On Saturday evening, 25 June 2005, we returned to the old depot in Katy, Texas.
This was my only ‘ghost orb’ photo, and it’s a good example of how hard you may have to look to see orbs.
This orb is large, but it’s very difficult to see. If it wasn’t so large, I wouldn’t bother posting it at all.
Out of about 30 photos of the depot and the caboose next to it, this is the only one with an orb that seems fairly real. (Orbs in two other photos could have been reflections from light sources.)
Of course, that’s what makes a site credible. If we saw orbs in every photo, or more than half of them, investigators would have to question humidity, dust, pollen, bugs, and so on.
One credible orb isn’t enough to confirm a haunted location. That’s not the only reason I recommend this challenging location for casual research.
The energy at the depot, and consistent, independent, psychic impressions by our investigating team… that’s another story.
Our experiences at the depot suggest a few gentle spirits at the old depot, possibly residual energy from people who worked there, and those who have happy memories of traveling by rail to and from Katy.
There is something considerably stronger at the caboose.
Initially, our collective ‘gut feeling’ is that the caboose is haunted by an old railroad conductor.
He’s not too happy with the caboose sitting still.
He’s annoyed that it’s not moving, it’s not keeping its usual schedule.
And, he doesn’t like people getting very close to the caboose, either.
He’s not malicious, just annoyed. He keeps looking out the back window (facing away from the depot) and checking his watch.
This was our second visit to the “old town” area of Katy, and the depot.
2014 update: I’m not personally monitoring that location now, but reports continue to confirm that the site is mildly haunted.
Because it’s such a public location next to a busy street, it’s not a great research location.
However, it’s a good, fun investigation site. It’s ideal for those who can visit during the day, or just want to see if they can detect anything, psychically or with ghost hunting tools.
If you’re ghost hunting in or near Austin, mine was the first regional book to describe – with specific details and addresses – ghosts that haunt Austin, Columbus, and nearby communities.
Discover over 100 haunted locations in and near Austin, Texas. Explore the eerie links between downtown Austin’s ghosts, including the city’s connection with Jack the Ripper, and the creek that keeps on haunting.
Available at Amazon.com and other fine booksellers.
Photos from haunted Austin, Texas and vicinity
Here’s the photo from the book cover, in more detail:
This picture was taken in Columbus, Texas, not far from Austin. I was there around dawn, and the sun had barely cleared the horizon behind me.
This is not a flash photo, and it was a normal Texas morning in Columbus City Cemetery.
There was no dust, and that’s not an insect, either.
As you can see from the photo (or if you visited the cemetery), there are no reflective surfaces to cause a lens flare.
I lightened the picture slightly (but did not alter the contrast or anything else) so you can see the orb and cemetery features more clearly.
That’s an extraordinary photograph, and it’s one of many from that cemetery.
This next photo was taken the same morning, pointing in the opposite direction. This isn’t a flash photo, either, but it has no orbs.
Nevertheless, I think you can see why I like researching at Columbus, Texas. It’s downright eerie.
Of course, Columbus is one of many locations in my book, The Ghosts of Austin. The main focus is on Austin, and it offers a wealth of haunted sites.
My favorite haunted cemetery in Austin
Oakwood Cemetery is among my favorite public haunts in Texas. It’s a large cemetery near downtown Austin. If you’re ghost hunting in Austin, plan to spend several hours there.
It’s surrounded by a fence you can see through. So, even after dark, you may get some great ghost photos and other evidence. (However, the neighborhood is mostly residential. Please respect their privacy.)
At any cemetery — including Oakwood — I look for grave markers with messages like this one:
“And never suffer me to be separated from thee” is a lovely sentiment. It’s also the kind of inscription that can indicate tragedy or at least deep unhappiness. Both are red flags that can suggest a haunting.
The marker, above, is one of many at Oakwood featuring emotional inscriptions.
Here’s another grave to look for. It’s a very damaged crypt. Any time you see a grave like this, check it for EMF, cold spots, EVP, and photographic anomalies.
In the following photo, you’ll see a similar, damaged grave in that same cemetery. Where’s the body or the coffin? (I hope it was moved to a safe location, or reburied in the ground beneath the open crypt.)
No matter where the body is, when you see an open grave like this, it’s a place to investigate with care.
Even more ghosts of Austin at Oakwood Cemetery?
The next photo features an odd family plot, also at Oakwood Cemetery. I understand the convenience of a low-maintenance grave site. However, this cement-covered plot is so unusual, I look at and wonder, “Are they trying to be sure everyone stays in their coffins?”
In general, always look for unusual graves.
For example, these two shell-covered graves stand out at Oakwood Cemetery.
In the next photo: Many of the cemetery’s headstones are worth researching. Here’s one to look into, if you’re planning a trip to Oakwood.
When I was there, I noticed odd EMF spikes around this grave. That doesn’t mean it was haunted, but it’s unusual enough to investigate.
I’m pretty sure it says, “M. Julia, wife of M. R. Reagan, & daughter of M. F. Bailey. Died July 23, 1861. Aged 26 years.”
(Double-check the actual stone to be certain. The photo isn’t clear and I may be misreading it, especially her parent’s surname.)
So, you’d be looking for records of a woman born around 1835, who married Mr. Reagan around 1855 or so, and died in 1861.
I’d start with death records for that date, and also check the 1860 census. It looks like her husband died September 30, 1865, so that’s another lead you can pursue.
With the EMF spikes I saw around that exact grave, I’ll bet there’s a tragic story, and perhaps a ghost.
Official book description
The Ghosts of Austin, Texas was written by Fiona Broome, the founder of HollowHill.com, one of the Internet’s earliest, largest, and most respected ghost-related websites.
This book shares locations and stories of over 100 ghosts and haunted places in Austin, as well as those within a few hours’ drive of Austin. Photos in the book include haunted sites in Austin, Columbus, and San Antonio, Texas.
Ms. Broome was one of the first to report hauntings related to Jack the Ripper’s early years in Texas. (Since Fiona’s book was published in 2007, many “ghost tours” have included those sites in their routes.)
Fiona also identifies paranormal patterns that link many of Austin’s most famous haunted places. With this information, you may find even more haunted sites in and near Austin. Fiona gives you the tools to make your own discoveries.
Originally from New England, Fiona spent four fascinating years in the great state of Texas, researching ghosts and haunted places from Austin to Galveston.
Fiona specializes in unreported and under-reported haunted places that are open to the public. She approaches ghost hunting from an historical viewpoint, verifying and documenting ghosts’ actual histories whenever possible.
This book doesn’t repeat the same old “ghost stories.” It’s a fascinating study of over 130 ghosts and haunted places in and near Austin, Texas.
Many of them were unknown, prior to Ms. Broome’s 2002 – 2007 research.
The sites include:
The Driskill Hotel
Shoal Creek… and its curse
The Texas Governor’s Mansion
Austin’s former “red light” district
And over a hundred more, eerie, haunted locations in Austin, San Antonio, and nearby cities and towns.
This book includes true tales of ghostly encounters, street addresses of the haunted sites, helpful tips for ghost hunters, and eerie insights from “the other side.”
“…Spell-binding stories backed up with historical data and loads of photographs… recommended reading.” — Margaret Byl, Paranormal Investigator and writer
This is a long video, but I especially recommend the section starting around 8:18, through the shadow movement that’s replayed in slow motion.
Could it be confusion about normal shadows? Possibly. With a variety of light sources and multiple people in the room, it might even be likely.
However, there’s a quality to the shadows — though I’m pretty sure one part of the image is normal — that seems downright peculiar to me.
The video is long (too long, without some video notes or a good transcript) but includes other possible anomalies, as well. If you have time, watch the whole thing, since it gives you a better context for evaluating the anomalies.
The site is an office building in Harlingen, Texas and the investigators are Graveyard Shift Paranormal. (As of March 2018, their website seems to have vanished.)
In general, the lighting and reflective surfaces (glass, mirrors, etc.) at the site are definitely a problem. If that were my video, I’m not sure that I’d feel confident of any anomalies in it. I’d go back with black sheets to cover every reflective surface, and I’d have extra cameras set up behind the cameras that are filming possible anomalies. Those extra cameras would be a way of double-checking (or “debunking”) anomalous shadows, based on who was where, and what lighting was involved.
I am a little skeptical.
However, there’s something about that shadow, and how it changes shape and moves… We’re looking for “weird within weird” in many videos, and — in my opinion — that qualifies as something for further research. The shadow might be completely normal, but it’s still very, very odd, and that’s consistent with some shadow figures we’re seeing during ghost investigations.
Austin, Texas is a wonderfully haunted city. Its ghosts are more colorful than most, with the kinds of histories you’d expect from a “Wild West” city.
From former corrupt sheriffs to colorful madams, and from cursed bricks to the ghost of a US President, Austin may have more ghosts per square foot than any city in America.
Many of Austin’s ghosts linger because they want to, not because they’re stuck in our earthly plane.
These are the five places that I’d visit with just a brief time to investigate Austin’s ghosts.
1. The Driskill Hotel
You have to stay somewhere when you’re in Austin, so why not stay at the city’s most elegant, haunted hotel?
In my book, The Ghosts of Austin, Texas, I devote an entire chapter to the Driskill’s great ghosts. (The Driskill information in that book remains valid, but neighboring Austin locations may have changed in recent years.)
The lobby has at least two ghosts. One is a little girl who follows a bouncing ball (that manifests as an orb) on the staircase near the front desk.
Almost directly across the lobby from that staircase, a small room was once the hotel’s vault. It’s haunted by the cheerful ghost of a Depression-era hotel manager. When the banks closed during one financial crisis, the Driskill’s manager opened the vault and handed out cash to patrons. He trusted them to return the money when they could, and every one of them did. His ghost lingers through hard times and good, occasionally greeting guests in slightly outdated formal wear.
Be sure to visit the Maximilian Room, for some of America’s most haunted mirrors. (For their tragic history, see pages 18 & 19 in my book about Austin’s ghosts.)
Note: I’m not sure if that mirror is still in the Maximilian Room, and if it’s still haunted. Here’s what you need to know about haunted mirrors:
Upstairs, in addition to famous ghosts such as LBJ, you may catch a glimpse of the phantom hotel security guard. He’s always on the job, striding quickly through the halls. He’s making sure that everyone is safe and sound in this magnificent hotel.
2. Buffalo Billiards [Closed]
Location: 201 East Sixth Street, Austin, TX (Buffalo Billiards may have closed, but that address may still be haunted.)
Buffalo Billiards was less than a block away from the Driskill Hotel. In 1861, as the Missouri Hotel, it was Austin’s first “boarding house” and a popular place for a cowboy to find a date… for an hour or so.
When I investigated the area, the former brothel was one of Austin’s most popular night spots. At the time, I said: “Stop in for a drink and some food, and you’ll see tourists, locals, and scantily-clothed ghosts among the crowd.”
When you’re ready for a good, filling meal, Austin’s Spaghetti Warehouse is the place to eat… and encounter ghosts.
Ask your waiter about the latest ghost sightings at the Spaghetti Warehouse. Most of the staff seem to have first-person stories to share.
In addition to quirky poltergeist activity, ask about the ghost who appears as a man – or just legs – around the restaurant’s vault.
An alternative, still open for business (2023): Stroll up the street to the upscale gay men’s bar, Oilcan Harry’s. (In fact, it’s the oldest operating LGBTQ+ bar in Austin.)
There, look carefully for one of Austin’s most colorful ghosts, the late madam Blanche Dumont. She’ll be among the dancers.
4. Texas Capitol Building
(Start at the Visitors’ Ctr: 112 E 11th Street, Austin, TX)
Day and night, you’ll see ghosts around the Capitol building. The most famous is probably Governor Edmund Jackson Davis (1827 – 1883) who is seen gazing from a first-floor window. On foggy and misty days – especially around mid-winter – and around dusk, he’s seen walking on the paved paths around the Capitol building. He’s tall and has a mustache, but people most often comment on his chilling stare. He often pauses when he sees someone, stares at them, and doesn’t move until they’ve passed him.
If you’re at the Capitol, be sure to walk past the Texas Governor’s Mansion. It has a dramatic history with multiple hauntings. I recommend early morning photos at the mansion grounds, as well.
5. Oakwood Cemetery and Oakwood Annex Cemetery
Location: Navasota St., Austin, TX
Oakwood Cemetery and its annex may be Austin’s most beautiful and haunted cemetery. There, you can visit the graves of many of Austin’s ghosts including Susannah Wilkerson Dickinson and Ben Thompson.
Most of Austin’s cemeteries close at dusk – and you should not visit that area alone at any time, but especially as nightfall approaches.
However, if you visit that neighborhood with friends, and the cemetery is closed, you can take photos through the openings in the fences around Oakwood.
(If you’ve been in the cemetery during the day, you’ll know exactly where to point your camera to capture eerie, phantom images.)
Austin features many more, chilling locations where you can encounter ghosts and other frightening entities.
Some of them – such as the nightly appearance of as many as a million bats, around one downtown Austin bridge – are entertaining.
Others, such as the ghost of Jack the Ripper and his victims, are best avoided unless you have nerves of steel.
However, as of 2023, many of those haunted locations are now closed or are under different ownership.
IMPORTANT: Sites are often haunted because of what happened at those physical locations. Whether the site is now a corporate office building or a fast-food restaurant, it may still be haunted.
Here’s what I’d said about my 2008 book:
In its pages, I list over 130 ghosts and haunted places in and near Austin, Texas.
You’ll discover:
The Driskill Hotel’s many ghosts.
A detailed list of Austin’s most haunted cemeteries and some of their most infamous graves.
The eerie connection between Austin and Jack the Ripper.
Why the Shoal Creek Curse lingers over Austin and – possibly – surrounding communities.
And – if you live in Austin or you’ll be there for a few days – my book includes haunted sites around Austin, including Columbus, Texas.
(I describe Columbus’ strange history and many ghosts as something like a “theme park for ghost hunters.”)
The editing in this book is typical of when it was published – at the peak of the Ghost Hunters craze – but you won’t find a more complete (and personally researched) book about ghost hunting in Austin.
It’s the original guide to ghost hunting in Austin. If you’re serious about paranormal research it’s still the best way to find the physical locations of real ghosts when you’re in Texas’ capital city.
Haunted Patterson Road in Houston, Texas, is next to Bear Creek Park between Highway 6 and Eldridge Road. [Google Maps: Patterson Road – Bear Creek Park]
It follows the route used by Civil War soldiers. The battle took place in the southeastern quadrant of Bear Creek Park.
According to folklore, those soldiers’ ghosts still march along Patterson Road at night.
If you stop on the road, they’ll tap on your car.
That’s the legend.
Of course, YOU SHOULD NOT DO THAT.
This area was once a farming community of German immigrants and their descendants.
Today, it is part of Addicks Reservoir and Bear Creek Pioneers Park, in Harris County, Houston.
The other is Bear Creek Bridge, closer to Highway 6.
Are the legends true?
Bear Creek Bridge isn’t supposed to be haunted.
I disagree.
In daylight, Bear Creek Bridge feels far more eerie than the other bridge on Patterson Road.
In May 2005, using the “sparkles” camera, two of us – during an informal evening of ghost hunting – saw visible anomalies at the Bear Creek bridge.
We saw none at Langham Creek on that same evening, though we did capture some strange mists in our photos.
This orb is probably an insect.
I took this photo at Bear Creek bridge. As you can tell from the grain in the photo, it was a very dark evening. To see anything in the picture, I lightened it considerably in Photoshop.
I’ve included the image – and some trees around it – in case anyone else captures a clear anomaly in a ghost photo at that same location.
After, we paused on that bridge, testing the “tapping Civil War soldiers” legend.
This is important: We only paused.
You should not stop there. You probably shouldn’t even pause on that bridge.
Definitely do NOT turn off your engine or your car’s headlights.
Tapping on my car
With my car windows open, I heard three rapid, distinct and clear taps on the car, immediately below my outside mirror.
The tapping sounds was like metal on metal, similar to my car antenna tapping my car roof when I’m driving on a very bumpy road.
It didn’t sound unearthly.
I have no explanation for the tapping, since the car window was fully open and I could see the side of the car easily.
In fact, I looked out of the car right away, to see what caused the noise. I saw nothing unusual at all: No insects, no animals, and nothing brushing against the car.
It was too loud to be the car or the bridge settling.
I was in the driver’s seat, so my door was towards the center of the bridge.
There was no likelihood of shrubbery, vines, or branches hitting the car.
I had no explanation.
In my experience, most paranormal encounters are very different from anything “normal.”
That’s why it took me awhile to accept that something so loud (and apparently mundane) could have been ghostly.
The taps sounded entirely real, normal, and I wanted to know who’d tapped on my car with something like a metal baton.
It probably took me close to five minutes to realize that there was no normal explanation for what had happened.
I did exactly what I’m telling you NOT to do: I stopped on a road at night.
It was a spooky experience, but incredibly stupid as well.
Don’t be another “weird” statistic.
Since writing this, I’ve learned that there are an unusual number of car accidents in that area, and not just among ghost enthusiasts.
Some people speculate that there’s “bad energy” around Bear Creek Park.
I’m not sure about that, but I can confirm that something taps on cars on Patterson Road.
Don’t try this yourself. Please, just take my word for it.
Or, park farther up the street.
Hike to a point where you can safely observe the bridge. And then, pay attention to cars passing over it, and any anomalies you notice.
Patterson Road in Houston, Texas may be haunted. This road borders Bear Creek Park and runs between Highway 6 and Eldridge Road. [Google Maps]
It’s a lovely location. Arrive in the afternoon and plan a picnic or barbecue in the park. Visit the zoo, read the historical markers, and get a sense of the landscape and its heritage.
Some of Bear Creek Park’s ghost stories are related to Civil War activity.
Others are from 1900, when the infamous hurricane displaced an entire community. After that, county workers literally changed the landscape to prevent future disasters.
Homes were lost. Landmarks and memorials vanished. The area was safer from future floods, but at a terrible cost.
After a heavy rainstorm, this location still floods before other areas. Always check road conditions before driving to Bear Creek Park.
Marching in the woods
Much of Bear Creek Park is overgrown with dense foliage. At night, frogs make noise too loud to ignore.
You’ll hear other sounds in the woods, too. They’re probably woodland animals, but they are very odd noises.
To some, they sound like people marching or trudging. Lots of people, and heavy steps. Soldiers…? People fleeing the hurricane that came in from Galveston?
No one knows.
That’s why, one evening in early May 2005, two of us investigated Patterson Road.
First, we visited it during the day, to check it for EMF, and so we’d be familiar with anything odd – but easily debunked – after dark.
Compass anomalies at Langham Creek bridge
Right away, we saw anomalous needle swings in excess of 30 degrees on the right side of the Langham Creek bridge as you’re facing Eldridge Road.
That’s significant. The most likely explanation was EMF, but we couldn’t find a logical source. That area is very rural.
Most of our daytime photos were normal, except at this location:
Photo at Langham Creek. Everything’s crisp except a white mist in the upper left corner.Arrow points to white mist in my photo, similar to a mist in others’ photos, taken at the same time. (Photo lightened for this website.)
The sun was quickly setting when I took this photo with a digital camera.
There was no light to create that “misty” effect at the upper left corner of the photo. There was no fog, no rain… nothing to account for that mist.
Could it have been breath? Possibly, except that others have captured a similar white mist at that same stand of trees.
So, we have no reliable explanation.
I have no idea if any “hanging tree” legends exist at that location.
One friend – more familiar with the area – said he’d heard that kind of legend, related to a soldier who wanted to desert his military group. But he wasn’t certain of the exact location.
Langham Creek soldiers?
Signs at Langham Creek, Houston, Texas
Langham Creek bridge has the most haunted reputation.
According to local legends, ghosts of Civil War soldiers tap on your car if you park on the bridge with your lights out.
I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS!
Patterson Road is busy at night with sporting events at nearby Bear Creek Park. Traffic is intermittent, and some people drive faster than they should.
In other words, it’s a dangerous place to stop your car.
But, yes… on that evening, we did pause on the bridge after dark. (Our headlights remained on.)
At that bridge, we heard tapping noises.
All of it could be explained by the car settling and the bridge shifting slightly under the weight of the car.
So, please do NOT pause your car on Langham Creek bridge, or on any road, with your lights off.
Our next stop was Bear Creek bridge and that’s where things got weird…
On Saturday evening, 25 June 2005, we returned to the old depot in Katy, Texas.
This picture was taken in Columbus, Texas, not far from Austin. I was there around dawn, and the sun had barely cleared the horizon behind me.
Austin, Texas is a wonderfully haunted city. Its ghosts are more colorful than most, with the kinds of histories you’d expect from a “Wild West” city.
It follows the route used by Civil War soldiers. The battle took place in the southeastern quadrant of Bear Creek Park.
It’s a lovely location. Arrive in the afternoon and plan a picnic or barbecue in the park. Visit the zoo, read the historical markers, and get a sense of the landscape and its heritage.
