Tag Archives: Texas

My Favorite Haunted Road Trip Project

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Michael O. Varholla shares with us thoughts about his favorite haunted trip project
The author at Ye Kendall Inn
The author at Ye Kendall Inn, the historic Texas Hill Country Hotel

Periodically, someone will ask me what my most- and least-favorite book projects have been, and the answer to both questions is the same: my latest one. That is, after all, what I have been most excited about and engaged with recently, and any exciting fieldwork I did for the latest book is the most memorable. It is also, however, what has inflicted the most recent physical and emotional stress, and other things have suffered because of my disproportionate use of time and other resources on it.

Of all the projects I have worked on for the America’s Haunted Road Trip series of travel guides, however, Ghosthunting San Antonio, Austin, and Texas Hill Country has definitely been my overall favorite for a variety of reasons.

One is my love for the American Southwest. Its unique, violent, and colorful history makes it a fun subject for research, writing, and road trips, as well as a likely locale for haunted places.

Another is the almost iconic distinctness of the places I selected for inclusion in this book, which include everything from wilderness areas that have existed for time immemorial to ancient missions, grand hotels, and great public buildings.

In addition, we changed the format of this book, so it’s even more useful to people using it as a guide on their own haunted road trips. Foremost among these improvements is a robust section of Additional Haunted Sites, which contains entries on 60 locations, effectively tripling the number of places covered in earlier AHRT books.

Suffice it to say, I hope that my love for the subject matter covered in this book and the effort I have put into it will make it a valued resource for readers, and make it one of their favorite volumes in the series as well.

Ghost Hunting San AntonioAbout the author: Michael O. Varhola is a writer who has authored or coauthored 34 books and games — including the swords-and-sorcery novel Swords of Kos: Necropolis, and two fantasy writers guides. Michael is the editor-in-chief of d-Infinity game magazine, and editor of the America’s Haunted Road Trip series of ghosthunting travel guides. He lives in Hill Country, TX.

Ghosthunting San Antonio, Austin, and Texas Hill Country is the latest of Michael O. Varhola’s books. The guide covers 30 haunted locations in or around the cities of San Antonio and Austin and throughout the region known as Texas Hill Country, collectively one of the most haunted places in the country. Each site includes a combination of history, haunted lore and phenomena, and practical visitation information.

Lady of the Lake

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Spotlight on Ghosts: The Lady of the Lake

As far back as the 1930s, stories have circulated throughout the Dallas area about a spectral women wandering in search of help.  She is reportedly seen by many people near White Lake, though no one knows exactly who she is.

One of the most common experiences reported is that of drivers in the area who happen to see a wet and stranded girl near the lake in search of a ride home. Several drivers have stopped to offer the poor girl some assistance, only to have her disappear a short while later, leaving nothing behind but a damp mark in the vehicle where she had been sitting.

Lady of the Lake

This vanishing hitchhiker has fascinated people in the area for decades. Some think she may be the spirit of a young women involved in some sort of fatal accident on the lake where she and others may have died.  Desperate to get home to her family, she provides the driver with an address before suddenly disappearing from the car.

Those who have taken it upon themselves to locate the address found that, indeed, the family living there had lost a young woman to a tragedy on the lake.

The ghostly apparition witnessed by many at White Rock Lake may actually be more than one female spirit. Other accounts tell of at least two other women who perished in the water between 1935 and 1942 due to suicide by drowning.  Visitors to the area have not only seen the figure of a woman hitchhiking for a ride, but also rising up out of the water before vanishing into thin air.

This legend had survived for nearly a century. Is the lady of the lake still wandering the night asking passersby for help? Could there be several female spirits destined to roam the area for eternity? The only way to find out is to take a drive out to White Rock Lake and see for yourself. You just might end up with and extra passenger…or two.

Ghosthunting Texas
Ghosthunting Texas

In her book Ghosthunting Texas, author April Slaughter puts the spotlight on many ghosts that roam the State of Texas. Enjoy Ghosthunting Texas from the safety of your armchair or hit the road using the maps and ghostly resources of her book. Either way buckle up and get ready for the spookiest ride of your life.

About the author: April Slaughter and her husband Allen are the founders and executive directors of The Paranormal Source, Inc., a nonprofit research and education corporation based in Dallas, Texas.

Photo of White Rock Lake courtesy: Mahanga (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons