Everything is bigger in Texas–including ghosts–especially in San Antonio, considered one of the ten most haunted cities in the world by National Geographic. As the saying goes, “dead men tell no tales.” Or do they? From its humble beginnings as a Spanish settlement in 1691 to the bloody battle at the Alamo, San Antonio’s history is rich in haunting tales. Discover Old San Antonio’s most … San Antonio’s most haunted places and uncover the history that lies waiting for those who dare enter their doorways. Take a peek inside the Menger Hotel, the “Most Haunted Hotel in Texas,” and just a block away, peer into the Emily Morgan Hotel, renovated after a decade of being vacant, was once the city’s first hospitals where many men and women lost their lives. Explore the San Fernando Cathedral, where people are buried within the walls and visitors claim to see faces mysteriously appear. Uncover the legends behind Bexar County Jail. Join authors James and Lauren Swartz and decide for yourself what truly lurks behind the Alamo City’s fabled past.
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I visited Antonio often, when I lived in the great Lone Star State of Texas. It was/is one of my favorite cities to visit and going there again is on my bucket list. When thinking about old, historic, San Antonio, for me, like for most people, the first place that came to mind was The Alamo, but, Haunted History of Old San Antonio showed me a side of Old San Antonio’s history that I knew little or nothing about. Many of the places talked about in this wonderful little book were familiar to me, but the stories told about their historic history were all new to me.
For example, I never knew that the first settlers to arrive in San Antonio were from the Canary Islands and sent there in the early 1730s by the King of Spain to establish a new world. Lauren, the author of this masterpiece, along with her husband, James, is a direct descendant of those original “Island People.” they met on a ghost tour and today they own a ghost tour company of their own in San Antonio. They based most of what you will read in this book on stories told to them by the owners of the haunted places on their tours, and by those owner’s employees. Are ghosts real? Do you believe I’m ghosts? Perhaps not, but after reading these stories, you will take a closer look at what you believe about ghosts and their existence. I know I have.
The first place that Lauren writes about is the historic Menger Hotel, that’s located next to the Alamo. I have stayed there a few times when visiting San Antonio but have never seen or heard any of the 32 known spirits they claim roam its hallways. Three known spirits are well-known personages. One of them is Teddy Roosevelt, who recruited his Rough Riders in the Menger Hotel Bar in 1898. The most often seen spirit is that of Sallie White, who worked for the Menger as a chambermaid and was loved by all there. After her common-law husband shot her in the back three times, she died two days later; the Menger brought her back and paid for her funeral. The receipt for the $32 funeral cost is still on display at the Menger to this day. The receipt reads: Hotel Exp. Acct., to cash paid for a coffin for Sallie White, col’d chambermaid, deceased, murdered by her husband, shot March 28th died March 30th. For grave, $25 (Swartz, Lauren M.; Swartz, James A.. Haunted History of Old San Antonio (Haunted America, pp18-19, Arcadia Publishing. Kindle Edition.) The third personage is Captain Richard King. King started life as an indentured servant, ran away and became a riverboat captain and later a blockade runner during the civil war. Later he became a cattle baron, the owner of the one million plus acre King Ranch. King maintained a private suite on the second floor of the hotel and died there on April 14, 1885. His funeral services were held in the hotel lobby and attended by thousands of people from all over the world.
Although the Menger Hotel, “The Most Haunted Hotel in Texas,” is probably the best known of the sites you will read stories about in this book, you will also read stories about many others as well. All the stories are captivating and believable. You owe it to yourself to read it for yourself. If you didn’t believe in ghosts when you started reading it, you most likely will when you finish it. At least you will consider the possibility that ghosts are real.