< Previous10 COASTMONTHLY.COM | OCTOber 2022 Y ears ago, my husband and I rented a charm- ing old house in Galveston. I loved every- thing about it, except the kitchen. It was less than spacious, which is being kind. And the absence of a dishwasher was nearly a dealbreaker. Still, we moved in, unpacked and settled in with three cats. Except the cats didn’t settle. We chalked it up to unfamiliarity and the usual neurosis and melodrama to which those particular cats were prone. They had moved often in our wanderings on the island and even endured a long ride to and stint in Colorado, but always adapted. It turns out, the cats hated that kitchen, too. They hated it in a backs arched, puffed-up fur kind of way, which pretty much sums up how I felt about the missing dishwasher. No amount of treats or at- tempts to soothe would entice the cats into the kitchen. A faint scar running along my husband’s wrist memorializes how ardently the cats opposed entering that kitchen. Their very obvious fear was unsettling. What did they see? What did they know? We gave up and moved their water and food bowls elsewhere. And exactly a year later, we gave up and moved altogether. When my husband and I told islanders about the cats and the kitchen, they knew exactly the source of the problem. The kitchen was haunted and we were silly not to know that. Galvestonians are like that. They love their ghosts and ghost stories. And there’s at least one in almost every Victo- rian mansion. In 2012, several of my relatives emailed a copy of a USA Today article listing Galveston among the most haunted U.S. cities. There might have been a time when tourism officials cringed at such an honorific. But not anymore. Galveston, known for sunshine and beaches, embraces its dark and supernatural side and increasingly sees its haunted reputation as a tourism draw, evident in year-round ghost tours that include buildings, cemeteries and harbors. Some speculate Galveston’s long history of death, destruc- tion and horror make it fertile ground for hauntings. Tales of hauntings by pirates and Civil War soldiers abound. But the greatest legend revolves around the worst natural disaster ever on U.S. soil — the 1900 Storm. That storm wrought a death toll of between 6,000 and 12,000 and spawns ghost stories still today. Such instantaneous mass death could only lead to some eerie energy, ghost hunters argue. Kathleen Maca, author of “Ghosts of Galveston,” among other books, sees spooky stories as a bridge to our past. She extensively researches her subjects, as Coast Monthly cor- respondent Kathryn Eastburn writes in this issue. Maca, who leads visitors on local history tours as well as ghost tours, said it doesn’t matter whether someone believes in and encounters ghosts, but whether the legends passed on are based on true people and real events, not manufactured. To that end, she uses her skills as a researcher and geneal- ogist to verify and enrich the stories she tells about the dead’s lives on Earth and their subsequent lives in the spirit world. In years past, Coast Monthly has explored some of the most famous haunted places in Galveston. But this year, we branched out a bit as we hunted for hauntings on the mainland, too. We wish you a frighteningly happy fall. LAURA ELDER Coast Monthly editor FROM THE EDITOR A SUNNY ISLAND EMBRACES ITS DARK SIDECarolyn T. Gaido REALTOR ® CLHMS, CRS, RSPS, SRS 713.851.3377 CarolynGaido@SandNSea.com CarolynGaido.com Sand `N Sea Properties, LLC Top Agent Since 1999 Michael J. Gaido, III REALTOR ® 409.457.4900 MichaelGaido.com Kimberly A. Gaido REALTOR ® , SRS 713.498.2020 sandnsea.com 3222 ANTILLIES This is a rare 3 bed 3 bath Caribbean townhouse with nice upgrades including wind rated windows in 2018. 4409 JANE RD This is a great beachside home with an opportunity to secure your view and purchase the seaward lot next door. 12628 W VENTURA 1224 103 RD G aido R eal e state G Roup A trusted name with over 50 years of real estate experience 3806 SEA URCHIN Beautifully decorated 3BR/3.5BA custom built beachside jewel is located in the popular Beachside Village neighborhood. 22118 MATAGORDA Updated 2BR/2BA canal front house in Sea Isle.12 COASTMONTHLY.COM | OCTOber 2022 SHORELINES WE ASKED ON FACEBOOK: October is Galveston’s best kept secret. Shhhhh! Nelda Engstrom Less traffic, less noise, easier to get into your favorite restaurant, and it feels like the island is taking a deep breath, at least for a little while. Jeri Kinnear In my eyes, October is the best sports month of the year. You have college football, professional football, high school football and the Major League baseball playoffs. You need to have at least three or four TVs to make sure you catch it all. Scott Kusnerik Game Day and Game Day tradi- tions! Margie Peters Kusnerik I love beach walking and bike riding along the seawall in the fall. Of course, college football is so fun in Galveston with so many residents displaying their school spirit! Shannon Causey Robbins bonfires and s’mores! Jerry Jones The “Thump!” If you know, you know. Tom Rice Flounder fishing. Debby Sodd Brady Fall on the island is one of the best seasons! The beach is lovely, the colors of the sunsets, the pumpkins on the porches, and my favorite festival, Oktoberfest! Allison Schoenvogel Serene beaches! Linda Dobbs Willis As elusive as it can be, the slight change in the feel of the air, and a difference in the skies. It may or may not cool off, but you believe it will. Holly Thorson The Harvest Moon regatta. Shelley Coltzer Pumpkins, the smell of fall spices, fall festivals, the change of the air, and the slower pace of life. Stacey Gottlob Smaller crowds, ArToberfest and Oktoberfest. It’s festival season y’all. Christine Ruiz Hopkins empty beaches with beautiful water and perfect weather. Oh, and Island Oktoberfest. Carly Suzanne I love driving west on the seawall with clear skies and seeing the orange, purple and pink sunsets in October. Ethel Lou MacBeth The calming of the island, less traffic, less wait time at some of our favorite restaurants. Vicky Flake The first chill in the air — cooking chili, stews and cornbread to share with friends and enjoying an eve- ning fire in the chiminea. Forest Riggs The beach is spectacular during October! Cooler weather and quiet. Bobbey White Cool fronts that flatten the Gulf and the first white pelicans swimming under the pier lights! Trudy Deen Davis Paddling the coast on Halloween as a witch. Jeanna Leek Fall festivals. Carla Davis McLaughlin Island Oktoberfest! Richard Rhoades Festivals! I love the east end Historical District Association’s fall garden tour and plant sale at Darragh Park. Also love all of the ghost tours! Rita Forness That gentle chill in the air that heralds the beginning of the holiday season and a new year. Ruth Finkelstein beautiful weather, Harvest Moon regatta and fewer tourists so we can enjoy our local restaurants! Also, being able to drive on Sea- wall boulevard. Fred Koperski The empty beach while taking a walk at sunset. Wearing a wind- breaker with the water and wind whipping up. Laura Manning Stokes Football and the first cold front (usu- ally late October/early November). Don Walker Pumpkins! Karen Stanley Cooler weather. bonfires. Sweaters and leggings. DeLynne Collins Dia de los Muertos. Lilly Van Jones University of Texas Longhorns football; Starbuck’s Pumpkin Spice Lattes, and knowing that Thanksgiv- ing is just around the corner! Robyn R Bushong Surfing Galveston in February. Orell Fitzsimmons What’s your favorite thing about fall on the upper Texas coast? FILe PHOTO: JeNNIFer reYNOLDS Pumpkins and festivals signal the arrival of the fall season.Schedule an appointment: houstonmethodist.org/jointpain .. without joint pain KEEP YOU MOVING Live life without joint pain. At Houston Methodist Orthopedics & Sports Medicine, we know that joint pain affects every part of your life. With treatment plans customized for you, our specialists offer a full range of advanced nonsurgical and surgical techniques. Our expert joint care includes: •Innovative pain control methods •Physical therapy to improve mobility and range of motion •The latest technology, including minimally invasive surgical techniques that help reduce recovery time Clear Lake14 COASTMONTHLY.COM | OCTOber 2022 Jo bird, an island musician and artist, strolls through the episcopal Cemetery in the broadway Cemetery Historic District in Galveston. The historic district is comprised of seven separate cemeteries, the oldest dating back to 1839. PHOTO: JeNNIFer reYNOLDS COASTMONTHLY.COM | OCTOber 2022 15 HAUNTED HISTORY From hell hounds to friendly ghosts, spirits lurk on the upper Texas coast16 COASTMONTHLY.COM | OCTOber 2022 FEATURE BROADWAY CEMETERIES The names and times of islanders past can be read on tombstones in the cemetery at Broadway and 41st Street in Galveston. The cemetery actually is seven separate ones main- tained by different churches or institutions, said Jami Durham, a historian of prop- erty research and cultural history at the Galveston His- torical Foundation. The graves of some of Galveston’s most prominent names and legends rest in the cemetery, she said. Michel Menard, one of the city’s founders, is buried there, she said. Gen. John Magruder, a Civil War major general who fought in the Battle of Galves- ton, is buried there, she said. Also buried at the promi- nent cemetery is Elize Alberti, who made headlines in 1894 over the death of four of her children, Durham said. “One day, her husband came home at lunchtime,” Durham said. “She had poi- soned them all with arsenic. One survived and maybe one or two survived because they weren’t home.” Alberti, who was sent to a mental institution, eventually died by suicide, she said. But her ghost is said to haunt the grounds, along with many others. “There’s a lot of history in those Broadway cemeteries,” Durham said. “Everybody has a ghost.” – Keri Heath (Above) A monument in the Trinity Episcopal Cemetery in Galveston marks the grave of Gen. John Magruder, a Civil War major general who fought in the Battle of Galveston. (Opposite, clockwise from top) The sun sets behind gravestones in the Old City Cemetery, which is part of the Broadway Cemetery Historic District in Galveston; a large granite gravestone in the Trinity Episco- pal Cemetery marks the grave of the Alberti family. Elize Alberti made headlines in 1894 for poisoning four of her children; a monument marks the grave of Michel Menard, one of the city’s founders, in the Old Catholic Cemetery. PHOTOS: J e NNIF er re YNOLDS COASTMONTHLY.COM | OCTOber 2022 1718 COASTMONTHLY.COM | OCTOber 2022 FEATURE MAISON ROUGE (RED HOUSE) Hundreds of people pass brick ruins on Harborside in Galveston every day without knowing much about it. But locals know it was once the site of the luxurious home of Jean Laffite, an infamous pirate who plundered unsuspecting ships. Laffite lived in Galveston in 1812 and had built the Maison Rouge, 1417 Harborside Drive, with his buccaneers, where he ruled with total authority. Laffite decorated the Maison Rogue with items he had plundered from ships while he lived in Galveston, ac- cording to historians. Laffite, also known as “The Terror of the Gulf,” was chased by authorities from the safe haven and he fled to Louisiana’s Bara- taria Bay and later possibly to Yucatán in Mexico, though historians aren’t certain. Laffite was said to be protective of Maison Rouge and went to a voodoo queen to give him a “pack of devil dogs, bred for hunting men and animals,” to protect it, according to theclio.com, a history and culture website. “In accordance to his demand, she did a ritual over the pack as they were born. There are still reports today of people seeing the hounds, smelling wet dog, or hearing growls near the Red House. It is said that if someone sees the hounds, it is a bad omen meaning trouble is near.” Decades after Laffite left Galveston, the F.W. Henricks House was built on the grounds of the pirate stronghold. “Research and archaeological digs confirm that the Henricks House was built on the site of Laffite’s fort and his personal dwelling,” Lou Macbeth, a Laffite Society member, wrote in a 2017 guest column in The Daily News. “All that remains of the Henricks structure today are the outside walls of the basement and the front steps,” she wrote. The Lafitte Society is a club that focuses on the life and times of the pirate. Many believe Laffite’s treasure still can be found on the island and his spirit can be heard at Maison Rouge yelling at his crew. Neighbors of Maison Rouge have claimed to see orbs of light and the sounds of men arguing on the property. – José Mendiola A Texas historical marker at the site of Maison Rouge, pirate and privateer Jean Laffite’s stronghold on Harborside Drive in Galveston. (Below) Decades after Laffite left the island, the F.W. Henricks House was built on the site. 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