Ghost tours offer spooky Halloween alternative

By Gerrit McDonald/ reporter

Loretta Hudson portrays Margaret Bowman, sister of Euday Bowman, a composer and arranger who is remembered for the song “Twelfth Street Rag.” (Photo courtesy Karen Gomez)
Loretta Hudson portrays Margaret Bowman, sister of Euday Bowman, a composer and arranger who is remembered for the song “Twelfth Street Rag.” (Photo courtesy Karen Gomez)

History buffs, paranormal activists and wine aficionados alike can find something to do this Halloween by visiting the tours offered around the DFW area.

For the wine connoisseurs, D’vine Wines offers a way to take a leisurely stroll with a sweetheart or friend that concludes at a winery with a complimentary glass of one’s choosing.

Tourists can encounter stories of ghosts and history as they pass a haunted funeral home, a former insane asylum and the town hall in downtown Grapevine.

Rich in lore, the tour offers numerous attractions, such as the legend of the night watchman, who is believed to still stalk the streets, or the bank that supposedly Bonnie and Clyde attempted to knock over but couldn’t.

Tex Bentley portrays William Jesse Boaz, who was a Confederate veteran prominent in the development of both Birdville and Fort Worth. (Photo courtesy Karen Gomez)
Tex Bentley portrays William Jesse Boaz, who was a Confederate veteran prominent in the development of both Birdville and Fort Worth. (Photo courtesy Karen Gomez)

The Fort Worth Stockyards offers ample grounds for ghost hunters this Halloween, such as the allegedly haunted Cowtown Winery, Cadillac and Stockyards hotels and Miss Molly’s bed-and-breakfast seen on CBS.

Tourgoers can hear a detailed history of the stockyards, including tales of paranormal activity, shootouts, hangings and bordellos.

Purportedly one of the most haunted locals of Fort Worth, Miss Molly’s has an extensive reputation of ghost sightings. As the oldest B&B in Fort Worth, Molly’s began as a boarding home in 1910 and was remodeled to become a brothel in the 1940s.

Established early enough to get a glimpse of the Wild West, Molly’s prides itself on still retaining much of the décor and ambiance of the era.

Kip Bassett portrays Major Horace Carswell, who was killed during World War II. Carswell Air Force Base in Fort Worth is named in his honor. He is among many famous residents portrayed in the Saints and Sinners tour of Oakwood Cemetery. Photo courtesy Karen Gomez
Kip Bassett portrays Major Horace Carswell, who was killed during World War II. Carswell Air Force Base in Fort Worth is named in his honor. He is among many famous residents portrayed in the Saints and Sinners tour of Oakwood Cemetery.
Photo courtesy Karen Gomez

Beginning at the Cowtown Winery, the tour includes a glass of wine or a frozen wine-a-rita to take through the 90-minute paranormal adventure.

History buffs less interested in a scare can observe the re-enactments provided by the North Fort Worth Historical Society. The Saints and Sinners tour takes visitors through a daytime journey of the Oakwood Cemetery, one of Fort Worth’s oldest.

Located between the two forks of the Trinity River, Oakwood provides visitors with a view of the Fort Worth cityscape stretching over the grassy knolls and bluffs.

Participants can encounter elaborate headstones and mausoleums that hold Confederate war veterans, a Texas governor and the founders of Fort Worth, some of whom will be portrayed by actors throughout the cemetery.

Other noteworthy residents of the cemetery include Dewitt Clinton Pendery, inventor of chili powder; the gambler Jake Johnson, who witnessed the last duel in Fort Worth, and Richard Rockett, the first paid firefighter in Fort Worth.

The revenue earned by the Saints and Sinners tour will provide maintenance of the Oakwood Cemetery and help the North Fort Worth Historical Society in its outreach to educate residents about Fort Worth history.