MINEOLA, Texas — We’re in Mineola – home of about 5,000 people and ghosts.
But don’t let that derail you, let’s get right on track with these ghost stories in this city.
Beckham Hotel
"And in that time a lot of people have died here," said Chris Butler, owner of the Beckham Hotel.
That time frame of 130 years includes some guests have overstayed their time at the Beckham Hotel.
"People have fallen down, and a lot people have taken their own life here," Butler said. "This is the staircase Elizabeth fell down. She was right up here she was coming up these steps and lost her footing and there she went."
'In Times Past' Antique Store
For our next stop it wouldn’t be visiting a small town without visiting an antique store, many of which have ghost stories here in downtown Mineola, but one of them has a tale to tell.
“I’m the manager of In Times Past, Mineola, Texas," said Lee James.
It’s a fitting name for a ghostly adventure, for In Times Past – and present, ghosts lurk around this town square.
"Until I moved in a two story building on Johnson Street. I started witnessing things moving and heard something clucking, it sounded like a chicken clucking," James said
For a year, James said something would jump on his bed and start clucking, "and that's how it would talk," James said. "And I couldn’t see anything, something was on my ankle. I had a red spot on my ankle and it was hurting real badly."
But what could this be? Sounds like a chicken? Hops on the bed? Hmmm…
"I don’t know for sure. But I felt like it was four legs, it had four steps. And it would come lay down next to my leg and I figured it might be my dog – he died about two years ago," James said.
Truly, a man’s best friend and it’s because of his companion that, "I started believing in ghosts when they started coming to my building," James said.
O.P. Pyle House
Finally, our last stop in our tour here in Mineola of all the haunted places is the O.P. Pyle House.
'It’s haunted we have documented, if you can say that, we’ve documented over 20 different hauntings," said Heidi Hoke, owner of the O. P. Pyle Home.
And we wanted to see if we could document something paranormal.
"The house itself has its own personality," said Hoke. And what also had personality was a cat trying to scare us! "It’s all of the energies collectively – now that’s a cat," Hoke said. "But you will hear footsteps all around the house."
And not only will you hear the ghosts, you may be able to feel them as well.
"She distinctly felt the third hand on the back of her head helping her wash her hair," Hoke said.
But we couldn’t leave quite yet, without first hearing the ghosts.
"This little guy seems to be a natural divining tool. He will swing one way or another depending on the questions people might have. David Akin are you with us? If so, swing forward and backward. I don’t know if you can detect it, but I’m seeing almost a movement like this," Hoke said. "Are you seeing that? I would interpret that as there is someone here but you haven’t said my name."