Ghosts of the Menger Hotel

Waking up in the middle of the night in a strange room often provokes thoughts of something scary. Was the noise I heard real? Was I dreaming or was that really the sound of footsteps I heard outside our door? When you are staying at the historic and haunted Menger Hotel, a ghost is a real possibility! Perhaps I read too many ghost stories about the Menger Hotel. Could it be Sallie White who is known to roam the halls of the Victorian wing of the hotel? Do I dare get up and look out our door? It is said she was killed by her husband after staying at the hotel with another man. Maybe I should be more worried that it is the ghost of the husband who killed her!  

Suzanne and I are staying at the historic Menger Hotel in San Antonio so we could be near the Alamo where so many brave Texans fought to bring us the freedoms we have today. Actually, you can look out the window of our room and see the outer walls of the Alamo complex. How cool is that! Could the noises I heard be attributed to the ghost of the men who defended the Alamo? It has been told that many of the defenders are still roaming the area and defending the Republic of Texas to this day. The Menger Hotel, built in 1859 is sitting on the hallowed grounds of the historic battle.

Another possibility is the ghost of Captain Richard King, the founder of the famous King Ranch, one of the largest ranches in the world. He is also known to roam the hotel. Mr. King, a man of great wealth had a suite at the Menger Hotel and it was here that he spent his last few months of life. His wrote his last will while staying here and his funeral was held in the parlor of the hotel. Rumor has it you might see him entering his room, The King Suite, by walking right through the wall where the door once was. How Spooky!

I almost forgot about President Teddy Roosevelt sitting in the bar downstairs having a drink and recruiting cowboys for the Rough Riders. I would love to sit down with Teddy and talk about hunting. He has supposedly been seen by many guests over the years. I wonder how many alcoholic beverages these guest consumed before they saw him. There is a list of other celebrities who have stayed at the Menger Hotel including Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, Babe Ruth and Mae West to name a few. Could the ghost be one of them?

Being one who does not believe in ghosts, I’m sure there is a perfectly good reason why someone or something is pacing out in front of our hotel door in the middle of the night. Just in case, I’m going to hide under the covers and be very quiet. I can’t wait for morning to come so we can continue to see Texas Thru Our Back Door!

Join in our fight against breast cancer.  Visit Suzanne's new blog "My Equations for Life" as she reflects on life B.C. (before cancer) and A.D. (after diagnosis) and help support new early cancer detection research at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center with our Go Fund Me project below.