Ghosts of the Alamo

Toward the end of The Ballad of the Alamo (1960), recording artist Marty Robbins sings:

Now the bugles are silent

And there's rust on each sword

And the small band of soldiers

Lie asleep in the arms of the Lord.

When we visited the Alamo in 2004, we drove around town listening to that song almost on repeat as it had become a favorite of my daughter, Emily, then age nine. At the same time, it seemed everywhere we went – especially the Alamo itself – we heard that the place was haunted by the spirits of the men who fell at the Battle of the Alamo on 6 March 1836.

The Menger Hotel, The Emily Morgan, The Crockett Hotel, the bistro across from Alamo Plaza, the McDonald's down the block – all were said to be bristling with all kinds of paranormal activity – finally prompting Emily to ask, "How can they be asleep in the arms of the Lord when, apparently, they're haunting hotels all over Texas?"

Good question. But the claim that San Antonio generally, and the area around the Alamo specifically – including, of course, the site itself – are haunted by spectral soldiers from the siege of the Alamo and famous battle, has been repeated for over 100 years and still makes for popular books, articles, and videos on the "most haunted place in Texas."