Every society to have ever existed has had urban legends. America, and, more specifically, Texas, is no exception to this. The lone star state has some of the strangest myths, urban legends and even hauntings in the United States. Texan urban legends however, are not very well known outside of the state, let alone outside of the USA. Nevertheless, here are some of the scariest Texas urban legends that might make you reconsider visiting Texas!
10. Black Eyed Children
The urban legend of the Black-Eyed Children can be found pretty much everywhere on earth thanks to the internet. However, the tale seems to have its origins in Abilene, Texas. The tale describes a single, or group of mysterious creatures who strongly resemble grade school children. They apparently only manifest at night and only to alone or unsuspecting people. When they appear, they usually only manifest to people who are currently driving or are inside their homes. When they walk up towards the closed doors of the unsuspecting victim, they will attempt to convince the person behind said door to open it for them. They accomplish this by asking for travel favours like asking to use the telephone, asking to use the bathroom or even asking for a ride home. Potential explanations for Black-Eyed Children include, vampires, demons, spirits or even a non-paranormal cult.
The origins of the black-eyed kids urban legend come from a 1998 paranormal-related mailing list post by Brian Bethel. In the list, Brian talked about an encounter with Black-Eyed Children outside a movie theater in Abilene, Texas. Although the origins of the urban legend seem to be found in Abilene, Texas, the legend spread all across the world in record time thanks to the internet. The legend experienced peak popularity in February of 2013. This is because a two-minute video episode of a popular series featured a look at these strange, paranormal children. Later, the video was eventually published to the entertainment section of the MSN web site.
9. The Donkey Lady
The Donkey Lady, is an urban legend that originates from Houston, Texas. The urban legend goes that a young woman married a man, who, later on, creates a fire. The fire is said to have killed the woman’s children and severely disfigured her. She now supposedly haunts the Woman Hollering Creek, Seguin which is between San Antonio and Houston. Her skin now drooping like an elephant; And her fingers turning into large, dark stumps, similar to donkey hooves. The heat from the flames caused the skin on her face to melt forward into the shape of a donkey. She supposedly, now prowls Woman Hollering Creek, hoping to one day get her revenge against her husband and any travel that happens to wander too close.
Many people have claimed to have encountered the women. Some say that it was a paranormal experience while others claim it was more akin to a living creature.
The origins of the urban legend is largely unknown due to the age of the legend. The tale is so old in fact, that over the years, multiple versions of the urban legend have sprung across near-by areas. However, the main tale remains somewhat-consistent throughout local areas. Some explanations for the Donkey Lady include;
- A deformed deer or donky of some kind,
- A demonic spirit or even a deformed hermit hat lives in the wilderness near the area.
Sightings of the Donkey Lady have, nevertheless, have remained consistent among various, unconnected accounts.
8. Ghost Children On San Antonio’s Railroad Tracks
The urban legend of Ghost Children on railroad tracks orginiatews in Antonio, Texas. The urban legend goes that on an intersection near Antonio, Texas. The roadway crossing is reportedly the site of a terrible train accident in which a train collided with a school bus full of children at full-speed, killing ten children on board. Reporadbly, the fatal tragedy accident happened in either the 1940’s or 30’s. However, the urban legend does not end there, as, supposedly the ghosts of the ten children continue to haunt the trail tracks, protecting other people from a terrible fate.
The urban legend says that if you happen to put your car directly into neutral while on the railroad tracks the ghosts of the children will push the car off-of the tracks to safety. Supposedly, if you happen to have your car bumper covered in baby powder or any other sort of powder, you could see tiny hand and finger prints imprinted onto the bumper. Sometimes, you can supposedly hear the laughter of children as they push your car.
The origins of this urban legend is unknown, as there is no recorded accident in the immediate area that is in anyway comparable to the one in the tale. Although the legend has been popular in the area for years, it has seen renewed popularity due to an episode of the popular series “Unsolved Mysteries” as well as multiple newspapers and magazines within Texas.
7. The Candy Lady
The urban legend of The Candy Lady, originates from rural counties in Texas. The urban legend goes that during the early 20th century a woman supposedly lured kids out of their homes with candy, once lured, she would kidnap her victims and take them to her home, never to be seen again. When children started disappearing in the small rural counties in Texas, the locals began to blame The Candy Lady. Supposedly, children in the areas began to tell stories about finding candy sitting on their window sills, however, they never told the story to their parents, fearing that they would take the candy away.
This urban legend actually has some truth to it. In the late 18 hundreds, a woman named Clara Crane murdered her husband with poisoned candy in Texas. This is due to an incident in 1893, where Marcella, her child, was killed in a farming accident. Her husband was supervising at the time of the accident, but he had been heavily intoxicated during the incident. Outraged by this, Clara poisoned caramel candies and fed them to her husband, killing him. She was then housed in the North Texas Lunatic Asylum, where she was later released.
To this day, no one knows where she went, has asylum records for the time were not really consistent. Following her release, multiple children went missing, thus, the legend of The Candy Lady was born.
6. The Dancing Devil
This urban legend originates in the town of El Camaroncito, Texas. When supposedly, on Halloween, 1975, several attractive women danced with the devil himself. The legend goes that during a Halloween party at the El Camaroncito Nightclub on Highway 90, an unknown young man began to dance. For some reason, the most attractive women were drawn to this man, not because they were attracted to him, but because where compelled to by some unknown force. After several hours of dancing, one woman stopped in horror, ripping herself from the man’s embrace, screaming at the top of her lungs while pointing at the floor. To the horror of everyone at the party, the man that had danced with the most attractive women at the party had chicken legs.
After everyone at the nightclub started to scream and point at the man in fear, an eerie silence formed as the strange man dashed into the men’s restroom, vanishing from the club out of an open window in the bathroom. When the man vanished, he left a cloud of smoke that filled the night club, smelling of a sulfur to this very day. The direct cause of whatever happened that night is still unknown. Some possible explanations for the event include, evil spirits, demons or even an elaborate prank.
5. The Nurse of Bexar County Hospital
This urban legend originated in Bexar County, Texas. Supposedly, an evil spirit haunts the hospital, killing patients in accordance to their room number. The story goes that the unexplainable deaths started in one ward room, where any patient that stayed in that room started seeing supposed hallucinations. When confronted with this, patients kept asking about a particular nurse that visited them.
When numerous staff members checked the security cameras, they saw the patients seemingly speaking to no one and reacting to things that were not there. Then, all of a sudden, patients started to die under strange circumstances. However, the patients didn’t die randomly, instead, they died in accordance to their room number in order. The unexplained deaths did not stop, until one room remained unoccupied, breaking the chain of unexplainable deaths.
This urban legend is actually based on a real tragedy. A worker named Genene Jones, was convicted of murdering multiple people in multiple hostbitles, including Bexar County Hospital. When Jones worked at Bexar County Hospital, she intentionally poisoned a minimum of 11 babies and infants during her time there. She was later found guilty of the murders and is currently serving 99 years in Dr. Lane Murray Unit in Gatesville, Texas. It is theorized that the The Nurse of Bexar County Hospital urban legend originated thanks to the crimes committed by Genene Jones
4. The Soldier at Thompson Island Bridge
This urban legend originates from San Marcos, Texas. The local population claim that the Thompson Island Bridge is guarded by a ghost dressed in a civil war era confederate uniform. Supposedly, in life, the confederate soldier made a promise to his brother; A promise that causes him to forever haunt the bridge. The unnamed soldier supposedly promised his brother that he would return no matter what. The legend goes that the spirit will only manifest if America is at war or right before a war. According to locals, the man died during the civil war, but he still kept his promise and will forever haunt the bridge.
The origins of this urban legend are largely unknown, as almost identical stories have been found in near-by area. However, for the last few decades, many San Marcos residents continue to claim to have interacted with the spirit of the Confederate soldiers. Some have even claimed to have spotted the spirit marching from one end of the bridge to the other. However, in recent years, supposed sightings of the spirit have died-down.
3. Saratoga Light
The urban legend of the Saratoga Light originates in the Big Thicket National Preserve, in Southeast Texas. The local population tells the tale of mysterious lights that appear at night above the forest. Primarily located on the main highway and on a dirt road, the lights supposedly manifests and de-manifests at random intervals during the darkest parts of the average night.
The explanation for the lights vary widely within the region and even between families. However, the most popular story tells the tale of the spirit of a miner who got decapitated, forever searching for his lost head. However, in recent times, science has come to give an explanation for the strange lights. Marsh gas is natural, non-paranormal phenomenon where methane built up in swamps is released as flaming bubbles into the atmosphere. However, locals claim that if that were the cause, the forest would have burnt down years ago. As a result, the urban legend lives on.
2. The White Lady of Rio Frio
This urban legend originates from Lake Rio Frio, Texas, Supposedly, a women can been seen as a strange fog near Rio Frio Lake. The woman in the strange fog is said to actually be very kind. Reportedly sitting by the beds of children on cold nights. Or, simply hanging around children to protect them from any possible harm. Many people, both residents and tourists, have claimed to have seen a woman dressed in all white clothing roaming next to the lake, or even the near-by canyons that scatter the landscape. However, the supposed tale is far more terrifying than the actual alleged apportion.
The origins for the urban legend dates back to the early 1900., When a woman and her sister lived inside one of the close-by canyons. According to the tale, both women were two of the most beautiful ladies in the entire area. One woman, named Maria, wanted to find a loving husband to have children with. Then, one day, the husband of her sister fell in love with Maria, who, after years of living with her sister, fell in love with her instead. According to the legend, as this was happening, another man named Anselmo also fell in love with Maria. Maria fell in love with Anselmo. However, this angered Gregorio, who shot her with a pistol so she could never marry Anselmo. According to the locals, her spirit still haunts the lake she died next to.
1. The Lechuza
The origins of this urban legend are completely unknown, as tales of this aperishion can be found all over Central and North America. Tales of the Lechuza vary wildly; In some versions of the tale, she is a spirit of a witch who was executed by the local population, in others, she is a vengeful spirit taking revenge on those who wronged her. by locals. Her spirit returns in the form of the bird-monster to get revenge. However, for simplicity’s sake, this entry will focus solely on the Texan interpretation of the cryptid.
The Lechuza are bird-like monster with the face of an eyeless woman. The Lechuza where once an ordinary woman. However, after they sold their souls to the one and only devil, they were granted mystic powers. At night, they change their form to hunt for pray. Once a Lechuza finds a suitable target, she will hide in a location where she can’t easily be seen. Once there, she will make either strange whistling sounds, or the cry of a helpless baby. If her victim ignores the cry and runs away, a Lechuza will move on and search for someone else. However, if someone attempts to determine where the sound is coming, she will swoop down and grab the person with her bird feet, never to be seen again. Some explanations for the Lechuzas are, demons, evil spirits, or even a not-yet discovered species of bird.