cafe was a brothel.
When a Wunsche Bros Cafe staff member is available to show guests around, he or she will escorts patrons upstairs and point out a few of the important haunts on that level.
You’ll be climbing steep stairs to see a rocking chair that we’ve observed rocking when no one was nearby. Generally, you can linger as long as you’d like, and take photos and EVP recordings, unless an event or private party is scheduled in one of the upstairs rooms.
Cemetery #1 (our name for the cemetery, not its real name)
This cemetery is in a quiet, residential area and we’re not comfortable sharing the exact location at this time.
Because the cemetery is well-sheltered from breezes, bugs can be a problem. These are our best photos from our second visit there:
The orb in the tree (right photo) is probably a true anomaly. The two orbs in the photo on the left are probably insects. See a closer look at this photo, below.
The orb on the left (Orb #1) has the right translucency, but genuine “ghost orbs” are almost perfectly circular; the irregular shape of this orb suggests that it’s a moving insect captured on film.
Orb #2 on the right is the correct shape, but it is a little too brilliant and the edges are slightly fuzzy. This also suggests an insect or – more likely – moisture, but it’s possible that it’s a very odd “ghost orb.” Because of the insects in the area, we have to discount this second orb as well.
KATY TRAIN DEPOT
