By Monica Ballard
Author of the book ‘‘Driskill Ghosts.’‘
Of the thousands who have crossed the threshold of this Austin landmark, to rest, to dine, to drink, to celebrate, or to simply gawk, there are some who have remained behind, extending their stay. In turn, those in spirit have given many of the living a scare, a laugh, a startling encounter, or a new perspective as to what lies beyond death’s door.
This information is collected by the guides of the original and only local Austin Ghost Tours, These are true stories from the staff, passersby, and guests.
There is a lot going on at the intersection of 6th Street and Brazos. Some of the activity you can see, some you cannot. I’m not referring to paranormal activity, as such. You see, under the streets flow ancient Artesian wells. A block to the south, a bar owner excitedly showed me the basement of his establishment, uncovering the cistern. We could still hear the trickle of the underground wellspring flowing beneath.
So it is here that cattle barren Colonel Jesse Driskill decided to buy the property where the bathhouse once stood, tear it down and construct his hotel, intending to use the artesian springs as part of the plumbing.
Haunted Rooms and Hallways
Of all the stories we have collected from the Driskill staff, some of our favorites come from managers and security. These people, after all, are the skeptics who join the staff and are warned by others on the force, not just about the ghosts, but the would be ghost hunters who wander the hotel in the wee hours in search of their own firsthand encounters. Security and management are there to make sure the guests remain undisturbed and that the customers stay safe, but I don’t know if dealing with the paranormal is included in the training manual. Usually, the new employees are on staff for about 3 weeks. When, as one new manager put it, they are welcomed by the hotel.
One recent addition to the security staff shared his story with the owner of Austin Ghost Tours, Jeanine. He told of when he had first started working at the Driskill. He was in the hotel late at night and approached a staff area that can only be assessed by a keypad. As he came down the hall, he thought, I hope I remember my code correctly. The light was dim by the keypad. But when his hand reached for the pad, the lights on either side of the door brightened enough for him to put in his code and open the door. ”That was odd”, he thought to himself as he entered the employee only area. On the other side of the door, he passed a young lady walking out and said, ”How are you”? Just to be courteous. ”Fine, have a good night”, she responded before exiting. ”Should I tell her about the door and how the lights brightened”? The new security man thought for a split second. ”Why would I tell her that”? And then it hit him. ”Who was that”? He dashed back out the door and peered into the empty bar. No one. He leaned over the railing to the lobby and asked the front desk staff if they had seen anyone. No. Here’s what weirds me out then anything else, he told Jeanine as part of security, I may forget your name, but I’m trained to remember faces. This woman’s face is a total blank to me. All I remember was that she was wearing a long dress. That alone should have struck me as strange, but it didn’t at the time. I was a total skeptic before that night. Not any more.
