Will You Spend the Night in One of the Most Haunted Places in Texas?

The Magnolia Hotel was constructed in 1840 and has long been hailed as one of the most haunted places in Texas due to the restless spirits that pace up and down the spooky hallways. The Hotel, which is listed, as recently as 2012 as one of the Most Endangered Places in Texas is under extensive renovation since purchase by new owners and will open the doors to hotel guests once more.

Building One of the Most Haunted Places in Texas

The Hotel began life as a two room log cabin owned by James Campbell, a Texas Ranger and veteran of the Texas Revolution.  James was one of the founders of the town, originally named Walnut Creek, before being called Seguin after the Tejano patriot Juan Seguin.

The wood used for the cabin was originally going to be used to construct a fort but locals sold it to Campbell after deciding that they no longer required such protection from the Indians. Campbell was savagely murdered by Comanches after living in the cabin for a brief period.

The Ghost of Campbell is now said to be trapped within the Haunted Hotel. His favorite location is the old gentleman's smoke room where the rocking chair spontaneously moves back and forth, whilst you can occasionally hear the sound of boots crossing the floor as the smell of cigar smoke occasionally lingers.  

Expansion and Creation of The Magnolia Hotel

The cabin was expanded by its new owner Jeremiah Strother Calvert and it became the first stagecoach stop in Sequin, Texas. A basement shelter was constructed by slaves which the woman and children would use for shelter when the men fought with the Comanches. This room was later transformed into the Seguin Jail, the remains of bars on the windows and cell latches are visible today.

In 1850, 3 buildings on the site were combined and The Magnolia Hotel was opened to guests. One of these guests, named "The Cowboy" promptly shot himself in the head after arriving at the hotel on the stagecoach from San Antonio. He still haunts the hotel to this day, an early inhabitant of one of the most haunted places in texas.

The Murder of Emma Voelcker

In July, 1874 the hotel owners horse was stolen by Wilhelm Faust, a guest at the hotel, who intended to murder his wife in the nearby town of New Braunfels.

He broke into the house where she was staying, owned by the Voelcker family, and brutally killed the woman in her bed with an axe.

This was 12 year old Emma Voelcker who on this night was sleeping where his wife normally slept. After discovering his error he located his wife in the same bed and attacked her with the axe. Initially written off for dead, she somehow survived the attack but was blinded for life. Faust then rode back to his bed at the Magnolia Hotel for the rest of the night. Whilst Emma Voelcker did not die at the hotel, her ghost is said to be one of those that haunt the hotel today.

Faust confessed to the murder plus two additional killings before being assassinated by an unidentified vigilante who managed to sneak past 36 armed guards at the jail in New Braunfels.

Faust was described by the local paper of the time to be "a small man, with flaxen hair and a mild german cast of countenance. The very last man you would suppose to be capable of a midnight ride from Seguin to New Braunfels, there committing the horrid crime he is charged with, and then returning to his bed in the Magnolia House, at Seguin, before day, a distance of twelve miles and back."

It is claimed that Faust also resides in one of the most haunted places in texas, the Magnolia Hotel to this day.

The Decay of The Magnolia Hotel 

The building continued to be used as a Hotel until 1910, when it was transformed into a Boarding House. It was purchased by the Lannom family in 1927 when the rooms were changed into apartments. The site began to fall into disrepair before becoming derelict, vandalised and home to squatters, rats and drug users.

The current owners, Jim and Erin Ghedi bought the site in 2013 committed to the idea of restoring the old Hotel back to its glory days.

Over the years the reconstruction has stalled several times due to a loss of contractors attributed to ghost activity within the old hotel. The owners hired a psychic to try and identify all of the spirits that reside within the hotel. A total of thirteen ghosts have been identified to date.

As one of the most haunted places in texas, the hotel has been featured on many Ghost Themed TV Shows over the years including "Ghost Brothers", "Ghost Adventures" and "Paranormal Caught on Camera"

The Decay of The Magnolia Hotel 

The building continued to be used as a Hotel until 1910, when it was transformed into a Boarding House. It was purchased by the Lannom family in 1927 when the rooms were changed into apartments. The site began to fall into disrepair before becoming derelict, vandalised and home to squatters, rats and drug users.

The current owners, Jim and Erin Ghedi bought the site in 2013 committed to the idea of restoring the old Hotel back to its glory days.

Over the years the reconstruction has stalled several times due to a loss of contractors attributed to ghost activity within the old hotel. The owners hired a psychic to try and identify all of the spirits that reside within the hotel. A total of thirteen ghosts have been identified to date.

As one of the most haunted places in texas, the hotel has been featured on many Ghost Themed TV Shows over the years including "Ghost Brothers", "Ghost Adventures" and "Paranormal Caught on Camera"

The Re-Opening of The Magnolia Hotel

Finally the Hotel is ready to welcome back Hotel Guests for overnight stays in the The Magnolia Hotel. Where new guests might experience the paranormal activity generated by the troubled souls that still inhabit the building to this day. Are you ready to spend a night with Faust?

If you are not yet prepared for an overnight stay you can still experience a ghost tour through one of the most haunted places in texas, although the owners warn that even this is not suitable for the faint of heart.