Ghosts Haunt the Alamo!
Phantoms Sighted of People Killed in the Final Battle
For two weeks, Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Perez de Lebrón and his troops fought the Texans commanded by William B. Travis and Jim Bowie whose forces were greatly outnumbered by the Mexican Army.
Santa Anna’s troops attacked the Alamo on the morning of March 6, 1836, killing all of the Americans troops. Several non-combatants were left alive so they could tell fellow Texans what would happen if they continued to rebel against the Mexicans. After the fray, the Alamo defenders’ remains were looted, dismembered, burned, thrown into the river or buried in mass graves.
Ghosts and Paranormal Phenomena of the Alamo
The first experience with ghosts happened a few days after the last battle. A Mexican Army contingent went to destroy the Alamo because of disease caused by the carnage. The men fled when they saw six spectral Diablos guarding the fort who screamed at them while waving flaming sabers. When General Andrade investigated the incident, he also saw the Diablos. Other ghostly experiences include:
- Guests at nearby hotels see bizarre specters emanating from the Alamo’s walls. They also report hearing screams, explosions and faint trumpet notes of El Deguello, a melody.
- A cowboy’s apparition, believed to be a courier, is seen wandering the Alamo’s gardens.
- A ghost puts his head and shoulders outside a window, then leans back and vanishes.
- A little blonde boy is seen in an upstairs window and walking on the grounds.
- A woman’s misty apparition appears next to a well on the site.
- An AmerIndian’s phantom is seen in the basement, abruptly vanishing or walking through a wall.
- A mournful Mexican officer’s phantom wanders on the grounds. Many believe he’s the shade of General Manuel Fernandez de Castrillon, one of Santa Anna's regimental commanders who was against the Alamo’s final attack.
- Davy Crockett’s ghost, dressed in buckskins and a coonskin cap, stands at attention.
- Ghosts of a man with a toddler on the roof are seen during the daily sunrise. Mexican officers saw a man, child in his arms, leap to the ground during the final siege.
- Two ghostly boys follow tour groups and vanish when the group reaches the sacristy room. They’re thought be the phantasms of Artilleryman Anthony Wolfe’s sons who were killed during the battle.
- In March of each year, a few days after the anniversary of Alamo’s demise, many people are awakened by the sound of a horse galloping on the pavement. Many believe the unseen rider is James Allen’s ghost. He was the last courier to leave the fortress on the evening before its last battle.
- John Wayne’s ghost is said to haunt the Alamo. When he directed and started in The Alamo, he was obsessed with its history. Shortly after his death, visitors and staff reported seeing his ghost conversing with specters of the fort’s soldiers.
Haunted Alamo Compound
Fortress walls were dismantled and buildings were built on the land that was the Alamo’s. Specters wander on this land. Almost all of the stores on Alamo Plaza are haunted.
Many bodies of Americans who died in battle were burned near where the River Center Marriott stands today and are said to haunt the place. A nearby bookstore has a corner that’s very cold and its books often fly off of shelves by themselves. The children’s playground is said to be haunted by the Mexican soldiers who were buried at the site.
Alamo Bans Paranormal Investigations
The Alamo is the site where one hundred and eighty-two Americans were slain and sixteen hundred Mexican soldiers were wounded or killed and buried. It’s a registered historical site maintained by the Daughters of the Republic of Texas. Taking photographs of the interiors of the Alamo church and the long barracks, the only two original structures still standing, is forbidden. No electronic apparatus, including EMF meters, are allowed to be used inside them. No scientific paranormal investigations have been permitted on the premises.
Articles Related to Ghosts of the Alamo
People who were intrigued by this article may want to read:
- Ghosts of Fort Monroe is a Hampton, Virginia Army Base that’s haunted by specters of famous historic people.
- Haunts of Fort Huachuca include a ghost of a woman who gave birth to a stillborn son who didn’t have a proper burial.
- John Wayne's Haunted Yacht discusses the Duke who loved the Wild Goose so much that his death couldn’t keep them apart.
Source:
- Haunted Places, Dennis William Hauck, (Penguin Books, 2002).
Alamo Haunted After Final Battle
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