Sisters Grimm

But before I get into that. HAPPY 50th WEDDING ANNIVERSARYto my parents. Mom's life long friend sent flowers as did Dad's former boss. My brother and I are taking them out tomorrow. They went out on their own tonight.

So here's the second of my ghost tours.

I joined the Sisters Grimm
ghost tour, though my guide must have been a brother Grimm, Eric. Another personable enthusiastic young tour guide. It started with three ghosts that I already knew but there were things I had forgotten and one new thing so let me start with those.

I had forgotten a key detail on the Alamo when I wrote about Bad Wolf. Santa Anna had sent his men to tear down the Alamo completely but the men refused to do it. One legend says that 6 robed men with flaming swords scared them off. The other, more believable one, is the ghosts of the slain Texans did the honors.

At the Emily Morgan hotel (a private hospital originally built in the 1920s) has a fourteenth floor (technically the 13th) that smells of rubbing alcohol no one can get rid of. The hotel’s elevators open and close on the own, even trapping people inside. The elevators were replaced but it still happens. Phone calls from the elevators go to the front desk.

Emily Morgan at night with orb


As for the Menger the story I hadn’t heard was that Mr. King, a rich rancher, died in one of the suites that’s still rentable today. The original bed frame is there. He likes to walk through the walls in his suite and sometimes tells you to get out of the bed. The corner of the street where the mall is now used to be a coffin shop. We went to the casino club again but no new history there.

I wish I had known about San Fernando Cathedral earlier. It’s lovely and it was originally from people from the Canary Islands (the adobe part of the church) and then taken over later by the Spanish. The Apache and the colonists naturally mixed it up. The story goes that a white horse was sacrificed (buried alive) at the church to bless a peace between them that didn’t last more than days (I find this a bit hard to believe. I’d like to see the records from the time). However, the ashes of some of those who died at the Alamo are interred inside and in one part of the church people were interred inside the wall. Supposedly after this faces appeared in the walls. I took a few pictures but I’m not sure I consider that a true haunting (and more our brains finding meaning in meaningless patterns). Bowie and his wife were married her and it turns out she was related to Santa Anna.

San Fernando at night

One of the ‘faces’

The Spanish governor’s place has a door rich in symbolism, sea shells to symbolize Columbus’s three ships, a baby’s face to represent the innocent colonist, dragons and a Native American shaman mask to represent things needing to be overcome. Back in the 1700s hangings were down in the courtyard and one of the trees still stands. There was a family living here and the daughter heard people screaming and saw her mother in the courtyard on her knees while robbers tried to get to her to give them their secreted wealth. Mom refused, broke away and was murdered at the corner of the house. The daughter was kidnapped and taken to Mexico for years. The mother is often seen in that window often kneeling as the Lady in Grey.

Tour guide and the door

Close up of the door

The window the ghost appears in


The last stop was the Holiday Inn Express which used to be the Bexar county jail from the mid 1800s to the 1960s. How’s that for a place to stay?? It was also used as a place of execution by hanging. The trap door was between floors three and two and people did watch it on floor two. One of the most famous (and last) hangings was of Apolinar Clemente who had been walking to San Antonio and stopped at a creek for a drink only to find it too muddy. He walked upstream looking for cleaner water and/or the source of contamination and found two boys playing in the water (or driving their cows through it which is just as believable). He flew into a rage and attacked the brother, Theodore, who was fourteen. He beat the boy to death, flayed his face, removed all the brains from the body, rubbing them on himself and on the boy, replaced them with stones and mud and took the boy’s eyes as a souvenir. He then went on his way to San Antonio and took full responsibility, displaying the eye. He was found guilty (and not insane. instead they blame his marijuana consumption) and was hung in the jail, nearly decapitated. The pool is where the ashes were buried of many prisoners. There are many haunts from cold spots, people getting into bed with you, things being violently thrown and people on the second floor seeing people falling through the ceiling.

The Holiday Inn

I came back to the Menger and went around the Victorian side more thoroughly. I met another HAPster on the tour and invited her to come with me since she was having such fun with this but she had an early flight and couldn’t. I did catch a few things of interest that I need to really look at.

I just loved this piece of furniture

The dark spot that looks like two heels together was not there when I looked at it.

Teddy Roosevelt room. He’s said to haunt it. Very bright orb and the junk on the floor…this area should have been locked off but somehow the door was open and I went through.

Door to the King Ranch room, sadly boring