San Antonio Texas is especially haunted, unsurprisingly for such an historic and adventurous city.

The St Anthony Hotel / Saint Anthony Hotel, is noted for various spooky escapades, including phantom guests whose second honeymoon is lasting a lot longer than they paid for. In the Sheraton Gunter Hotel, you may encounter the restless spirit of a murdered call girl. Inexplicable phenomena are also often experienced at the Emily Morgan Hotel, which is close to The Alamo. The Marriott Plaza Hotel is haunted by a lady in white, carrying a spectral cat. Ghostly entities are also seen in Victoria's Black Swan Inn.

The historic Menger Hotel is haunted by an amazing thirty-two ghosts, including Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt. In the Menger Bar, he recruited, for the Cuba campaign, some of his famous Rough Riders. Ghostly staff members include unseen kitchen helpers and the spectre of a former chambermaid, Sallie White. Dressed in Victorian clothes, she still diligently carres out her duties. Wealthy rancher Richard King still haunts his former suite, the King Room. A phantom bespectacled lady, in a blue dress, is sometimes seen in the lobby, quietly knitting. There is also a ghostly man wearing a buckskin jacket. Guests of the Menger Hotel have also seen phantom troops marching in front of the The Alamo, across the plaza from the hotel.

The Hotel Gibbs (formerly the Hotel Indigo) and the Crockett Hotel stand on ground that once formed part of the fortified Alamo complex and both are said to be haunted. Phantoms dressed in the fashion of a past era are seen in the rooms and corridors of the Hotel Gibbs and although the elevators are no longer in use, an elevator door inexplicably opens and closes and a ghostly woman has been glimpsed entering it. Before they were decommissioned, the elevators often took guests to the wrong floors. Other unexplained phenomena include the sounds of ghostly children playing, and objects are mysteriously knocked off shelves. Ghostly soldiers and other unearthly phenomena have been witnessed in the Crockett Hotel, especially in the lobby and bar but some guest rooms are also reputedly haunted. The elevators at the Crockett Hotel also behave strangely and ghostly hoofbeats have been heard, as well as eerie chanting, possibly emanating from the neighbouring Alamo chapel.

Eerie stories are associated with the The Alamo mission (also known as the Mission San Antonio de Valero) itself, of course. The spectral soldiers marching in front of the mission have already been mentioned. The slender spectre of a man holding a child is sometimes seen before dawn on the parapet at the rear of The Alamo. The ghostly man is thought to have jumped to his death with his small son rather than surrender as the siege ended. A Mexican officer, sad of expression and with his hands behind his back, is seen walking the grounds of The Alamo. Some think that he is General Manuel de Castrillon, who is said to have disapproved of General Santa Ana's ruthlessness when dealing with the few survivors of the siege. It must be said that Santa Ana did at least spare one of the defenders, Joe, the slave of Colonel William Travis himself. The ghost of a boy with blond hair is seen at a window of the gift shop, especially during February, for some reason. The ghost of a teenaged Mexican boy has also been seen. Strange moaning has been heard, said to emanate from the wraiths of prisoners held when The Alamo was a gaol and police station, although they could also be the dying groans of those wounded during the siege. Shadowy figures have been seen in the corridors of The Alamo, where ghostly footsteps have also been heard.

According to legend, General Santa Ana, after capturing The Alamo, ordered his subordinate General Andrade to burn the mission to the ground. General Andrade in turn ordered some of his men to do the task. However, when they reported back, the visibly shaken soldiers claimed that six diablos had barred their way with fiery swords. In some versions of the story, the soldiers described the diablos, or "devils", as phantom monks. That does not make sense, however, as monks would hardly be called "devils". What allegedly happened next depends on who is telling the story. In one version, General Andrade investigated himself and was met by the same 6 diablos. In another, he saw a ghostly man on the ramparts, threatening him with fireballs held in each hand.

Those Mexican born Texans who supported the rebellion may or may not have been disappointed when Texan independence turned out to be short-lived. Regardless of the rights and wrongs, the defence of The Alamo was heroic and worthy of the Hollywood movies that it inspired. (London, England, has not forgotten the Republic of Texas. Its embassy to the Court of St James was housed in rooms in the convenient and fashionable area of St James itself, 4 St James’ Street to be precise. The premises were and are owned by, and also house, Berry Brothers & Rudd, wine merchants who are still in business. In neighbouring Pickering Place, there is a plaque commemorating the entrance to the Legation of the Republic of Texas. When Texas joined the Union, the legation left owing £160 sterling in unpaid rent. With interest accumulating since 1845, that's gotta be a lotta moolah in today's money. If the venerable company of Berry Brothers and Rudd ever have to close shop, you now know who are at least partly to blame.)

Click here for Other Texas Ghosts and Legends.