In honor of scary season, I’m sharing places around the Houston-area that will give you the creeps. A trip to Grand Galvez, formerly known as Hotel Galvez, in Galveston is a perfect weekend getaway to relax, but it also has some ghost folklore that may keep you up at night. Trigger warning: The ghost story mentioned below includes details about a person’s suicide.
The History
Hotel Galvez, an opulent hotel in Galveston, was constructed in 1911. At first, it was used by the United States Coast Guard during World War II. However, by the 1950s, the hotel helped Galveston gain its reputation as the “Vegas of the South” because gambling became popular around town. Celebrity guests such as Frank Sinatra, Howard Hughes, and Lyndon B. Johnson all stayed at the hotel. It became Franklin D. Roosevelt's temporary White House when his staff stayed there while he was on a fishing trip. Throughout the years, the hotel remained a popular spot for tourists and was nicknamed the “Queen of the Gulf.” More recently, Grand Galvez received a makeover gaining a new pink facade and glamorous fountain made in Italy.
The Ghosts
Some people say that Grand Galvez is haunted. So, who might you find haunting the halls if you stay for a visit?
- Audra, the “The Love-Lorn Lady” is still known to frequent the halls of Grand Galvez after her death. Her husband, a mariner, would often sail in and out of the Port of Galveston. While he was away, Audra would rent room 501 in the 1950s. After a terrible storm, Audra received word that her husband’s ship had capsized at sea. Hearing the news, she killed herself at the hotel. Some say that Audra frequently visits the fifth floor of the hotel to this day.
- The tragic Hurricane of 1900 significantly impacted Galveston, including St. Mary’s Orphans Asylum. 90 children and ten nuns from the orphanage passed away in the storm. Some believe that Grand Galvez was built over their graves, so visitors say they still see apparitions of the deceased around the hotel.
- A small ghostly girl dressed in 19th century clothing is sometimes seen bouncing her ball near the hotel lobby, gift shop, and staircase.
If you’re looking to learn more about Galveston’s haunted spots, check out their ghost tours. Want another ghost story? Listen to a real-life one set in The Woodlands. [City Cast Houston
Have you stayed at Galvez before and have a ghost story to share? Or another Houston-area hotel that’s haunted? I want to know!
