New Fort Worth ghost tour showcases the spookier side of the Stockyards
Ghosts of Cowtown
A national travel company is showing off the scary side of the Fort Worth Stockyards with the launch of a brand new ghost tour.
US Ghost Adventures, an Orlando-based company that hosts ghost tours in some of the most haunted cities in the country, has just added Fort Worth to its list of tour locations. The one-hour tour is held nightly at 8 pm and includes eight stops within a one-mile walking distance.
Some of the haunted highlights from the tour include Miss Molly’s Hotel (109 W. Exchange Ave.), a former brothel where unexplained activity – think lights turning on and off, heavy breathing, and footsteps heard on the stairs – have long been documented.
The Stockyards Hotel (109 E. Exchange Ave.), built in 1904, is said to be home to the apparition of its developer, Colonel T.M. Thannisch, as well as rodeo cowboy C.D. “Junior” Colwell, who is said to have committed suicide to avoid jailtime for swindling people.
Tour participants will also visit the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame (2515 Rodeo Plaza), where it’s said the six-foot, four-inch ghost of famed actor John Wayne has been seen admiring the cowboy memorabilia on display – even with a museum dedicated solely to him located just steps way at John Wayne: An American Experience.
While other ghost tours exist in Fort Worth, US Ghost Adventures owner Lance Zaal says his tour specializes in storytelling.
“US Ghost Adventures offers EMF detectors and focuses on telling the history behind the hauntings,” says Zaal.
When paranormal activity takes places, theories suggest electromagnetic disturbances can be seen with electromagnetic field (EMF) detectors. Lights on the detector indicate the strength of the disturbances, with a green light meaning little to no activity, yellow meaning moderate activity, and red meaning high activity.
Fort Worth was one of 12 new cities recently added to the US Ghost Adventures roster, as well as Houston and El Paso. The company operates tours in more than 50 cities across the country, and full list of new cities include:
- Annapolis, MD
- El Paso, TX
- Flagstaff, AZ
- Ft Worth, TX
- Houston, TX
- Jacksonville, FL
- Milwaukee, WI
- Monterey, CA
- New Port, RI
- Providence, RI
- Sacramento, CA
- Salt Lake City, UT
The tour is $25 per person and there’s a two-person minimum. There's also an option to add a 30-minute bonus tour of four additional stops for just $6 per person.
Reservations should be made in advance online, and participants should meet at the Livestock Exchange Building at 131 E. Exchange Ave.
