THE MENGER HOTEL
There are very few hotels that exist in the United States today
that can boast of as rich a history and as spooky of ghost
stories as the Menger Hotel can. Set apart from almost any
other hotel in the country, the Menger Hotel will certainly live
in America’s history as one of the most influential hotels.
Built in 1859 by a German immigrant named William A.
Menger, this hotel has quite a story to tell. William Menger
was a popular man in San Antonio because he was known for
brewing the finest tasting beer in the city. His beer was so
popular and sought after that he decided to open up San
Antonio’s first brewery called “the Western Brewery,” located
on Alamo Plaza right next door to the famous Alamo. On the
other side of his brewery, he also operated a boardinghouse
with his wife, Mary.
Mary was a widow who operated the boardinghouse by
herself when she first met Menger. William had come to San
Antonio looking for work and stayed at the boardinghouse for
three years before they both decided to marry. Years later, they
had two thriving businesses right next to each other and a
demand for more rooms and space at the boardinghouse. They
decided that they were going to turn the boardinghouse into a
luxury hotel and call it the Menger Hotel. They hired local
architect John M. Fries, who designed the two-story, stone-cut
building with classical detail. Foundations were laid June 18,
1858, and work was completed by January 1859. On February
1, they opened the Menger Hotel with a lavish gala that
allowed reporters and the wealthy to feast their eyes on the
luxurious hotel. News traveled fast as reporters boasted of its
finery and dubbed it “the Finest Hotel West of the
Mississippi.”
Within three months, the Mengers had enough business that they started to plan on expanding the hotel, which was
originally built with only fifty rooms. This time, they added on forty more rooms—making the Menger, with a total of ninety rooms, the largest hotel in the area.
The hotel’s nationwide fame, good service and excellent
cuisine made it a popular place for many influential and
famous people to stay. These people included William Sydney
Porter, who mentioned the Menger in several of his stories;
General Robert E. Lee; Ulysses S. Grant, who spent four days
in the hotel; Sidney Lanier, who wrote “San Antonio de Béjar”
while he stayed at the Menger; and Teddy Roosevelt, who
visited three different times.
A current photo of the original lobby of the Menger Hotel.
An exterior photo of the Menger Hotel, circa 1865. Courtesy of the Menger Hotel.
Photo of the original lobby inside the Menger Hotel. Courtesy of the Menger Hotel.
During one of those visits, Teddy recruited his famous
Rough Riders from the Menger Hotel bar [NOTE: as in
captions] in 1898. They claim that he actually rode into the
famous bar on his horse to recruit his men. The original table
where he enlisted the Rough Riders is still inside the Menger
Hotel to this day, on the third floor. These men went on to
battle in the Spanish American War.
Years passed, and the Great Depression came, slowing
down business significantly. People no longer had money to
travel and stay in expensive hotels. However, in the 1940s,
business began to pick up, and new renovations were added to
the building. Famous faces began once again to flock to the
hotel. These people included Mae West, Babe Ruth and Roy
Rogers. At one point, it is said that as soon as people arrived
off the train, they rushed over to the Menger Hotel in order to
secure a room in such luxury.
The Colonial Room Restaurant also experienced high
demand and popularity. It was known throughout the city as
having the best and most decadent food in the area. Some of
its most popular items on the menu included such specialties
as wild game, mango ice cream and snapper soup, made from
turtles caught in the San Antonio River.
Today, the Menger Hotel still exists as a central landmark
in the city of San Antonio and is now on the National Registry
of Historic Places. Its history, beautiful architecture, famous
food and location draw many visitors to it daily. But perhaps
the most interesting part of this hotel is its many hauntings.
The Menger has had so many different types of tragedies on
the premises—including a battle that took place next door—
and people stay throughout the years that it’s no wonder the
hotel bears the title of “Most Haunted Hotel in Texas.”
When the Menger was first built, there were not a lot of
other buildings in the area. Nor were there many hospitals. If
someone took sick or was about to give birth, he or she would
often take a room at the Menger and have the doctor visit him
or her there. Because of the lack of clean living areas and no
hospitals, the hotel was the best place to go. Many people did
lose their lives to some sort of ailment or terrible childbirth
inside this building.
A current photo of the exterior of the Menger Hotel today.
Let’s not forget also that the Menger sits next door to the
Alamo and was only built a short twenty-three years after its
fall. Many men lost their lives where the building sits today,
and some claim to see the spirits of those very same men
walking the halls of the hotel.
There are a total of thirty-two known spirits that haunt the
Menger Hotel, and each one of them seems to have its own
story. But of the thirty-two, there are three that stand apart
from the rest. Their stories follow.
TEDDY ROOSEVELT
Teddy, as we know, recruited his Rough Riders from the
Menger’s bar in 1898. He must have loved the hotel and its bar
because he frequented them so often. Today, when the staff at
the bar closes up at night, they have seen a man appear at the
bar watching them. Sometimes, he beckons or calls out to
them, as if he wants to have a friendly chat with them. When
they do get the opportunity to speak to him, they claim he
often tries to recruit them to join his Rough Riders.
The Menger Hotel bar where Teddy Roosevelt recruited his Rough Riders in 1898.
A new employee had a very frightening experience at the
bar one evening. It was his first time closing up the bar by
himself, and as he was finishing, he heard something behind
him. He turned and saw a man appear at the bar, watching him
intently. Frightened, he ran past him to the doors but realized
that they had locked on him. He banged on them, trying to get
someone’s attention. Eventually, someone heard the noise and
unlocked the door for him. The poor employee was in a state
of shock and could hardly speak. When he did eventually
recount his tale, it was too late, for the man at the bar had long
since disappeared.
SALLIE WHITE
The most often sighted ghost of the Menger Hotel is a young
woman named Sallie White. Sallie was once a chambermaid at
the hotel and was a wonderful employee on its staff. She loved
her job and always completed her daily duties with the utmost
care. Unfortunately, Sallie had a common law husband who
was a very angry man. He lost his temper often, and he would
take it out on Sallie when she arrived home (their house was
located two streets behind the hotel). One day after an
explosive argument, Sallie took off running down the street.
Her husband pulled out his gun and shot her in the back three
times. It took poor Sallie two days to die from her wounds,
and because she was such a beloved employee to the hotel, the
Menger brought her back and paid for her funeral costs of
thirty-two dollars. That receipt is on display inside the hotel to
this day and states the following:
Hotel Exp. Acct.,
to cash paid for coffin for Sallie White, col’d chambermaid,
deceased, murdered by her husband, shot March 28th died
March 30th
.
For grave, $25.00
$7.00
$32.00
The stairwell in which Sallie White is most often seen.
Sallie, they say, has not given up on her daily duties. She is
most often sighted walking up and down the different
hallways, continuing on with the work she so greatly loved.
She can be seen with an armful of towels or sheets, entering
the different rooms. Many people have had experiences of
seeing Sallie White over the years inside the hotel. One
woman retold a story about an experience she thought she had
with Sallie White. As she was sitting at the edge of her bed,
flipping through the channels on her TV, she suddenly saw
something walk through her front door. It was a woman
dressed in a maid’s uniform and carrying a towel in her arms
that walked through the door and disappeared into her
restroom. Another woman also had a similar Sallie White
experience. She said as she got out of the shower and walked
into her room, she found a woman folding sheets at the edge of
her bed, and she could see right through her. Terrified, she ran
down to the front desk and told the concierge what had
occurred.
So if by chance you stay at the Menger Hotel and see a
woman in old chambermaid attire, don’t be alarmed; it’s just
young Sallie White carrying on with what she knows best.
CAPTAIN RICHARD KING
Richard started off his life as an indentured servant to a
jeweler in New York City. His poor Irish family was so
destitute that they had no other option than to sell him as a
servant. Hating his indentured time with the jeweler, he ran
away and hopped onto a ferry heading toward the Mississippi.
Over the years, he established himself as a hardworking man
who was also a great entrepreneur. He later on established his
own steamboat company and was a blockade runner during the
Civil War. During a visit to Corpus Christi in South Texas, he
bought a large site of acreage that started his fabled King
Ranch. Years later, the ranch grew into nearly one million
acres, and King became a famous and very wealthy cattle
baron.
Captain Richard King’s original bed, where he died in 1885.
King frequented the Menger Hotel on business trips when
he came to San Antonio. He stayed there so often that he soon
had his own private suite on the second floor. Later on in life,
he developed stomach cancer and died inside his suite at the
Menger Hotel on April 14, 1885. His funeral service was held
inside the lobby, and thousands of people from all over came
to pay their respects to this marvelous man.
Captain King, even after death, still seems to want his
presence to be known. His spirit has been seen by hotel
employees, guests and tour groups throughout the years. His
original room is still located on the second floor and has been
called “the King Ranch Suite.” There are some pieces of
furniture inside the room that are original to when Captain
King lived there. One such piece is King’s bed, located toward
the back of the room. This is the exact bed where King died,
and brave guests today have the opportunity to sleep here.
Some who have chosen to do so have claimed to see King
or have had strange occurrences take place. One woman spent
the night inside the famous suite and awoke to feeling a
strange presence around her. When she opened her eyes, she
claimed that she saw Captain King staring down at her as she
slept in his bed. Another woman staying by herself heard
footsteps in the living room and heard the shutters opening and
closing. There is a curious red orb that has appeared in and
around King’s suite, near the chair outside the room and on his
bed. That red orb appears nowhere else in the hotel except
those areas.
Employees have also claimed to see King walking through
the hallways and disappearing through his doorway. He
sometimes makes his rounds on the second floor but almost
always disappears when he comes to his suite. The King
Ranch Suite is considered to be one of the most active parts of
the hotel. If you are brave enough, I suggest you try a night
inside this famous room.
OTHER SPIRITS
There are, of course, many other spirits that haunt this hotel.
Perhaps they are not as famous as the previous three, but they
have still made their presences known.
The Menger is located next door to the Alamo, and the
spirits of some of the men who died there can be seen inside
the hotel. Small children have seen soldiers standing over the
railing on the second floor, looking down below. Others have
also been seen in the new lobby walking about or standing
near the doors.
A Spanish conquistador has also made an appearance in the
lobby. He stands in full armor, as if he is preparing for
something.
In the courtyard, the Chisholm Trail marker stands to
commemorate the history of cattle drives and Texas ranchers.
Many of these men frequented the hotel at that time and have
been known to visit to this day. Their ghosts have been seen in
different rooms and the bar area.
In the late 1800s, a small girl was tragically run over by a
horse and carriage outside the Menger. After this, her small
spirit has been seen in the lobby behind the front desk, at the
Colonial Room Restaurant and in the bar. She is a mischievous
spirit that likes to play games with the staff. George and Sigrid
of the Colonial Room Restaurant have had their own
experiences with the little girl they have nicknamed “Sarah.”
On occasions when they have been alone cleaning up the
restaurant at night, they have heard their names called out.
When they turn to answer, there is no one in sight. Sigrid said
that on one occasion, this young spirit came up behind her and
grabbed her sides. Startled, she turned around, but there was
no one in sight.
The front desk also has a lot of Sarah activity. Sometimes,
papers and brochures fly off the shelf and a little girl’s voice
can be heard in the background. A recent photo taken by one
of the staff showed a little girl in a white dress with long
brown hair peering at the employees as they worked from
around the corner. Sarah has also appeared on the upper level
of the bar from time to time.
The history and ghost stories of the Menger Hotel are truly
what make it such a fascinating and enamoring place to visit
and stay. Its romantic architecture, great food and spooky aura
continue to draw tourist and locals every year. Its title of
“Most Haunted Hotel in Texas” will be left up for you to
decide. If by chance you visit, perhaps you might see one of
the famous ghosts of the very haunted and historic Menger
Hotel.
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