Abandoned places have a certain mystique about them that seems to beckon us inside to explore their secrets. Stewart Mansion in Galveston is no exception, and it has a history just as alluring as the eeriness of its decrepit remains.
The 8200 square foot Stewart Mansion first bore the name “Isla Ranch,” given to it by its first owner, George Sealy Jr.
Flickr/Debi Beauregard
When Maco Stewart, a prominent businessman in Galveston, bought the property in 1933, he named it after his family and began its expansion.
Flickr/Debi Beauregard
Many grisly rumors are associated with the house, one being that Stewart murdered his wife and children before burying them inside the walls - this has long since been debunked, however.
Flickr/Debi Beauregard
The third and final homeowner was the UTMB, who used it as a home for sick and disabled children before letting it fall into its current state of abandonment.
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The history of the land on which the mansion is built is fascinating yet gruesome. It is the very land where Karankawa Indians once lived in the early 1800s.
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Jean Lafitte himself came to Galveston in 1817 to establish his slave-trading business. He encountered and slayed most of the tribe, whose bows and arrows were no match for his crew’s cannons and guns.
Flickr/Debi Beauregard
Many caretakers and trespassers have reported seeing apparitions of pirates and Native Americans or hearing sounds of war such as cannon fire and screams.
Flickr/Debi Beauregard
The mansion might be far past its glory days, but the memories made by both families who inhabited it will never be forgotten.
Flickr/Debi Beauregard
Who knows? Maybe the former residents do still occupy the home…maybe they’re eternally trapped inside its walls.
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Nobody can be certain whether it’s haunted or not, but one thing’s for sure - Stewart Mansion is definitely one of the eeriest places in Galveston.
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Would you dare explore this spooky, dilapidated mansion? What’s the creepiest abandoned place in Texas you’ve ever been to?
Flickr/Debi Beauregard
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