11 Scary Urban Legends of Texas

11 Scary Urban Legends of Texas

Texas has its own share of myths and legends. Said to be some of the creepiest in the United States, the myths range from ghosts in cemeteries to children with black eyes.

Below are 11 creepy Texas legends.

1. The Betrayal that birthed the White Lady of Rio Frio

In the early 1900s, Maria Juarez’s older sister married a man known as Gregorio. Gregorio noticed Maria’s beauty and professed his love for her. Maria rejected his advances. She was appalled that her brother-in-law could betray her sister. Fearing for her life, Maria ran away to meet Anselmo Tobar, whom she loved. Tobar never arrived for the secret meeting. Gregorio appeared with a pistol in hand and shot Maria in the heart. Gregorio hid when the community came to investigate, but the dogs picked up his scent. Gregorio confessed to the crime and continued to profess his love for Maria. It’s said that in Rio Frio the radiant white fog in the shape of a woman is Maria’s ghost.

2. The Lake Worth Creature That Is Said To Be Part Man And Part Goat

Lake Worth Lagoon at John D. MacArthur Beach State Park, Florida. Photo by Doug Kerr/Wikimedia Commons

The Lake Worth creature is said to have scales, and long-clawed fingers and is part goat and part man. First spotted in July 1969, one newspaper report indicated the creature threw a tire at a group of people. The other report said the creature jumped from a tree and landed on a person’s car. Some of the later sightings of the creature which varied in the description from the initial sightings were attributed to pranks by high school students.

3. The Legend of the White Rock Lake Lady

James Bowen and his wife Julia, sailing on White Rock Lake in the summer of 1940. Photo by Julia Bowen/Wikimedia Commons

In the 1930s a lady in a wet, white dress would stop a vehicle and ask for a ride home. Those who stopped said the lady would disappear leaving the seat wet. In one of the reported incidences, Anne Clark documented the encounter. The 1943 account stated that a young couple stopped to give the girl a ride. She then disappeared but the couple proceeded to the Oak Cliff address provided. Legend is, a sad man opened the door and told them other people had passed similar messages. Apparently, the man’s daughter had drowned three weeks earlier while she sailed on the lake.

4. The Ghost of Snuffer’s Bar

Legend is, before its demolition in 2013, the original bar’s pool hall building was the scene of a murder. Decades ago, a man was apparently murdered and fell down the stairs. His corpse blocked the men’s room door which is the reason the door creaks. When there’s no one at night the bar’s employees report hearing someone call out their name. One of the managers is said to have seen a dark figure in the secondary bar area. Thinking it was an employee winding up, the manager went to check but didn’t find anyone.

5. The Black-Eyed Children of Abilene

The Paramount Theatre in Abilene, Texas. Photo by Michael Barera/Wikimedia Commons

Brian Bethel, a journalist, had a frightening encounter with the black-eyed children. In the 90s, as Bethel waited outside a movie theatre one evening, two children started knocking on his car window. Gripped with fear, Bethel rolled down his window. The children wanted a ride home to get money for their movie. When Bethel hesitated, the children began saying they were not armed and they couldn’t get into his car if he didn’t invite them in. Bethel noticed their eyes had turned black and quickly drove away. When he published his encounter, he was surprised to receive feedback from people with similar experiences.

6. Mysterious deaths at the Bexar County Hospital

Inmate photo (mugshot) of Genene Jones. Photo by Texas Department of Criminal Justice/Wikimedia Commons

Legend is patients in a ward at Bexar Hospital kept asking for a certain nurse. When the hospital checked the security cameras, patients could be seen talking to no one. Things got bizarre when patients began dying in the order of their room numbers. It’s said that this legend is based on Genene Anne Jones, who worked at the hospital in the 70s and 80s. Born July 13, 1950, Jones allegedly killed 60 infants and children. The exact deaths are not known. Jones’ 1984 conviction of murder and causing injury to a child ended up with the mysterious disappearance of her nursing records. The records were said to have been destroyed by the hospital to prevent further litigation.

7. The Ghost of Bowden Road

Located in Huntsville, weird events of Bowden Road have bestowed upon it the title of Demon Road. At the end of that road is a cemetery where ghostly figures are said to wander around at night. Legend is a woman saw a man at the cemetery. Days later, the man appeared in her bathroom as she was getting in the shower. The man vanished quickly thereafter. 

8. The Legend of the Candy Lady

At the beginning of the 20^th Century, in a small rural Texas county, children started disappearing from their homes. Legend is the Candy Lady left candy on the window ledges. After several treats, the candy came with a note asking the children to go and play with her. Those children would mysteriously disappear. One of the most bizarre occurrences was a boy who went missing. He was later found dead in a ditch with pockets full of candy.

9. The Ghosts in Summit Elementary School

Closed in 1972, Summit Elementary in Amarillo is said to have ghosts. Legend is the school’s janitor stuck children in the boiler after killing them. There are rumors of murdered prostitutes. Their bodies were put in the walls. It’s said that if you visit the school at night you will hear strange voices, see swings moving by themselves and your car may fail to start.

10. The Cries of the Hell’s Gate ghosts

A picture of Hell’s Gate on Possum Kingdom Lake. Photo by Shane Hartman/Wikimedia Commons

Deep in River Legacy Park in Arlington, is a trail that leads to Hell’s Gate. Legend is a group of Union soldiers was executed at this place. It’s said that the last thing the soldiers saw before they died was the iron gate that stood there. Rumour is, if you walk to the execution spot, you can still hear the prayers and whispers of those who were executed.

11. The Goat Hoofed Devil of El Camaroncito

Legend is, in 1975 a young man entered a nightclub in El Camaroncito. An excellent dancer he proceeded to dance the Halloween night away. It’s said the lady he was dancing with looked at his feet while they danced and screamed in terror. Some say the young man’s feet had turned to goat hooves while others say they were clawed chicken legs. The young man, said to be the devil ran into the bathroom. He disappeared in a cloud of smoke leaving behind a pungent sulphuric smell.