The Galvez is probably one of the most haunted places the team members of Haunted Galveston have ever had the opportunity to investigate. The hotel was built in 1911, eleven years after the devastating hurricane that killed some 6,000 Galveston Island residents and leveled most of the buildings on the island. The hotel was built Built on the site where the Beach Hotel, Electric Pavilion, and Pagoda
Bathhouse once stood.

The Galvez was referred to as "The Playground of the Southwest" mostly for wealthy socialites, businessmen, and celebrities. American Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Lyndon B. Johnson stayed at the Galvez along with as did General Douglas MacArthur. Other notable names include Jimmy Stewart, Frank Sinatra, and Howard Hughes. Many of the 6th and 7th floor Junior and Senior suites are named for these famous and infamous personalities. The only true historic hotel on Galveston Island, the Galvez is reminiscing of a gilded age gone by.

Our team at Haunted Galveston wasn't surprised when we arrived at the Galvez to hear of a spirit roaming the large luxury hallways of the hotel. Upon checking into our room, we just had to grin when the lady assisting us asked "you requested the haunted room?" We immediately knew we were on the right track! When we probed further and began to ask her questions about the haunted fifth floor, and more importantly the haunted room 505, she told us a story about a guest that supposedly committed suicide on the 5th floor of the hotel.

Haunted History

The Lovelorn Lady "The Lovelorn Lady" of the fifth floor is how hotel staff refer to this very active spirit on the 5th floor. Rumor has it that many years ago she checked into room #500 awaiting her fiancé who was at sea. One day she received word that her fiancé and his ship had sunk somewhere off the coast of Florida, there were few survivors but her fiancé wasn't counting among those men found and rescued. Upon hearing the news she flew into a fit of despair, returned to her room, and hung herself. Now the "Lovelorn Lady" is said to be trapped eternally in The Hotel Galvez. Wondering the halls searching constantly for someone or something.

The Downstairs Lobby Ladies Room The downstairs ladies room is rumored to be haunted by some unknown entity. Staff members and hotel guest of the Galvez have mentioned strange activity, from violently rattling and shaking stall doors, toilets that flush in adjoining stalls when no one else is in the bathroom, and sinks being turned on. Voices have also been reported being heard in the bathroom, shadows passing across the marble floor when no one else is said to have been in the bathroom or entered the bathroom, and the strong scent of gardenias both inside and outside the bathroom. Gardenias seem to be the calling card of paranormal activity both in the bathroom and through out other areas of the hotel.

Our Experiences

The Haunted Galveston team was fortunate enough to stay in The Galvez Hotel on November 9, 2005. We had reserved room #505 since we had read and heard rumors from fellow ghost hunters and island residents that it was considered the most haunted room in the Galvez. However upon arrival to the hotel we were informed that room #505 was no available. The entire 5th floor of the hotel was undergoing a major renovation, room #505 was one of the rooms being renovated. However we were able to stay in room #507 right next door to room #505. As we rode the elevator up to the 5th floor we found the entire 5th floor was a mess.

Up and down the hallway all the doors for the entire wing (the haunted wing as it's called) were standing wide open. We had the entire wing of the hotel to ourselves!! You might think this is a little creepy - however, we counted ourselves VERY lucky!! It is very rare that you will have the run of the entire haunted floor of a hotel to yourself.

We started our investigation of the hotel around 10pm central time. Starting first in our own room, we found absolutely no evidence of any paranormal activity.

At 11pm we decided to take the investigation out into the halls of the haunted 5th floor. We took pictures totally randomly, rarely having a rhyme or reason as to what we were photographing or why.

It wasn't until around midnight that we began to experience what we can only classify as paranormal activity. Doors up and down the hall of our wing began to slam shut, repeatedly, and rather loudly. At first this was ignored, after all it is a hotel, slamming doors is something that just happens. However not when you're the only one in that wing of the hotel.....

One of our team members (Teresa) that stayed behind in the room to monitor any activity that might be going on in that specific wing of the hotel made a complaint that someone was slamming doors out in the hallway. When we told her that it wasn't possible because we were the only ones in that wing of the hotel she became a bit more curious and insisted that doors had been slamming up and down the hallway the entire time the team had gone to do a sweep of the entire hotel.

It was just about that moment that the entire team heard the doors for the first time. First one, then another, then a third slamming out in the hallway. Not slamming shut mind you, but slamming on the "privacy lock bar" that held the doors of the unused rooms open. (see the picture at right)

This mad a loud banging noise every time one of the doors were left to bounce off of the metal privacy bar.

One of our team members was stationed at the door to try to ambush anyone that might be attempting to play a trick on our team. Looking out the peep hole Ann waiting to see if she could spy anyone running up and down the hallway slamming the doors since we heard obvious foot steps out in the hallway as if someone was running from one end to the other. Ann stood by the door for 30 minutes before we all heard the footsteps running down the hall, Ann had her eye glued to the peep hole looking out, and she saw nothing and no one in the hallway. Seconds later the entire group heard the door to room #505 right next door slam shut and then proceed to bounce off the metal privacy bar three consecutive times before it came to rest. The only way to room #505 is to walk right past our room #507, this left the entire group stunned and somewhat giddy with excitement.

Once again the team hit the hallway, this time we searched every room - including room #505 to see if we could find any evidence that someone might be in the hallway trying to play a prank. The team found absolutely no on hiding in any of the empty unused guest rooms and we continued to experience the slamming of the doors up and down the haunted 5th floor wing all night long.

The other paranormal activity we experienced aside from the activity on the 5th floor was in the 1st level lobby bathroom and ballroom areas. When one of our team members (Teresa) was first arriving to the hotel prior to having any knowledge of the first level bathroom being haunted she told us that she thought she heard a young girls voice when she first entered the bathroom.

She didn't think anything about it, after all a young girl in the ladies bathroom isn't all that out of the ordinary. However when she walked into the bathroom she realized that no one else was in the bathroom. She had no other odd experience aside from the sound of the young girls voice while in the bathroom except for the very strong scent of gardenias. Could this be the young prankster that likes to turn on the water, rattle doors, or flush toilets while other guest are trying to use this downstairs bathroom?

However the most disturbing evidence of paranormal activity was the photographic evidence that we captured while staying in the hotel. We captured a few apparitions, orbs, and ectoplasm on digital cameras. However we will let the photographic evidence speak for itself, you can view the photographs taken from this investigation by (clicking here) or scrolling down to the "pictures" section.

Read Our Ghost journals - each investigator keeps a journal an updates it after each investigation.

Click on one of the books above to purchase - they are all recommended good reading and can be purchased through amazon.com a safe website.