12. Local Adventures Explore, shop, drink and dine like a local. Stories such as these are told and re-toldfor the locals of San Antonio, it's no secret that the nearly three-centuries-old city is rife with paranormal phenomena. But though it has a fine reputation nowadays, patients who were once sent to the former Southwestern Insane Asylum were considered to be on "the March of Death." (Seizures were often deemed to be the sign of an overwrought, mentally unstable individual). There, the skinny, nearly 7-foot-tall teenager led his team to a 36-0 state championship record in 1989 (they had a 68-1 record over two years). mobile app. But don't worry, you're more likely to be killed . Best Easy, Cheap Dinner Ideas for Your Family. Either way Frito pie is a famous concession stand food at most high school football games in South Texas. Anticipating a reunion with her lover, the widow turned her back on her children floating down the river, and hastened to the wealthy man's house. Take a trip to one of the haunted hotels; the Menger and the Crockett are both mainstays on ghost tours. Mission Concepcin closes its doors beginning Sunday, January 5 for a restoration project. Not yet. It is technically regarded a city park and is most-loved for its walking path. Is it because of outlaws like Bob Augustine who turned to violence as often as they turned to drink or women or alcohol? One of these poor souls was Chuauhtemco "Chino" Garcia, just nineteen-years-old, but a big boy, weighing in between 180-190 pounds. 10. Do you know those tall votive candles with pictures of Mother Mary you can get at the grocery store for a buck? And then there's La Llorona, the "Weeping Woman," who lingers near the water. But for some strange reason, San Antonio, Texas, never seems to make the cut for being one of America's Most Haunted Cities . Many people from across the city participated in the event that was put together by the culinary program at Lanier. Alyssa Medina is the Video-On-Demand Producer and has worked at KSAT since 2016. 11 facts about San Antonio, TXSan Antonio is having a birthday, and it's a big one the Alamo City is turning a whopping 300 years old. One cat was named Ruby and the other was called C.C. If you've lived in San Antonio for a while, you probably don't call it San Antone.". And we have no community-based alternatives, no step-down units, no residential treatment facilities., Judge Oscar Kazen who presides over Bexar County's Mental Health Court, commented, Its only in the last couple of years that weve been able to convince University (Hospital) to begin taking unfunded involuntary patients". Though the blisters scabbed some ten days later, smallpox remained the biggest killer in San Antonio. Technically, the bird itself is a San Antonio rumor, not a San Antonio fact, but people do claim to see this strange bird. A number of Valley people died under mysterious circumstances at the San Antonio State Hospital, ranging from teenagers to the elderly. It would be weird if there wasnt a single ghostly tale at the property. When: January 27, 2023, 6:30 pm Where:City Cemetery #1, 01023-000-0010, San Antonio, TX 78203 6. It's a history filled with hardship, corruption, scandal and death (much like our nation's capital). The golden age of the paperback has ended, so why not borrow e-readers from the library and attend book club meetings streamed online? The respective tribes were warriors who reportedly stole their horses, their goods. The value of these holdings grew steadily over the next decade, while William Browne continued to sit and wait for a possible release from the Insane Asylum. Yet, some locals pronounced it waterburger" when they were kids and still can't break the habit as adults. scary facts about san antonio. 4. 15. 19. San Antonio is home to the nations first all-digital library. The term Alamo" actually means cottonwood in Spanish, named for the cottonwood tree where Spanish monks planned and decided to build the Mission San Antonio de Valero, the original name for the Alamo. Dallas is now the third-largest city in Texas followed by Austin, with Fort Worth closing in at fifth place. The Superintendent of SASH recognized that the hospital was at its breaking point, and that it was in desperate need of additional facilities. Located in the heart of downtown San Antonio, Texas, the Majestic Theatre was once the second largest theatre in the United States. It's a good habit and a San Antonio fact to shake your shoes out before you put them on. A vintage postcard showcasing the Hot Wells resort in its original form. Restless spirits are said to haunt the famed Alamo. Heck, Salem, Massachusetts is known for its infamous witch trials during the seventeenth century, and no one can visit Chicago without hearing about the gruesome mobs, whose equally gruesome deaths have spawned countless ghosts stories throughout the Windy City. All alert the living that they are not alone. . They're hairy and have two large obvious eyes on the front (in addition to their other eyes) that watch you. The building which houses the institute a striking example of Brutalist architecture. The creepiest San Antonio ghost stories offer a chilling glimpse into the . mengerhotel.com. Before she was admitted, a doctor made a comment to police, saying of Mrs. Harrison, "She's so oldwe want the young ones.". For locals of this historic city, which sits at the foot of the Texas Hill Country, know that San Antonio is not only one of the most paranormally active in the States but perhaps also in the entire world . If you're local to San Antonio, Texas, you've probably spent a night or two driving out to Shane Road. The four abandoned buildings near the site of the hospital actually belonged to the Bexar County Juvenile Home for Boys. 25. 23. The settlers placed the poor on the outskirts of the city, in hope that the tribes would take the belongings of the impoverished . However, to hear the whole story about San Antonio's most haunted places, take a ghost tour on your next trip to San Antonio. So much culture, history and fun can be had here. Unsurprisingly, his nickname was Vlad the Impaler. The new Spanish settlers had been told the land was fertile, which hadn't been the case at all. Go on a ghost tour to learn about the city's haunted history and hear some spooky stories. The head of the San Antonio Paranormal Investigations, Guillermo Fuentes, has been referenced as saying that one of the reasons why San Antonio is so haunted is because the ghosts feel as though they have some form of ownership over the land. Yet, another death that got mentioned in newspaper headlines was that of a 75-year-old man who was beaten, starved and dehydrated so severely, he lost an astonishing 30 pounds in only 15 days. She scrambled back to the river, but her children were nowhere in sight. or the impoverished themselves. The population dwindled, and the foreignness of the disease affected the local tribes the most. But the Majestic Theatre is also home to more than a few ghosts, those who have made themselves comfortable in the grand Majestic. It doesn't seem to matter if you're downtown, out at one of the Missions, or in the out-laying areas, you're never far from somewhere haunted. San Antonio loves creepy stuff. 24 Haunted Hotels in America - Most Haunted Hotels in the US. If you do, you're dumb and you probably deserved to be arrested. 18. Before the famous fried chicken chain was located on every other corner, there was one small walkup location across the street from the Alamo. The previous record was 13,000 tamales. All right reserved. The DoSeum's "Recess Redo" nights invite adults (21+) to explore the whimsy and wonder of the massive playscape, cocktail in hand! He suffered from maniacal-depressive type of mental-illness. He lunged at his wife and two daughters with a knife, slashing their throats and dragging their bodies to the second floor where he stashed them in a closet. San Antonio surpassed Dallas as the second biggest city in Texas after the 2010 census count. These stories told by and revealed by the press ultimately spurred Coke R. Stevenson to open an investigation into the hospital's actions. 2. Fritos were invented in SA, we have the oldest park in Texas and hold the world record for most tamales made. A few days later, flat red spots appeared your face before showing on your hands and on your neck and on your torso. "Personally, they didn't treat me mean," Aldridge said, before adding, "But the helpless and really insane were treated in a brutal manner. This case was one of those "stranger than fiction" stories. Test your knowledge against this list. And it is rich with death. Home; About; Program; FAQ; Registration; Sponsorship; Contact; Home; About; Program; FAQ; Registration; Sponsorship . With a history as murky as the San Antonio State Hospital's, reports of haunting are undoubtedly believable. It is a spooky experience that you won't soon forget! (Disclaimer: the San Antonio State Hospital does not treat its patients like this any longer). This isnt some second-tier cowboy outpost its a major metropolitan hub. Se Habla Espaol 210-223-4361. The city has a total area of 465.4 square miles; 460.93 square miles of San Antonio's total area is land and 4.5 square miles of it is water. Texans love their homegrown fast food joint, Whataburger, based in San Antonio. Theodore Roosevelt recruited Rough Riders at the Menger Hotel. Because apparently there an unspoken code that only the crazies could be mistreated. After expansion in the 1920s, the original Southwestern Insane Asylum (now the San Antonio State Hospital) continued to grow ever larger. The hospital was now able to administer modern treatments for the patients, but just a year later the hospital became overcrowded yet again, surpassing capacity at 2,308. 8. The Alamo City holds another Guinness World Record, we are home to the tallest cowboy boots sculpture. Everything is bigger in Texas, and thus, you'll find large spiders in San Antonio called Jumping Spiders. The spirits of San Antonio are some of the strangest out there. 14. 41.7%. BiblioTech opened on Sept. 14, 2013. In 1910, the alleged "insane" Browne sued for having been incarcerated at the SASH. Think you know everything there is to know about San Antonio? The story of La Llorona has been repeated many-a-time; within San Antonio, the urban legend of the ghost of the Donkey Lady takes inspiration from La Llorona (in one story they even fight). Even the building itself is impressive, dating to 1884. It's not just the Texan soldiers who died there in a stand-off with the Mexican army in 1836. The stories from The San Antonio Missions represent divergent and significant points of view: 17th Century explorers - Native American groups of the Southwest - Early Texas history - Spanish colonization - Stone masons and builders of the Missions - Battles of opposing interest - There is also the point of view of the land and creeks and pecan You should be wary when walking around the neighborhood at night, as you never know when you might encounter one of the ghosts of La Villita. The symptoms were slow to appear, but then the fever hit and the rest followed quickly after. The Menger Hotel in San Antonio is rich in history. Schultz and her students sold flowers (bluebonnets, to be specific), baked cakes, and put on small plays to raise enough money to get started. 23. It's not uncommon to hear that New Orleans is haunted, or that Savannah is teeming with paranormal activity. According to the Churchs website, George W. Church opened the location in 1952. During the Civil War, the park was used as a prisoner of war camp. But San Antonio has four other historical missions, too: Mission San Juan, Mission San Jos, Mission Espada, and Mission Concepcin. Stepping into this museum is definitely a step back in time. Thus, ghosts are the reason why the Alamo still stands today. Or, are you new and want to get the lay of the land? Hippos kill more people in Africa than lions, elephants, leopards, buffaloes, and rhinos combined. When he returned to Brownsville, he tried to be admitted to the Veteran's Hospital, but the government had yet to make necessary provisions for veterans of WWII. From ghostly legends passed down through the generations, to the more concrete sightings at locations like the Emily Morgan Hotel or the Alamo, it's safe to say that while San Antonio might not always be considered one of America's Most Haunted Cities . 1. In 1928, the 21-story Milam Building in downtown San Antonio became the first air-conditioned high-rise in the US. Bonus: Its computer lab comes with iPads and Xboxes. Putting your car in park, you wait, hoping to feel your car be shoved up and over the tracks. Are you visiting San Antonio? Dallas was more well-known as the second-biggest big city in Texas (thanks to that old TV show named "Dallas"), but San Antonio is actually the second-largest city in Texas after Houston with almost 1.5 million residents. Lanier High School holds the world record for the most tamales ever made. He also had a nervous condition that needed to be attended to. No cause of death was given in the report or his obituary. She added, "My daughter has been treated worse than an animal. 7. Residents call them Jumping Spiders because they jump up to 25 feet! According to newspaper accounts, he had been murdered near the The Brownsville & Matamoros International Bridge. San Antonio, TX. . It officially became a public park in 1852. Apparently communication hasn't gotten any better at the SASH over the years. You can find out about some interesting San Antonio facts, as well as San Antonio secrets in our list below.