Ghosts in a Texas Mining Town - Terlingua
Terlingua, TX……..have you been before? When I hear the name, it conjures up dusty images of West Texas with hard-working miners, abodes wavering on ramshackle scattered over the area, and clusters of old crosses from its renowned cemetery. I imagine it all set against a backdrop of inky black nights yielding to the marvel of the Milky Way.
Terlinga came to be in the late 1800’s due to the presence of quicksilver and the need to extract it. Naturally, it brought in miners from all over and, over time, the town grew to approximately 2,000 people. The Chisos Mining Company was established in approximately 1903 - 1904 by Chicago businessman Howard Perry after he received some land in some high stakes gambling. There’s another report that he bought the land so your guess is as good as mine regarding how he came to own it.
The Chisos Mining Company was not the only one in the area--but it was the richest one. The company thrived and it pretty much owned the entire town of Terlingua. It provided a post office, school, general store, bakery, hotel, gas station, jail, and a company doctor. It also provided services such as telephone and water services. The Chisos Mining Company thrived and the area truly benefitted from it.
Terlingua is not far from the border with Mexico.
The mountains provide a stunning backdrop to Terlingua.
In 1906, Perry built a mansion with the expectation that he and his wife would live in it. The story is that Mrs. Perry arrived from Portland, Maine, however she did not find the mansion agreeable to her. She allegedly spent one night in the mansion and then returned to her home in Maine. Mr. Perry split his time between Terlingua, Chicago, and Portland but he went on to expand the Terlingua home from one story to two stories with a total fo nine bedrooms. It was an awful lot of house for someone who didn’t live there full-time.
Sadly, all good things must come to an end……and that included the robust profits of the Chisos Mining Company. Eventually the mercury supply the world needed had been met, demand dropped, and prices declined. The Chisos Mining Company filed for bankruptcy in 1942, it sold to the Texas Railway Equipment Company in 1943, then operated as the Esperado Mine through the end of World War II in 1945. What remained of the Chisos Mining Company was eventually sold for salvage. Howard Perry died in 1944 while on vacation. His beautiful mansion laid abandoned and it fell into disrepair. Severe neglect and decay took a toll on the structure to the point that it was no longer habitable.
This is a photo I took of Perry Mansion during an evening walk.
Yes, that’s my husband….not a spirit. LOL
Fortunately someone saw potential in the old mansion, bought it, and invested a lot of money in restoring it. It is now a hotel and, if you go to the website, you will see the journey that the new owner went through to bring the mansion back to life. I had the pleasure of staying at the mansion during a recent visit and found it to be quite beautiful and comfortable while still retaining the West Texas feel to it. I absolutely recommend it however you may not be alone at the mansion. Don’t be surprised if you experience a spirit or two.
Now if you do a web search about haunted Terlingua, you won’t find a lot of stuff out there. Surprising, isn’t it? But there are ghost stories depending on who you talk to. In my case, I spoke with a few local people who had paranormal experiences, and I visited on my own to learn more about this interesting town. I hoped to have a few paranormal experiences of my own as well.
Verandah of Perry Mansion
Homes and ruins in Terlingua
Ok so you want to know where the ghosts are, right? Well, it seems that most locals don’t think there is anything paranormal in Terlingua. If they do, they are staying tight lipped about it. BUT…..there are at least a few that do. They are the ones that told me about shadow figures that are seen here and there among the ruins. It seems that shadow figures can be seen in multiple places but nothing is known about the properties in which they lurk. No one knows who the figure or figures might be. No idea if it is the same person or multiple people lurking about.
I found a couple of stories online about a couple of ghosts that have been seen at the old Perry mansion. One of them is believed to be Mr. Perry and he is seen both on the verandah and in the Great Room. Is he strolling about and enjoying his beloved home? Or is he lamenting a business that ran it’s course and failed? I also read about the ghost of a man that is seen upstairs of the Perry Mansion. It is believed that it is a man to which Mr. Perry might have owed money…..and that the man is still trying to collect payment. I have no idea where the story came from but it was one that piqued my curiosity.
The Perry School is slowly crumbling away.
The remains of the Perry School playground.
When speaking to locals, only a few of the local merchants had much to say about the possible paranormal activity in Terlingua. One told me she had heard several reports about the mansion and the herself had experienced the feeling of being watched while on the property. I don’t know how often she goes to the mansion but she was quite adamant that something unearthly remains.
As far as shadow figures that are spotted amongst the ruins, I took walks during the evening and night hours but never saw anything that couldn’t be debunked. There are a variety of guesthouses strewn about town, and there are businesses that stay open late. Traffic in and out the ghost town in unavoidable so noise and light contamination are ongoing. Honestly, I don’t see how one could see a shadow figure and not debunk it since there is really no way to shield the ruins from the contamination. Still it was fun to sit and wait and watch.
Many graves are built from rocks.
Some graves are less ornate.
Despite the August heat, we spent a fair amount of time exploring and photographing the ruins. Seeing them in their advanced disrepair was sobering considering the life they once held within. I imagined the families that once resided there with their life challenges and struggles to survive. As you might imagine, conditions were harsh in West Texas. Not only was it dreadfully hot, working conditions were perilous and many suffered injury or death because of it. Water was rationed at times on top of that. It is no surprise that there are a few ghost stories in Terlingua.
The Terlingua cemetery is rather iconic in Texas. If you’ve lived in Texas for as long as I have, and if you have driven around it as much as I have, you have probably at least seen some photos of the Terlingua cemetery. They are the images burned into my brain, representing the culture while showing the struggle and danger of West Texas. Some the graves have names, but not all. You can see how things changed over time by looking at the headstones and grave markers. You can see how the headstones became more modern over time but I have a true affinity for the historic ones.
If you are looking for something different with regard to accommodations, may I recommend to you the Basecamp Terlingua Bubbles. The Bubbles are just as they sound: bubble shaped units with a lovely view of the surrounding mountains and also with a view of the star studded sky. My family and I rented a 2-room bubble and enjoyed our unique stay. It comes with a little bit of a price tag but it is clean, comfortable, and private. We were celebrating Peanut’s birthday so we were pleased to find one of the Bubbles available for that one night. It was meant to be.
The entrance is comprised of an entry way with doors on either end. You must keep one door shut in order to open the other so the Bubble does not begin to deflate. There is a manual that explains everything if that happens so don’t worry. Simply closed the doors and the Bubble will begin to re-inflate.
The view from our private deck. The covering is over the bedroom’s window to he
This is the night view of the Bubble from our private deck. Princess is sitting on the sofa.
The Bubble was quite comfortable and had a private bathroom and, even more important in August, formidable air conditioner. As long as we kept the cover over the bedroom on during the day, the temperature was very comfortable for us. We took it off once the sun went down so that we could do some stargazing from bed but, alas the sky was too cloudy for us to see anything at all. Disappointing for sure but we knew it was a risk. We will certainly try again.
The private deck included a hot tub and outdoor shower (just out of view beyond the hot tub) to the right of the deck chairs and a grill on the left. We enjoyed our time on the deck and enjoyed dinner and cocktails with the mountains before us. It was still a bit warm for us but we did not want that gorgeous view to go to waste. It was worth it.
The bedroom was a decent size and clean.
We didn’t use the grill but we did enjoy our dinner on the deck.
If you are concerned about other things to do in town besides exploring the ruins or viewing the Milky Way, keep in mind that you are not far from the Big Bend State and National Parks. We went to the National Park and went all the way to the Boquillas Port of Entry. We knew it was closed but wanted to check it out anyway. We could see the Mexican town of Boquillas on our drive to the Boquillas Canyon and we enjoyed the scenery along the way. Hopefully we can cross over into Mexico on our next visit.
The view of our private deck from inside the living room. The hot tub is on the right and the grill is on the left of the deck chairs.
Here you can see the cover that can be easily removed when you’re ready for stargazing.
Well that’s my summary of our visit to Terlingua. There are a handful of restaurant options in the area but you can also check out Study Butte and Lajitas for food options. We came across a grocery store that was small but had a nice variety of refrigerated and frozen goods. For outdoor activities, you will find that there are outfitters that provide hiking and rafting tours. There really is plenty to do here if you enjoy the outdoors.