Galveston, Texas: Third Most Haunted City in the United States

If coming to Texas, there's no scarier place to go than The Strand on Galveston Island, located within driving distance of Houston, Texas. The history of Galveston dates back to 1839, when Galveston was first founded. Soon after watching the near destruction of a nearby town, Galveston citizens set about the task of trying to convince the town leaders that a seawall to help protect the sand strand that makes up the island of Galveston needed to be built. Unfortunately, the seawall was not built, due to political issues.

Then, one balmy day in September, when the ocean was as warm as bathwater and not a storm cloud was showing in the sky, the swells from the ocean kicked up. At first, it was just rough waters, but then, soon after, the ferries running from Galveston to Bolivar Island (now called Bolivar Peninsula) were unable to dock. Trains traveling had to turn around, and several succumbed to the swells before the storm even came.

Yet still, the weather seemed calm; it was merely the ocean swelling and rough, so the residents didn't take heed and desert Galveston Island. The result? At approximately 3:40pm on September 9, 1900, the last words were heard from residents of Galveston, Texas, when the telegraph wires went down. The entire city was completely under water. The highest recorded winds were over 100 mph, but they were so strong they blew the wind sensors off the buildings recording the wind speed.

Before midnight that night, the storm moved on, winds died down to less than 20 mph, and the majority of the residents in Galveston, Texas had perished: 8,000 people were verified to have lost their lives in that horrible storm. Some estimates claim that as many as 12,000 people might have died in that storm total, including those traveling during that time, at Bolivar Island, and at nearby Beaumont.

Beyond the loss of human life, few buildings besides the sturdy brick mansions and some of the masonry-built churches survived standing, and even those took a beating. The old Strand District is full of the rich history of the origins of Galveston Island, with historic buildings having been renovated and restored for tourist attractions.

So many people died at the same time during this storm that the bodies couldn't be buried. They were lined up in churches and outdoors in ship yards once the flood waters receded. Most of the bodies had to be buried at sea or burned on funeral pyres to accommodate all the loss of life. It has been reported that prior to Hurricane Katrina and prior to 2006, more people died in the Great Storm of 1900 in Galveston, Texas than all the other deaths caused by hurricanes in the past, combined.

Galveston made efforts to prevent this type of horrific tragedy by using sand to elevate the entire city over 17 feet above sea level, when in 1900 the city was a mere seven or so feet above sea level. Along with building a seawall to help protect the city from the storm surge (the wall of the storm as it pushed the ocean up and forward before it comes crashing down on the city itself), Galveston was better prepared when, just 19 years later, another similar force hurricane hit the island, and fewer than 300 people perished in that storm.

Even so, tens of thousands of people have died in Galveston, Texas over the years, but no one incident has ever been as devastating as the Great Storm of 1900. However, during the American Civil War, Galveston belonged, at different times, to both the confederacy and the union, and prisoners from both sides were held in Galveston. Additionally, wounded from both sides were treated and died here in Galveston during that time.

Because of this, people who travel to visit Galveston and those who live in that area all know of the historic nature of the island, as well as the theories that the island is haunted by the ghosts of those who lost their lives in that great storm. It has been said by ghost hunters and ghost enthusiasts that Galveston, Texas is the third most haunted place in the United States, coming only behind Gettysburg and New Orleans.

Of course, New Orleans has even more history to add to its hauntings with the recent devastation it has experienced, and its Hoodoo and Voodoo history.

I've been to Galveston Island several times over the past year, and I've even walked down The Strand, which is lit by old-time gas street lamps and still has sections with brick streets. It's quaint and beautiful and richly historic. But when one moves a bit farther away from The Strand and heads toward Post Office Street near 21st street, the feeling in the air gets heavier, like there's a weight pressing down on the body.

Before I even knew the history of the Galveston area, my friend drove me around the historic downtown area, and I could tell her where that heavy weighted feeling begins and ends. It's unsettling, and though I tend to be a bit of a skeptic, I know that it felt very real to me. I felt this overwhelming feeling of sadness, nausea in my stomach, and a weight pressing in on me, nearly disorienting. Once she moved past an approximately four by six city block area, I began to feel well again.

Once we looked at the history, one of the places I felt this feeling the strongest was an area we believe was a church where many of the residents were said to have taken refuge from the storm and all of them died there in the flooding. In that church was said to have been an orphanage for abandoned Texas children or children whose parents had perished prior. This was the area where the weighted, heavy, sad feeling hit me the most.

From the corner of my eye, I can swear I see men moving, but when I try to look straight on, I cannot see them. Who knows if it's my mind playing tricks on me or if there is really something there, but the feeling of 'haunted' is very real in the downtown area of Galveston, Texas. If you're a ghost enthusiast, Galveston, Texas is a must-see place to add to your ghost hunting trip.

Even if you're not, the ocean is warm, the breeze is usually moderate, and there are some gorgeous hotels (even haunted ones like the Galvez Hotel) right on the beach side. Plan to come before hurricane season, though, just in case.