Of Love And Lore: The Hauntings Of Historic Mineral Wells, Texas

The Baker Hotel

Located in the heart of downtown Mineral Wells, The Baker Hotel opened on November 22, 1929. A small town an hour and fifteen minutes west of Dallas, Mineral Wells was a premier spot for celebrity tourism.

Fueled by the mystic bubbling mineral waters that were believed to heal all sorts of ailments, The Baker Hotel’s rise to fame attracted the likes of Ronald Reagan, the Three Stooges, Judy Garland, and Lyndon Johnson. As word got around, more and more cattle kinds and oil tycoons flocked to Mineral Wells like the Mecca of the Southwest.

The eventual decline was influenced by many factors; the end of the second World War temporally closed Fort Wolters, the nearby Army base, and without the flow of continuous cash and the owner’s failing health, the hotel ultimately closed their doors in 1972. During its tenure, many unsettling things that occurred were widely documented, and even after closing, the spiritual residue remains today.

Reports of a woman in heels on the seventh floor still come in as they did during The Baker Hotel heyday, some speculate her to be a mistress who jumped to her death from the top floor. There are also rumors of the bell boy who was cut into two from the ancient elevator who continues to service the Baker Hotel. These days photos of orbs and stories of wandering ghosts told from the locals are easily available. The Baker Hotel’s haunting notoriety has even earned it a spot of Travel Channel’s Ghost Adventurers.

Though the Baker Hotel is closed off from the public, you can access it through the Baker Hotel Ghost Walk. Prices for adults are 15 USD and 10 USD for children. Bookings can be made on The Baker Hotel Ghost Walk’s Facebook page. The tours are a great way to spend spooky October weekends, but don’t worry if you miss it, tours are open year round.

Haunted Hill House

The Haunted Hill House is a mere block away from The Baker Hotel, and due to its close ties with the hotel, the house itself is a beacon for paranormal activity. At one point, the house served as a brothel for the hotel offering women and bootleg. During this time a number of deaths occurred leaving the house today a site of intelligent, residual, and occurring hauntings. There were initial plans to renovate and place back on the market but the hauntings proved to be too strong to allow for any contractors to enter, so the owners did what was logical; open it up for paranormal and tourism business.

Many paranormal investigators from around the nation have confirmed this activity. The house itself actually leaves weekends open for overnight stays to the public at 200 USD for Fridays and 250 USD on Saturdays. Ghost tours start at around 40 USD and fluctuate depending on the size of your group. The website’s calendar leaves the schedule of openings 2 months out in advance and shows that weekends, especially in October, book fast. There is some caution however, the site reports that people are often encountered by a malevolent spirit the day after visiting.