The Hotel Galvez: A Ghost Story
Located at 2024 Seawall Blvd in Galveston, Texas you will find the Hotel Galvez, named after Bernardo de Galvez y Madrid, Count of Galvez, for whom the city was named. in 1898, civic leaders planned on building the Galvez after fire destroyed another large hotel known as the Beach Hotel in Galveston Island, but it was only after the Hurricane of 1900 that the plans were accelerated in order to draw tourists back to the Island, and the Hotel opened it’s doors for business in June of 1911, at a cost of $1 million dollars.
On October 3, 1940, the hotel was acquired by William Lewis Moody, Jr. and during World War II, occupied by the United States Coast Guard for two years during which time no rooms were rented out to guests. The Hotel’s importance to the local economy was restored after the war, particularly in the late 1940‘s and early 1950‘s when gambling was popular in Galveston. However, the illegal gambling industry was shut down by 1955, by the Texas Rangers and the local economy became depressed. The Galvez began to deteriorate. But thanks to a couple of refurbishings (one in 1965 and one in 1979) and it eventually becoming a Marriott franchise in 1989, it was kept alive. In 1995, it was again sold, this time to a Galveston native by the name of George P. Mitchell, a real estate developer who restored the hotel to it’s original 1911 look. Currently, it’s managed by Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. The hotel has a total of 226 rooms and suites available to guests.But this is all about ghosts and not all about just the history of the hotel and with that, let’s talk about the facts regarding the numerous hauntings of the Hotel Galvez...
The Hotel is noted to be the home of many spirits of course and a number of them could be the ghosts of the children of St. Mary’s Orphanage. Prior to the hotel’s existence, there stood on that piece of land, St. Mary’s Orphanage and Asylum which housed a total of 93 children under the care of ten nuns. The orphanage was run by Sister Katherine and the children who lived there were primarily the result of yellow fever epidemics. On September 7, 1900 a hurricane entered the gulf and by the next day had grown in strength. The nuns, in desperate attempt to save their charges, relocated the children from the boys dormitory to the girl’s dormitory which was of newer construction as was believed could withstand the storm. As winds reached 150 mph, the nuns decided to tie a piece of clothesline around their waists and then a piece tied to the children’s wrists which were connected to the nuns. And it was that way in which they surrendered their fate to God’s will. Shortly after, it’s said that the storm lifted the girl’s dormitory off of it’s foundation, causing the building’s bottom to fall out and sending the roof crashing down.
Only three children were found alive once the storm had passed, floating upon a tree limb out in the bay, rescued a day later by a small boat. When the bodies of the nuns and children were recovered, many of the children were still tied securely to the nuns. Their Ghosts haunt the spa.
The Hotel has a wonderful spa and if you go to check out the hotel, you must take time to visit the spa and spoil yourself. Oh, and to check it out for the young children whose spirits tend to haunt it. According to spa employees, the bathroom is where a majority of the ghostly events take place. Toilets flushing on their own, sounds of children laughing, and the sink turning on and off are a few of the happenings there. Spirits of children have been seen all over the hotel at one time or another, but always they seem to ground themselves in the Spa.
And there is the Ghost Bride of the Galvez Hotel...
It’s believed that her name is Audra and her tale begins in the mid-1950‘s. Audra was engaged to a sailor who regularly sailed in and out of the port of Galveston. Whenever his ship was due in port, she would leave room 501 where she stayed, and would take the elevator to the eighth floor and climb the narrow ladder that opened onto one of four metal-ribbed hexagonal turrets that sit on each of the four corners of the Hotel on the main, red-tiled roof, and there - sheltered from the weather, she would wait inside of the turret and watch through an opening for her lover’s ship to arrive.
Then one day there was a large storm and for days following, there was no word from his ship. Finally, the news came that the ship’s wreckage had been found and she’d sunk with the loss of all hands. But Audra refused to give up hope and continued to climb up to the turret each day, praying for some sign. None came. It’s then said that in a state of despair, she hung herself in the west turret. A great many have heard the story and many of them believe it’s true. It’s believed that her spirit is locked inside the hotel and that she never “crossed over.” - Sightings of her along with other paranormal evidence of her presence has been seen in the tower as well as all up and down the 5th floor hallway, as well as in Room 501...
And yes, there are other spirits! Hotel staff have reported the ghost of a young girl bouncing a ball in the lower level of the hotel and housekeeping staff have reported having felt the presence of a man in the corner of the hotel’s laundry room. They’ve also experienced paranormal activity in the hotel’s restaurant, and in the lobby with the moving and breaking of dishes on their own, and candles being blown out with no wind present in the room. Voices are often heard throughout the hotel when no one is around and orbs have been photographed as well in various locations.
My suggestion - If you’re traveling through Texas and visit the city of Galveston, spend a little more and spend a night at the Hotel Galvez. Ask for room 501 if it’s available, and remember to bring your camera and digital recorder...
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