One legend says a man got lost out there in the vast wilderness of tall trees and endless undergrowth and died before he could find his way out. Now his ghost is still trying to find a way out of the thicket. Another oft repeated tale talks about the railroad that went through there when the trains carried the big logs out of the forest. It seems one of the workers fell asleep near the tracks, with his head resting on the rails. He must have been a sound sleeper, because a train is said to have run over him, severing his head. Searchers couldn’t find it anywhere, so his headless body was buried out there in the woods. The ghostly, headless figure is still there, swinging an old railroad lantern while searching for his missing head.
Another railroad-related legend says a brakeman was decapitated when a logging train derailed, and it’s his spirit that’s out there hunting for his missing head. A more poignant version says a railroad man’s wife fell in love with one of the lumberjacks, and the two lovers ran off into the deep, dark woods and were never seen again! The unhappy husband died of a broken heart, and today his ghost is said to wander the woods as he holds his lantern high, searching for his faithless wife and the lover who stole her away.
We also have heard the tale of the light being held by a logger who lost one of his hands in an accident that could have been avoided, caused by the carelessness of a fellow logger. Now he’s out searching for the responsible party in order to get his revenge. To back this legend up, it seems a couple of teenagers were out for a little “necking” on the dark road one night, when they saw a light. Soon they heard a strange metallic rapping sound at the rear of their car. They took off in a hurry! The next morning a metal hand-hook (the kind used to replace a lost hand) was found, caught on the rear bumper of the car! Wow!
Still another story says a man was out hunting (squirrels? ’coons? alligators?) in the forest, with his moonshine jug and his kerosene lantern to keep him company. Guess he over-imbibed because he fell asleep on the tracks. Familiar ending. Lost his head. He’s still looking.
Then there’s the story of the Mexican laborers who were hired to lay the railroad tracks. Rather than pay them for their labors, their employers paid them off in bullets. They are still out there, looking for the dirty-double-crossing villains who’d rather shoot them than pay them!
Then there are the stories of the Spanish explorers who buried their treasure chests deep within those woods. They never got back to claim their gold, so now their spirits are out searching, guided by, what else? The Saratoga light!
We must not forget the story that ran in the October 31, 1985 edition of the Beaumont Enterprise. It tells of a Confederate soldier who went A. W.O.L. from his regiment and was tracked down and shot as a deserter, there in the deep thicket. Somebody, maybe his wife or sweetheart, is still out there searching for his grave.
Now if all these tales were true, there would be a regular “gaggle” of lights bobbing up and down, like a multitude of overgrown lightning bugs! But one story must be true, because there have been so many reports of sightings of the light from all sorts of people from many walks of life for many, many years. There have been lots of articles printed, written by reporters who came out to the Thicket to check out the story. Many of them saw the light and reported back to their papers. Local residents of the southeast Texas area report a light, or lights, being seen, over and over again. Teenagers in old pickup trucks who use the road as a sort of “lover’s lane” have seen the huge bobbing light. And, if you stop by the Big Thicket Museum in Saratoga, they’ll tell you some more good stories.
There have been reports that the light chases cars, scorches hands, dances on top of cars, and chases people. The light has been described as white, as green, and as red in color. Some say just one great big light bobs around, moving laterally, very, very slowly. Others say the light comes straight at you, looking very much like the big light on the front of a locomotive.
Nobody really knows the source of the Saratoga light, or when, or where, it will show up next. Nobody knows what causes it to shine. All we do know, for “certain sure,” is that it’s still out there, illuminating the dark and mysterious woods of the Big Thicket, and giving a tingly, “goosebumpy” sort of thrill to those who see it shining in the night.
Epilogue
Even as this book goes to press, more ghost stories continue to pour in. Perhaps there will be a Ghosts Along the Texas Coast, Volume Two some day! Most of the stories contained in this collection are well documented and considered to be true. Others are legends, but because they are so well known, and “expected,” they just had to be included!
I will leave you with this parting thought . . .
DID YOU EVER SEE A GHOST?
Is there anyone who’ll boast
That they’ve ever seen a ghost?
Or heard a footstep on the stair?
Did you ever freeze with fright.
In the middle of the night,
Knowing, surely, “something” was out there?
Have you ever really seen
On the night of Halloween,
“Something” out among the costumed hosts,
That seemed out of place
Because it didn’t have a face,
Well, my friend, I think you saw a ghost!
Happy hauntings!
Docia Schultz Williams
Sources
Newspapers
Beaumont Enterprise
Oct. 31, 1985
Brownsville Herald
June 13, 1982; Oct. 31, 1993
Corpus Christi Caller Times
Oct. 29, 1992; Oct. 31, 1993
Daily Express, San Antonio
Aug. 26, 1879
Eagle Images, Galveston
Oct. 1980
Galveston Daily News
Oct. 31, 1989; Oct. 31, 1990
Houston Chronicle
July 4, 1987; July 29, 1987; April 23, 1989; Oct. 31, 1991; Oct. 29, 1993
Houston Post
March 5, 1961; Oct. 28, 1984; Aug. 3, 1986
Jasper News Boy
Oct. 1993
La Voz Latino de Kuno (Laredo)
April 1991
Port Arthur News
July 29, 1970; Oct. 27, 1984; Oct. 28, 1984; Oct. 29, 1984; Oct. 28, 1992; Oct. 29, 1992; Oct. 31, 1992
Texas Express, Goliad
Oct. 31, 1984
Victoria Advocate
Nov. 8, 1992; Nov. 10, 1992
Magazines and Periodicals
Galveston County “In Between”
Oct. 1978
Houston Chronicle Magazine Section
Oct. 25, 1981
Texas Highways
Oct. 1983
Pamphlets
“Discover Historic Galveston Island,” published by Galveston Historical Foundation
“Presidio La Bahia,” Information Pamphlet, Goliad, Texas
“Ride the Texas Tropical Trail,” published by the State Department of Highways and Public Transportation
“Silver King Restaurant Newsletter,” Aransas Pass, year unknown (article sent to me not dated)
Stories
“The Legend of Knox Crossing,” Wilbur Butler
“Joe Lee Never Left Nederland,” Anne Malinowsky Blackwell
“The Ghost of Turtle Bayou,” Kevin Ladd
“The Cove Light,” Kevin Ladd
“The Ghost of Christy Hardin,” Kevin Ladd
Books
1001 Texas Place Names by Fred Tarpley, University of Texas Press, Austin, Texas, 1980
A Guide to Treasure in Texas by Thomas Penfield, published 1988 Carson Enterprises Inc., Deming, New Mexico
A University So Conceived, a Brief History of Rice by John B. Boles, revised edition, 1997, published by Rice University, Division of University Advancement.
American People’s Encyclopedia, Vol. 12, published 1956, Chicago, The Spencer Press, Inc.
Black Hope Horror, the True Story of a Haunting by Ben Williams, Jean Williams, John Bruce Shoemaker, published b
y Berkley Books, New York by arrangement with William Morrow and Company, Inc., 1993
Encyclopedia Americana, Vol. 16, 1940, published by Americana Corporation, New York, Chicago
Ghosts Along the Brazos by Catherine Munson Foster, published by Texian Press, Waco, Texas, 1977
Ghost Stories of Old Texas by Zinita Parsons Fowler, Eakin Press, Austin, Texas, 1983
Historical Heritage of Goliad County, edited and written by Jakie L. Pruett, and Everett B. Cole, 1983, researched by Goliad County Historical Commission, Eakin Publications, Austin
The Jasper Journal by Nida A. Marshall, 1993, Nortex Press, Austin, Texas
Lafitte the Pirate by Lyle Saxon, Pelican Publishing Company, Gretna, Louisiana, 1989
The Legend of Chipita by Keith Guthrie, 1990, Eakin Press, Austin, Texas
Legendary Ladies of Texas, Publication of the Texas Folklore Society XL VII in cooperation with the Texas Foundation for Women’s Resources, edited by Frances Edward Abernethy, 1981, E-Heart Press, Dallas, Texas
Off the Beaten Trail by Ed Syers, 1981, Texian Press, Waco, Texas
Readers Digest Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary, Vol. Two, L-Z, Readers Digest Association Inc., Pleasantville, New York, Montreal, 1987
Stories that Must Not Die by Dr. Juan Sauvageau, 1989, Pan American Publishing Co, Inc., Los Angeles, California
Studies in Brownsville History, edited by Milo Kearney, 1986, Pan American University Press, Brownsville, Texas
Texas Travel Handbook, published by Texas Department of Highways and Public Transportation, Austin, Texas, 1990
Time and Shadows by L.I. Adams Jr., 1971, Davis Bros. Publishing Company, Waco, Texas
Websters Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, 1983 published by Merriam Webster, Inc.
Weekend Escapes, Southeast Texas Edition, edited by Mike Michaelson, Published by Rand McNally, 1986
Personal Interviews
I wish to especially thank the following individuals who shared information in the form of personal and telephone interviews and through correspondence:
Anne Malinowsky Blackwell, Nederland
Steve and Paula Bonillas, owners, Blackbeard’s, Corpus Christi
Wilbur Butler, Beaumont
Donna Briones, Galveston
Julie Caraker, manager, Beulah’s, Port Aransas
Tim Case, night manager, The Ale House, Houston
Sue Casterline, Estes Flats
Eleanor Catlow, Galveston
Patricia Chance, Jasper
Diane Clifton Cox, managing editor, Jasper News Boy, Jasper
Mary Lou Polley Featherston, librarian, Port Arthur
Clouis and Marilyn Fisher, Rockport
Charlie Faupel, Reeves Thicket
Dr. Joe Graham, Dept. of Sociology, Texas A&M, Kingsville
Yolanda Gonzalez, librarian, Arnulfo L. Oliviera Memorial Library, University of Texas, Brownsville
David Goodbar, Galveston
Kathleen Fink, former director, Williams House Museum, Galveston
John Igo, professor, poet, author, San Antonio College, San Antonio
Ilona Langlinais, former employee, Wunsche Bros. Cafe and Saloon, Spring
Alma Lemm, former employee, Wunsche Bros. Cafe and Saloon, Spring
Brenda Greene Mitchell, owner, Wunsche Bros. Cafe and Saloon, Spring
Derek Neitzel, assistant to curator, resident graphic artist, U.S.S. Lexington Museum, Corpus Christi
Sam Nesmith, historian, psychic, San Antonio
Anita Northington, Egypt
Colonel Larry Platt, Pleasanton
Catherine Polk, La Marque
Nancy Polk, Houston
Susan Purcell, Reeves Thicket
Jerry Salazar, San Antonio
Debby and Jim Sandifer, Port Neches
Sherry Sinini, manager, Wunsche Bros. Cafe and Saloon, Spring
Newton Warzacha, museum director, La Bahia, Goliad
Mark Wilks, employee, “Beulah’s,” Port Aransas
Joseph Witwer, Galveston
Henry Wolff, columnist, Victoria Advocate, Victoria
Kevin Young, former director, La Bahia, Goliad
All photographs taken by Roy and Docia Williams, with exception of Wunsche Bros. Cafe and Saloon, by Donna Brown, of the “Portrait Copying,” Spring, Texas, and the photographs of the U.S.S. Lexington, which are official U.S. Navy photographs, courtesy the National Archives.
Index
The index that appeared in the print version of this title was intentionally removed from the eBook. Please use the search function on your eReading device for terms of interest. For your reference, the terms that appear in the print index are listed below
A
Abuela
Aiken, Bruce
Alamo, the
Alazon Creek
Aldrete Crossing
Aldrete Ranch
Ale House
Alford Air Conditioning Company
Alice
Allen, Augusta
Alley Theatre (Houston)
Ammeson, Jane
Anahuac
Anastasio
Andrus, Sybil
Angelina National Forest
Angelle, Denny
Angleton
Ansley, Irma
Aransas
Aransas Pass
Aransas River
Ashton Villa
Attacapan Indians
Aurora
Austin Colony
Austin, Stephen F.
Aztec Indians
B
Baffin Bay
Bailey, Edith S.
Bailey, James B.
Bailey, Margaret
Bailey, Nancy
Bailey, Sarah
Bailey’s Lights
Bailey’s Prairie
Baker, Capt. James Addison
Balli, Padre Nicholas
Barataria
Barataria Bay
Barham, John
Barton, Gladys
Bass, Sam
Battle of Coleto
Battle of Jones Creek
Battle of New Orleans
Battle of Palmito Ranch
Battle of Sabine Pass
Battle of San Jacinto
Bayou Ranch
Beach City
Beaumont
Benavides
Bellinger, Jack and Mott
Bennett’s Ridge
Beulah’s Restaurant
Big Hill
Big Thicket
Big Thicket Museum
Bishop, Alan
Bishop, Dorcas
Bishop, Andrew Jackson
Bishop, Cooper Reese
Bishop, John Allan
Bishop, Dessie Mae Stephenson
Bishop, Jack
Blackbeard’s
Black Hope Cemetery
Blackwell, Anne
Bloody Mary
Bolivar Peninsula
Bolivar Point
Bolt, Ben
Bonillas, Paula
Bonillas, Steve
Borglum, Gutzon
Bouton Lake
Bracht, Leopold
Bragg
Brazoria
Brazoria County
Brazos River
Brazos de Santigo
Briones, Donna
Brookeland
Brown, George
Brown, James Moreau
Brown, Rebecca
Browndell Community
Browndell Liquor Store
Brownsville
Brownsville Herald
Bruce, Robert
Buffalo Bayou
Bull Head Water Hole
Burke, Viola
Butler, Ann
Butler, Beau
Butler, Pleas
Butler, Stacy
Butler, Wilbur
Butler, Wilma
Buvosa, Mike
C
Cabeza de Vaca
Caldwell, Jimmy
Campbell, a man named
Cam
pbell Bayou
Cameron County
Campeche
Campo de Santos
Captain Jack
Caraker, Julie
Carson, Mayor
Case, Tim
Casterline, Sue
Catlow, Eleanor
Cazarez-Rueda, Luiz
C.C. Beach
Ceccaci, Mario P. Jr.
Cedar Bayou
Chambers County
Chance, Don
Chance, Pat
Chapel, Lady of Loreto
Chavez, Pedro
Chipita’s Inn
Chocolate Bayou
Choate
Christ the King Church
Cihuacoatl
Civil War
Claiborne, William C
Clark, John
Clawson, a man named
Coleto Creek
Coleto, Battle of
Collins, John
Collinsworth, George
Community Development Corporation
Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi Bay
Corpus Christi Day
Cortes, Hernando
Cove
Cox, Diane
Cram, Ralph Adams
Cramer, J. F.
Crybaby Bridge
Cuauhtemoc
Cuero
Culebra Island
D
Damage Control Personnel
Dau, John
Dead Man’s Lagoon
Declaration of Texas Independence
Desconocidos
DeWitt County
“Dickson”
Duval County
E
Egypt, Texas
Eisenhour, Virginia, (Mrs. Merle E.)
El Campo
Ellerbrock, Timothy
Ellis, J. M.
El Muerto
Espiritu Santo, Mission of
Estes Flats
Evans, Aunt Harriet
F
False Live Oak Point
Fannin, James W.
Faupel, Charlie
Featherston, Mary Lou
Fellers, Wayne
Fieg, Greg
Fire Station Number Six
First Pagan Church of Houston
Fisher, Clovis
Fisher, Marilyn
Fisher, Laura
Fisher, James
Fleming Prairie
Ford, John S.
Fort Brown
Fort St. Louis
Fort Texas
Foster, Catherine M.
G
Galveston
Ghosts along the Texas Coast Page 22