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The Alamo –
HauntedHouses.com
Haunted Place — The Alamo and The Alamodome
ADDRESS:
300 Alamo Plaza
San Antonio, Texas 78205
___ web site * (210) 225-1391
LOCATION:
The Alamo can be found in the heart of San
Antonio.
HISTORY/DESCRIPTION:
This Alamo building, made of stone was
built in 1718-24, by the Franciscan Monks, who called their mission
San Antonio de Valero, which sat on 4 acres of land. They
ministered to the many Indians in the area, for around seventy
years. In 1793, Spain "secularized" the five missions in Texas,
giving the land to the Indian farmers, and turning the mission over
to the military, to use the structure as a military post. A calvary
unit was stationed there in the early 1800s and the first recorded
hospital in the Long Barrack was opened there. The soldiers
stationed there renamed the building, The Alamo ( which means
cottonwood in Spanish), in honor of their hometown, Alamo De Parras
Coahuila.
This event turned San Antonio and the Alamo
into a hot spot in the upcoming Mexican struggle against Spain for
their independence. The Revolutionaries and the Loyalists both at
various times fought for and took over the Alamo. The Mexicans were
the victorious forces that won the Alamo military post, quartering
their troops in the city of San Antonio.
In 1835, the Texas struggle for
independence from Mexico came of course to San Antonio. In December
of 1835, Ben Milam led Texan and Tejano volunteer army in a house
to house battle in San Antonio, which lasted 5 days. After forcing
General Marin Perfecto de Cos and his men to give up, the Texan
freedom fighters took possession of the Alamo as an occupying
force, further strengthening the Alamo's defenses.
Knowing that the Mexican Army would respond
with force, the Alamo commander, William B. Travis sent for more
help from other towns in Texas. Sure enough, on February 23, 1836,
General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna and his army of 4000 men
arrived to take back San Antonio and the Alamo, now a key defense
post in Texas battle for independence. The only reinforcements
which came to help the Alamo defenders, were the 32 men which
showed up from Gonzales on the 8th day of the battle with the
Mexican Army, as the other towns needed their people to defend
against the approaching Mexican soldiers. Among the then 200
defenders were Davy Crockett and James Bowie.
After holding out for 13 days, the Mexican
army finally overran the Alamo early in the morning on March 6,
1836, killing all the defenders ( around 200) and some of the women
and children hiding there, as they were pulled from their beds and
killed, though about 20 women and children were spared. Generally
though, it turned into a massacre. No surrenders from the defenders
were accepted — all were killed quickly. The Mexican army
wasn't in a generous frame of mind, having lost a lot of men
themselves.
Since 1905, The Daughters of the Republic
of Texas have managed the Alamo and the 4 acres it sit on, doing a
great job preserving the hiThe story of this place. They don't like
the guards to tell ghost stories as it may take away from the
meaning of the Alamo itself, as a symbol of Texas guts and
determination in winning their freedom.
MANIFESTATIONS:
The defenders and others killed inside the
Alamo were unceremoniously dumped into a mass grave, causing many
spirits to be restless and seek for a better eternal rest in the
areas around the Alamo, as well as the Alamo building itself. Many
other civilians/soldiers/defenders who were killed in other places
around San Antonio during the 13 days of battle were not buried at
all.
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The hauntings started soon after the bloodbath at the Alamo.
General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna unwisely ordered Mexican
engineers to tear down the Alamo, down to the last brick. However,
when the engineers began to tear down the walls, ghostly hands
emerged from the walls to stop them. Some of the hands held glowing
torches. For the grand finale, a loud ghostly voice warned the
living to stop tearing down the Alamo or face a terrible death.
Many think that it was the founding monks who built the mission who
came to the rescue and scared the bejeebers out of the Mexican
engineers. The Alamo was eventually rebuilt instead, with its 4
acres intact.
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Many apparitions, some deformed, have been seen going on evening
strolls, emerging from the Alamo's walls by guests of the nearby
Menger Hotel, which
has been a temporary resting place for spirits who wander in from
the Alamo.
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One apparition has been seen running along the top of the Alamo,
desperately looking for away to escape, perhaps revisiting his
death.
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Many people have seen an apparition dressed in a black cloak,
who is soaking wet. He is in solid form, and looks like a real
person. When asked a question, he melts into the air.
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The sounds of laughter from the spirits of the murdered children
can be heard at night.
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The apparition of a monk was spotted in the courtyard on the
north side of the church, going about his business, walking into a
wall which had once been a doorway.
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In the gift museum, voices are heard by the living. The sobs of
a woman are heard. Foot steps and heavy pounding on the doors also
are heard by the living.
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In the Alamo Hall, furniture shakes by itself. An apparition of
a young cowboy, dressed in western attire of the 1800s, has been
appearing in solid form, looking like a real person.
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Windows and doors open and close, lights go off and on.
Still Haunted?
Yes Indeed!
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