117: The Ghost Bride

Sep 16

Written By Laurah Norton

We're checking into the Hotel Galvez in Galveston this week to tell the tale of Audra, the lovelorn ghost bride.

Written Hosted, and Researched by Laurah Norton

Additional Research by Anna Luria

Engineered by Southern Gothic Media

EPISODE INTEL:

In this investigation, we travel to Galveston, Texas, to explore the haunted history of the Grand Galvez. Known as the "Queen of the Gulf," this 1911 luxury resort is famous for its elegant architecture and its long-standing reputation as one of America’s most active paranormal sites. We look into the archival records to separate the hotel’s marketing from the documented tragedies of the Texas coast.

Subjects of Investigation:

The Great Storm of 1900: An examination of the deadliest natural disaster in United States history and its impact on the land where the Hotel Galvez was eventually constructed.
The St. Mary’s Orphanage Myth: We analyze the popular claim that the hotel sits on the site of a destroyed asylum and investigate the actual geographical distance between the two locations.
The Legend of Audra: A look at the "Ghost Bride" of Room 501, the turret watch of 1955, and the reported electronic anomalies involving modern keycard access panels.
Bernardo de Gálvez and the Haunted Portrait: We explore the history of the hotel’s namesake and the reports of "tracking eyes" associated with his lobby portrait.
The 1911 Press Photo: An analysis of one of the earliest known "ghost photos" in the resort’s history, reportedly featuring a figure in a bowler hat.
Archival Sources: Research from the Galveston Daily News, Houston Family Magazine, and the historical records of the St. Mary’s Historical Society.

Sources on our website: https://www.onestrangethingpodcast.com/

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Works Cited

Kathleen Maca, Ghosts of Galveston, 2016.

Sara G. Stephens. "Portrait of a Legend: The Great Storm of 1900: St. Mary's Orphan Asylum." Houston Family Magazine.

Gabi De La Rosa. "The Spooky History of Hotel Galvez & Other Texas Haunts to Visit this Halloween." Texas Lifestyle Magazine.

John Wayne Ferguson. "The Lovelorn Lady." The Galveston County Daily News.

Sister M. Declan Moroney. "St. Mary's Orphanage, Galveston." Handbook of Texas Online, Texas State Historical Association, 1 June 1995.

Grand Galvez. "Our Grand History." Grand Galvez, 2023.

Wikipedia. "1915 Galveston Hurricane." Wikipedia.

Ghost Texas. "Hotel Galvez: Room for the Dead." Ghost Texas.

Ghost City Tours. "The Haunted St. Mary's Orphanage." Ghost City Tours.

Galveston.com. "Official Website of Galveston Island, Texas Tourism & Marketing." Galveston.com.

Houstonia Magazine. "An Evening of Revelations at Galveston's Hotel Galvez." Houstonia Magazine, Sept. 2019.