San Antonio is best known for the Alamo, but it has much more to offer like breakfast tacos and more ghosts per square foot.

When you hear “San Antonio,” images of the Alamo or the Riverwalk tend to be the first things to come to mind. While both are important to the city, San Antonio is much more. The city is rich in history, culture, entertainment, and culinary delights, and for those interested in otherworldly, San Antonio is a haven for ghosts and all things haunted.

San Antonio was originally founded on May 1, 1718, by Spanish explorers who established Mission San Antonio de Valero which later become known as The Alamo.  From this humble beginning grew a city filled with diversity and sometimes division, becoming one of the oldest cities in the United States and the oldest in Texas. With over 1.4 million people, San Antonio is now the 7th-largest city in the United States. If you ask a local, all 1.4 million citizens are on 1604, stuck in construction traffic.

Not only does the Alamo make San Antonio one of the oldest cities in the United States, but it also begins its history as one of the haunted cities. The joke is that when someone asks what places in downtown city are haunted, it’s easier to say what isn’t haunted.

While the Alamo began first as a Catholic mission(which is why it’s so small… ya, I said it), it also served as barracks, and two hospitals before becoming known as the now famous fortress. That’s a lot of people dying before the Battle of the Alamo happened. Maybe this is, at least in part, why the Alamo and surrounding area is so haunted... although what's interesting is many of the surrounding areas' hauntings aren't Alamo related, but the area is a hotbed for hauntings nonetheless. 

The Battle of the Alamo was not as exciting as the movies depict it. The actual battle in February, 1836 was a long, painful, drawn out 13 days. The Texians hunkered down behind the four foot limestone walls, keeping the much larger, much better armed Mexican army at bay.

The actual battle was an ugly affair (as all battles are). What many people don’t realize and might also be a contributor to the later hauntings is during the battle, there were women and children inside. All of the listed 189 Texians were killed either during or after the battle, while it is estimated that the Mexican army suffered approximately 600 causalities out of an estimated 6,000 soldiers. 1800 soldiers charged the breached walls after repeated surges and regroupings. This was hand to hand, close quarters combat. Fighting was brutal, ugly and anything but heroic or glamorous as sometimes films or stories depict it. The actual fight was over in about 90 minutes. Any surviving defenders were immediately executed under Santa Anna’s decree.

After the Battle of the Alamo came to an end, Santa Ana in his anger, had any surviving Texians killed then looted, dismembered and either burned or thrown into the river (now the Riverwalk), or buried in mass graves without last rites. Being buried without proper rites is thought to be another reason for the hauntings at the Alamo. It is believed there are three, and a possible fourth site where the dead were burned or in mass graves, one being the Alamo Cenotaph, or The Spirit of Sacrifice.

Sentencing the Texians to eternal wandering was not enough for the general. While Santa Anna won the battle, he did not consider it the win he desired and was reportedly infuriated. He wanted the small mission-turned-fortress dismantled and sent soldiers to tear it down. As the soldiers approached, 6 figures carrying flaming swords, or “diablos” as the soldiers described them, emerged to protect the Alamo. The soldiers fled in terror and reported their findings back to General Andre, Santa Ana’s field commander.

Andre told the men to lay off the tequila and do their jobs (or something like that…) and went to finish the job himself. Andre reported seeing a ghostly figure with balls of fire in his hands, standing atop the Long Barracks. It is said the commander did pull down a few rocks from the walls, but otherwise heeded the threatening apparition and left the mission as it stood.

There are many ghosts that haunt the Alamo: some were at the battle, whereas others have chosen the Alamo as their forever home for their own reasons. One ghost is thought to be General Manuel Fernandez de Castrillon, a major general who was Santa Anna’s ally until the Battle of the Alamo. Fernandez de Castrillion opposed Santa Anna’s assault on the Alamo, saying it would be a “bloodbath,” but followed orders and led the first column of troops. He later pleaded clemency for seven Texians who survived the battle, but the arguments were ignored. The seven were hacked to death by Santa Anna’s soldiers.

Fernandez died in the Battle of San Jacinto, (near Houston), being one of the few Mexican officers to stand his ground even when Santa Anna could not be found. According to memoirs written by Texian second lieutenant Walter Paye Lane, de Castrillion was heard to say in Spanish, “I have been in forty battles and never showed my back; I am too old to do it now.” The call from the Texians went to not shoot the general, but was he was ultimately “riddled… with balls.”

He was honored by both sides of the Texas Revolution except by Santa Anna who blamed the loss at Houston partly on de Castrillion… I think Santa Anna should’ve been doing his job and not messing with Emily Morgan, but that’s another story. While the general died at the battle in Houston, it is thought he walks the Alamo, shaking his head in sorrow, hands clasped behind his back.

Near the top of Alamo are three more ghosts. A small blonde boy is often seen in the upstairs window and on the roof is the spirit of a man holding the hand of a small boy. The pair jump in a never ending loop from the parapet, and can be seen leaping in the early morning before sunrise. Colonel Juan Andrade with several other Mexican officers were horrified when they saw a “tall, thin man with a small child in his arms leap to the ground.”

On the grounds, two young boys about 10-12 years old will occasionally join tour groups. It is believed they are Alamo Artilleryman Anthony Wolfe's sons who were accidentally killed. The boys were apparently mistaken as combatants during the final siege after being discovered hiding in the Alamo church and killed. Now they play behind trees or join tour groups. 

One of the most famous ghosts to walk the grounds of the Alamo are the actor, John Wayne, aka “the Duke.” In 1960, John Wayne starred in and directed the film, The Alamo, spending approximately $1.5 million (the equivalent of almost $17 million today) to ensure historically accuracy of the film's props and sets. Wayne would tour the Alamo and analyze blueprints to ensure the Brackettville, TX movie set location was also accurate to the Alamo. Not long after his death, Wayne’s ghost was seen at the Alamo, walking the grounds. His widow said it made sense as Wayne believed the Alamo to be a sacred site.

The Alamo isn’t the only popular site to see spirits- much of downtown SA has stories of unusual hauntings, murders and other strange occurrences, all rich in history.

At over 1.6 million visitors yearly, the Alamo is considered the most visited site in Texas, but it is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a designated shrine. As a shrine, ghost investigations including the use of EMF meters are not allowed inside the actual mission.

Book a guided tour with me to learn more about the Alamo and other haunted locations throughout the San Antonio downtown area. For a customized historical haunted tour &/or bar crawl, contact me at UnexpectedTexas.com, on Facebook, or Instagram.

San Antonio is best known for The Alamo, but the "spirited" city will haunt you

When you hear “San Antonio,” images of the Alamo or the Riverwalk are the typical images that come to mind. While both are important to the city, San Antonio is much more than that. San Antonio is rich in history, culture, entertainment, and culinary delights, and for those interested in the otherworldly, it is also a surprising haven for ghosts and all things haunted.

While most of the downtown SA area has many haunted locations, the Emily Morgan Hotel is considered one of the most haunted. This is saying something! According to their website, the Emily Morgan claims they are “America’s Most Haunted Hotel.” In 2015, USA voted them one of America’s top third most haunted hotel, but how did the Morgan earn this reputation, and is the reputation earned?

Before the initial structure, the site where the hotel now stands already had a long history marked by death and conflict. The Emily Morgan towers over the Alamo, one of its nearest neighbors. Part of the hotel's history is rooted in the Battle of the Alamo as the site of the Long Barracks, one of the main battlefields of the famous conflict.
One might think that location would lend to the beginning of the haunted history. However, the stories inside the hotel are uniquely its own, as they don’t begin until the building became a hotel.

There are many stories surrounding who Emily Morgan was, but many of them are erroneous, as often happens with lore. One such legend says Emily was the inspiration for Texas’ state song, “The Yellow Rose of Texas.” While her actions are deserving, the legend is not true.

Ms. Morgan was a free Black woman who served as an indentured servant to James Morgan in 1835. Both indentured servitude and adopting the last name of the person one served were customary during this period. While working as James’ housekeeper at the Buffalo Bayou (now Houston), she and several others were kidnapped by Santa Anna about six weeks after the Battle of the Alamo.

William Bollaert, a visiting Englishman, wrote in 1842 about a conversation he had while aboard a steamer traveling from Galveston to Houston. Bollaert writes, “The battle of San Jacinto was probably lost to the Mexicans, owing to the influence of a Mulatta Girl (Emily)
belonging to Col. Morgan who was closeted in the tent with G’l Santana.”

On the day Sam Houston and his troops rode into battle against the Mexican army, General Santa Anna was nowhere to be found. The formidable general was preoccupied; some stories say he had requested Emily come to his tent to dance for him, other versions say she drugged him, or otherwise kept him preoccupied… I’ll let you fill in the blanks. The actual details are between Emily and the general.

The Mexican army was in disarray because it couldn’t find its general. According to Bollart, Emily delayed Santa Anna “so long that order could not be restored readily again.”

The story I love best is General Santa Anna was found huddled under a tree, wearing nothing but a dressing gown and slippers, while Emily stood over him, fully dressed and unscathed. Stories have circulated including that Santa Anna was trying to escape dressed as a woman, thus the slippers and dressing gown… sure buddy. Somewhere lies the truth, but I’ll let you decide. We do know that while the general was, , preoccupied, a cry came through the Mexican army;

Whichever version is true, the battle lasted only about 18 minutes. (There’s an inappropriate joke I could make but won’t…) Sam Houston was the victor, Santa Anna… not so much.

Although the loss of Houston was considered a disaster for Santa Anna, he went on to fight in more battles before retiring in 1874 to write his memoirs in Mexico City.

Originally, the Emily Morgan was San Antonio’s first skyscraper at a whopping 13 stories tall as a medical center. The Medical Arts Building opened on April 12, 1926, operating for approximately 50 more years before being converted into an office building in 1976. In 1984, it became the Emily Morgan Hotel.

Hosting 177 and 24 suites, the hotel says it has “14” stories, but there is no true 14th floor. While skipping the 13th floor due to superstition isn’t unusual in the hospitality industry, the room numbering on the 14th floor makes things even weirder. Don’t ask for Room 1408 because there isn’t one. You can stay in rooms 1407 or 1409, but room 1408 is called the “Duke Suite,” named after the late John Wayne, aka “The Duke.” But why? Because if you add up 1+4+0+8, the total is 13. Ooooh, so spooooooky…

In keeping with the Gothic Style, one of the building’s unique features is the gargoyles flanking the ground-level windows. The gargoyles depict various medical alignments: one clutches its stomach in perpetual pain, while the other holds its tongue, mouth gaping open in permanent broken tooth agony. Above these, the face of the nurse stares eternally dead-eyed. I’m pretty
sure she’s the influence behind all the scary nun stories.

The 13-story building housed a morgue in the basement, an asylum on the seventh floor and doctors’ offices on the 12th level. The 12th and 14th floors were also the the surgical suites and waiting areas. It was thought having surgeries and a hospital upstairs was so that the smells would not be locked inside because the upper level windows could be opened… but were there no windows that opened on the lower levels?

The Emily Morgan is rife with stories of hauntings and other spooky, mysterious occurrences, so hopefully, you don’t want to actually get a good night’s sleep if you stay there. I’ll be honest with you- I’ve lived in SA for over 15 years and have led ghost tours for over 3 of those years.  I met a few hotel guests did feel or hear strange happenings… maybe you’ll be next.

The most frequent occurrences come from hotel staff who report doors, like the main entrances, open for no reason (the same is said for the neighboring Crocket Hotel), pillows are thrown on the floor when the room attendant steps back into the room after cleaning the bathroom. Guests report sound like the squeaky wheels of hospital gurneys outside their room’s doors or down hallways, or the smell of antiseptic on the 12th floor. One of the most common reports is the elevators stopping for no reason, especially at the 12th, “14th” floors, the seventh floor, or the basement.

The basement has a reputation for being the most haunted floor, but those stories seem to be known only to hotel employees and staff. The basement is blocked off from guests due to report the reported odors of burning flesh, disembodied voices and orbital activity. Since there isn’t much more information than this, we only have the word of those who seem to know things they’re not telling. However, there are numerous stories about the other floors which have been repeated by various guests.

Guests have reported seeing people in hospital gowns wandering the hallways on the seventh floor. The seventh floor also houses the Ghost Bride. The ghost bride apparently was a guest who was preparing for her wedding, but fell down the grand staircase, dying instantly. Some stories call her the “woman in white,” and describe her pushing a gurney, wearing a nurse’s uniform or hospital gown.
Guests staying on the seventh floor have complained of feeling a presence in their rooms, describing it as a semi-translucent figure of a woman wearing a white dress (I know, you didn’t see that one coming, right?). 

Some reports also say the elevator will randomly go to the basement, which was the morgue during the building’s time as a medical center.

On April 4, 2008, police officers were called regarding a disturbance at 2 am due to a disturbance in Room 810. Juan Ignacio Gutierrez and Elvira Hernandez- Moreno were engaged in a violent argument and police were called to intervene. Police heard Hernandez-Moreno screaming, “He’s stabbing me,” officers broke down the room door with a battering ram. Police shot Gutierrez in the chest several times, killing him because when he failed to cease continuously stabbing the now lifeless Hernandez-Moreno. Gutierrez was taken to the Brooke Army Medical Center but pronounced dead at the scene.

Little is known about the relationship between the two. Hernandez- Moreno was a 45 yr. old mother of three who had recently married while Gutierrez was construction worker working on ongoing renovations for the hotel. Moreno is said to now haunt the hotel, especially Room 810. It’s no surprise Moreno is seen as a woman in white, haunting the hotel hallways. There’s apparently several women in white wandering the hallways of the Emily Morgan…

The Hotel Emily is a beautiful hotel with a long, intriguing past. If you dare, or two and go to the 13th (er, 14th) floor about 3am. Proceed at your own risk though… You’ve been warned.

Book a guided tour with me to learn more about the Emily Morgan hotel, the Alamo and other haunted locations throughout the San Antonio downtown area. For a customized historical haunted tour &/or bar crawl, contact me through this site, Facebook Instagram.