Tag: Houston

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.

Sometimes, it’s not the ghost photos you get, but the ones you don’t get… yet should have.

Spring, Texas features many wonderful cemeteries, and Old Town Spring has the reputation of being very haunted.

On Sunday evening, 22 May 2005, a couple of us visited several cemeteries in the area, with interesting results. Photographs–especially “ghost orbs”–are just one anomaly that we note when investigating a site that is supposed to be haunted.

We also use EMF and compass readings, EVP (recordings of ghostly voices), and other detection techniques.

However, one of the most frustrating (and telling) signs of a genuine haunting is when an otherwise reliable camera won’t work properly. That is what happened at Cemetery #1 (as we’re calling it) on 22 May 2005.

Black photos and lost photos

I use the famous “sparkles” camera to tell when a site is probably producing orbs and other anomalies in photos. Then, team members rely on digital cameras, since they are more sensitive to the electrical disturbances that seem to accompany orbs.

On this evening in Spring, Texas, a digital camera (which I’d used reliably since January 2002) worked fine at Wunsche Cemetery, and then recorded nothing but blackness — for over 25 photos — during our stop at Cemetery #1.

At our next stop, investigating a rural cemetery in the area, the camera was still a little odd but recorded about 30 good photos — many with orbs — that we could see on the camera’s preview screen. In fact, we reviewed the photos several times during our drive back to Houston.

However, upon arriving at home, when the camera card was placed in my desktop computer, an error message said that the card wasn’t formatted. I received the same error message on my laptop computer, and even in an external card reader. A restart of the desktop didn’t resolve the problem. I had no choice but to reformat the card. I lost over 100 photos from that evening.

Oddly, another team of researchers was at Cemetery #1 when we arrived, and — although she probably didn’t hear me complaining about my camera — one of those other researchers announced similar camera problems.

When she showed me her camera’s preview screen, it showed all-black images (full frames) just as mine did.

Polarity?

Because most of the “sparkles” seemed to appear around two trees, and we were standing between them, my husband speculates that the trees may be energy sources, like two poles.

My camera was fine when I was in other parts of the cemetery, but when I stood between the two trees, all of my photos turned out black.

I’ll return to this cemetery during daylight hours to measure any electromagnetic energy that is there. The cemetery is not near any power lines, and–although we were in a residential area–it’s unlikely that we were near underground cables. Nevertheless, it’s worth checking, just in case.

Cemetery #2 (also our nickname, referring to a different cemetery)

We visited another cemetery twice on May 22nd, once during the day and once after dark. This cemetery is larger and slightly more rural than Cemetery #1. It’s also full of ant hills by day, and has considerable uneven ground that makes after-dark visits risky.

Our daytime digital photos — now lost — produced several with odd blue areas around some of the more isolated headstones. There were also two huge black, winged figures (perhaps vultures) that flew up from the back of the cemetery and seemed to vanish. (I mean that literally. They were there, and we were admiring their flight. Then, they disappeared.)

Digital photos at night — also lost during the reformat — had produced numerous good orbs. Our film photos had no reliable orbs in them.

Old Town Spring — just north of Houston, Texas — is haunted. Some claim that it’s the most haunted town in Texas. I’m not sure about that, but it’s definitely an eerie place after dark.

There are several locations that fascinate me, but one of the best is the old bank building.  It’s no longer a bank, but it’s part of the retail district in Old Town Spring.

The bank is easy to recognize: It’s the brick building with bullet holes, in the middle of the 100 block of Midway. It’s on the same side of the street — and just a few doors from — the haunted Wunsche Bros. Cafe and Saloon.

In the photo at the left, you can see one of the bullet holes in the bank’s brick exterior. The Spring State Bank  was the site of at least two robberies involving gunfire. One may have featured the famous team of Bonnie & Clyde.

I’ve already posted my strange man-in-a-hat photo, showing an anomalous figure inside this bank.

DO THE BANK’S GHOSTS LINGER?

In January 2006, the bank building was empty once again. Shops move in, and soon move out.

I’m not sure anyone would say that the building’s ghosts are a problem or even real, but — with a violent history like this — it’d be odd if there wasn’t some haunted energy there. We keep revisiting this building because there’s something there, inside and outside the old bank.

Sure, there’s residual energy. After two gunfights, that’s normal for a town with the “wild west” history of Old Town Spring.

But, my “gut feeling” says there’s at least one figure walking around inside that building, after dark.  In most cases, when that feeling is worth mentioning, investigations prove me right.

GHOSTLY MIST – FIRST HAUNTED EVIDENCE

During a November 2005 ghost investigation, I captured a couple of odd photos at the bank. In the images below, you can see a light or mist forming at the right side of the photo.

I’d have dismissed the picture at the right as an insect or hair in front of the lens, but the second photo — taken minutes later — makes it clear: This was an anomaly that formed while I was taking these pictures.

Those are intriguing photos… the kind of pictures that demand additional investigations. Sometimes, you can find explanations for these kinds of images. In this case, we couldn’t. It’s not hair, jewelry, breath, moisture, or dust.

I’m not sure these photos are ghostly, but they’re definitely odd.

Houston’s West Oaks Mall has a classic ghost. He’s an apparition, and he appears very briefly during early morning hours. (He may appear at other times, but ghost hunters have seen him around dawn.)

We sometimes call him the “West Oaks Phantom,” but we usually call him the “West Oaks Walker” because that’s all that he does: He walks. He doesn’t seem to get anywhere, but he walks at a normal pace.

Phantom appears near the third pole but before the fourth, counting from Westheimer.The ghost appears on the north side of Richmond Avenue, about a block from the intersection of Westheimer and Richmond. [ Google Map ] The phantom appears between Green Crest Drive and Westheimer, on the West Oaks side of the street. He’s about 20 feet away from where people turn off Richmond to enter the West Oaks Mall parking lot.

In the photo above, he’d be near the red arrow, and the maroon car would partially block your view of him.

The figure is an apparition, but doesn’t seem to be a full body. His head isn’t very clear — no one has seen it yet, so he may be headless — and he’s usually invisible from the knees down. Everything else… well, he could almost be confused with an early morning pedestrian.

That’s where this becomes difficult. Until late in 2006, the West Oaks Mall sign was lighted at night. So, if you were watching the ghost from near Westheimer, you could easily tell that he’s an apparition, not a real person; the lighted sign could be seen through the apparition. Also, he fades gradually. It’s difficult to see that in the darkness.

As of early 2007, the West Oaks sign isn’t lit at night, so ghost hunting becomes considerably more challenging.

At that hour, there are many people walking along Richmond — including at least one man who wears light-colored shorts — and there are three popular bus stops on that section of Richmond.  Don’t confuse the living with the apparition; it’s easy to do so.

Be especially careful about the brief flash of headlights from cars exiting the apartment complex across the street. Their momentary flash can look like a glowing apparition, especially along the grassy area.

When and where to look for him

We’ve studied this phantom for several months. He generally appears at about 6:15 a.m. and he’s visible for about five seconds at a time. Most mornings, he seems to appear once or twice — usually within five minutes — but we’ve never seen him more than three times per day. We see him most often on Tuesday mornings and Saturdays.

We haven’t seen him after the sun is visible in the sky; that was about 7:15 a.m. during late December. In fact, we rarely see him after 6:45 a.m. We’ve never seen him on a Friday.

I’ve observed him myself from my car at Westheimer, but unless you’re waiting at the traffic light, there is no convenient place to watch from the road. There are three parking lots at the intersection of Westheimer and Richmond, and each of them can be adequate for viewing.

What to look for

The “West Oaks Walker” is a blurry figure. He’s wearing very light (perhaps white) breeches and a very dark top or jacket. He could be a Spanish soldier.

He’s walking but — as if moonwalking — he doesn’t cover very much distance. Because his lower legs and feet aren’t usually visible, we can’t tell if the apparition is walking on the ground. Generally, people believe that he’s walking about a foot above the ground.

The figure fades in quickly and fades away gradually. He doesn’t “blink” in and out of our world. He rarely looks entirely solid. (The exception was 13 Sep 2007. See our Sightings list, below.) The figure glows slightly.

Orb photography is unreliable due to lights at the mall, a security guard touring in a vehicle, and commuter cars with headlights. Likewise, underground pipes and power lines make EMF readings unproductive. So, we have no hard evidence of this haunting.

[Photo taken from Westheimer, in the U-Haul parking lot]
Phantom is seen in the area indicated by the oval.
He may be walking on the sidewalk or on the grassy area behind it. 

Who is he?

Until I spotted the phantom and told others about it, I’d never heard anything about a ghost around the West Oaks Mall. From his breeches and very dark top or jacket, I’d guess that he’s a Spanish soldier.

Later notes:

• The history of Spanish soldiers in that area has been confirmed.
• There’s been at least one motorcycle accident in that vicinity, and the victim’s appearance matches my description.
• Several people who live across the street have said they’ve seen the ghostly figure.  No one was sure about his head, but no one commented that he was headless, either.

SIGHTINGS

July 2007 update: The West Oaks Walker was spotted at 6:20 a.m. on Tuesday morning, 17 July 2007. It was a clear, dry morning and he was fully visible for about 10 – 15 seconds in his usual location. Then, he faded away.

August 2007 update: The West Oaks Walker appeared at 6:23 a.m. on Tuesday morning, 21 August. It was a clear but humid morning. He appeared about 20 feet closer to Westheimer than usual. He was visible for nearly 30 seconds before vanishing.

Sept 2007 updates: The West Oak Walker appeared on the following dates.

12 Sep (Wednesday) – 7:02 a.m. – Figure appeared for less than a second near the third wooden pole from the corner of Westheimer, on the mall side of Richmond.

13 Sep (Thurs) – 6:21 a.m. – Multiple figures appeared simultaneously and over a period of more than ten minutes. One notable figure was clearly visible in white breeches and a dark (navy?) frock coat with a standing collar. Heavy braid on the collar was highlighted by the early morning light. He had very dark, curly hair that extended almost to his shoulders. He wore no hat, and looked directly at us. Then, he faded away.

We’ve looked for any history relevant to that day in Houston history.

So far, the closest that we can find is Mexico’s Independence Day (Diez y Seis de Septiembre) — also celebrated in parts of Texas — on September 16th.

There’s also a September 13th event (in 1764) when Gov. Martos suspended Capt. Rafael Martínez Pacheco, who refused to be arrested and escaped with at least one other soldier, near Beaumont. Charges against Martinez were later cleared.

On September 13, 1766, the alferez José Antonio de la Garza Falcón and his soldiers began a mission to support Diego Ortiz Parrilla, searching for English settlers on or near Padre Island.

Could they have searched as far as Houston? After six days of heavy rain, was the site of today’s George Bush Park a waterway? The soldiers’ search was not successful, and this is our strongest connection between September 13th and the Spanish-looking apparition.If anyone can suggest other historical connections to this haunting — which seemed to peak on September 13th — let us know.

21 Sep (Thurs) – 6:25 a.m. – [NOT A GHOST] Before dawn, someone in white trousers and a dark-ish shirt or jacket was walking around the area where we most often see the West Oaks Walker. This was a real person, not a ghost. Either the person was walking a dog or trying to fool us into reporting a fake apparition. (Yes, people do that.) What we realized from this is that the ghostly figures glow slightly. The real person didn’t.

4 Oct (Thurs) – 7:00 a.m. – Figure very close to the third utility pole. The white trousers were very visible but the rest of the figure was less clear. We thought it was another prankster until the entire figure faded about ten seconds later.

Have you seen him? Leave a comment! Please include the date, weather conditions, and what you saw. Thanks!