Texas Governor’s Mansion

Posted: 03.07.2025 | Updated: 03.07.2025

Government and legislature may not seem like an inherently spooky subject. Yet, much of America’s political past is marred by death, tragedy, and betrayal. Those who inhabit its official residences, such as the Texas Governor’s Mansion, are not free from such woes. Politicians, after all, are as human as the rest of us, and when they pass on into the other realm, just as ghostly. 

This gubernatorial mansion in Texas is especially eerie. With a history almost as old as the state itself, it has no shortcoming of memorable residents, some of whom, it seems, never left. Scroll on to engross yourself in the fascinating history of this historic Texas home and occupy your mind with its assorted ghostly residents.

Those who prefer to hear weird and haunting tales in person can book an Austin ghost tour with Austin Ghosts to enjoy even more of Bat City’s haunted attractions and ghostly inhabitants.  

Is The Texas Governor’s Mansion Haunted? 

Texas may have become a state in 1845, but the Governor of Texas didn’t see a noteworthy residence until just over a decade later. Today, the fourth oldest continuously occupied Governor’s residence in this country, the Governor’s Mansion in Texas appears to be considerably haunted. 

Bearing the restless spirits of former Governors and other lost souls, its walls and grounds are a place of many spooky sightings. This is only to be expected, given its lengthy list of occupants and expansive history.

The Home That Saw 170 Years of Texas History 

Construction on the Governor’s Mansion began in the Fall of 1854. Master builder, Abner Cook fashioned the residence in the Greek Revival architectural style with 29-foot tall Ionic columns dressing the front. Meanwhile, the porch was donned with his trademark “X-and-Stick” railings, which became a signature style feature of Cook’s. 

His design was perfectly suited to the Texas climate, featuring a vast veranda, large windows, and roomy hallways that permit the Texas breeze to cool the house in the sweltering summer months. Cook supplied the bricks forming the house, fashioning them from his clay pit along the Colorado River. 

Cook did not finish the home until June 1856, six months longer than expected. As a result, he had to put the Governor in a boarding house and pay his rent. The first residents of the mansion were Elisha Marshall Pease, Texas’ fifth Governor, his wife Lucadia, and their daughters.

In 1859, Sam Houston was elected Governor and moved into the grand residence. Only the third resident, the furnishings were still relatively sparse, so he acquired the enormous four-post mahogany bed that still graces the mansion to this day in the Southeast bedroom. Houston’s eighth child, Temple Houston, was the first infant born in the home. 

By 1914, the mansion needed more than a decorative facelift—it needed a full restoration. During Governor Oscar Colquitt’s term, an addition was constructed, along with a new family dining room, further upstairs living space, and an expanded kitchen wing.

A complete structural restoration began in 1979, including refurbished interiors and antique furnishings. In 2008, the mansion was severely burned due to arson and had to be restored yet again. Today, the mansion is open to visitors interested in its design and historic legacy.

Echoes of Love and Heartbreak in the Texas Governor’s Mansion

The Governor’s Mansion is one of the oldest of the many haunted attractions in downtown Austin. As such, it has quite a number of specters haunting its halls — and they are, by no means, at rest. 

The most famous spirit is that of Sam Houston, who was thought to linger after being expelled from his term prematurely. His apparition is said to have been seen in one of the mansion bedrooms more than once. He has been sighted around the beloved mahogany bed he had installed, although his specter quickly vanishes when addressed. 

Former political residents have also noted his presence. Governor Mark White and his wife frequently found the light above his portrait on despite repeatedly turning it off. They would continually switch it off one night only to see it back on the next. 

Others have reported the strange sighting of a maid weeping by the front door. Some say this ghost is that of a former staff member, dismissed for becoming pregnant out of wedlock. Others detail her appearance outside the house as if longing to be let inside again.

More apparitions include those of the lovers seen ambling the mansion grounds, hands eternally held. They are said to be the spirits of a young Texas scout and a Comanche woman who fell deeply in love and secretly met on the mansion grounds. According to legend, the scout was murdered, and the woman ended her life so they would be reunited in the beyond. 

However, the building’s staff is most perturbed by Governor Murrah’s ghostly nephew. Those who walk by the bedroom he inhabits have reported sobs and moans, partnered with footsteps anxiously pacing. What bothers this ghostly young man so terribly? What else could it be—other than heartache? 

The Sobbing Man

Of the many hauntings of the Texas Governor’s Mansion, the gloomiest might be that of one heartbroken man. Said in many accounts to be the nephew of Governor Pendleton Murrah, the ghost of the crying man is truly tragic. 

As the story goes on, the 19-year-old man falls in love with an acquaintance of the Murrah family. Sometimes reported as Mrs. Murrah’s niece, the young lady did not mirror the young man’s sentiments.

After refusing his proposal, which in some tales was said to occur within 24 hours of meeting her, the saddened soul made a rash and somber decision. He soon found himself in the guest room on the North side of the mansion, where he ended his life. The exact manner of his death is unknown, though some suspect it was likely a gunshot by the ensuing gore.

Legend says the room was found saturated with blood. Staff strangely declined to clean the massacre, claiming to hear moans even after the young man died. Odd commotions continued to occur in and around the room spanning from rattling door knobs and mysterious cold spots to loud banging noises.

The room is believed to have been sealed by A. J. Hamilton sometime during his term in 1865 or 1866. However, staff continued to describe an undeniable sense of dread whenever present in the North portion of the residence. Unsealed in the 20th century, strange happenings persisted when the home underwent renovations.

Activity is said to be especially active on Sundays — the same day the man’s death was rumored to occur. The man’s supposed uncle, Governor Murrah, may also haunt the mansion. Whether it be out of sorrow for his despondent nephew or due to his early departure from his term as Texas Governor remains unknown.

Haunted Austin

Guided tours are available weekly at the Texas Governor’s Mansion in Austin for those who wish to experience the history and classic architecture in person. Reservations are required a week in advance. However, those with a penchant for the spectral and spooky may prefer a different type of excursion.

To experience a spookier side, book an Austin ghost tour with Austin Ghosts. Enjoy an assortment of haunting tales in person through the words of our tour guides. Keep reading our blog, and be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok for more sinister and haunting content. 

Sources:

• https://gov.texas.gov/first-lady/history
• https://txfgm.org/the-mansion/
• https://www.tiki-toki.com/timeline/entry/27576/Texas-Governors-Mansion-History
• https://downtownaustin.com/blog/spooky-austin-haunted-downtown/
• https://realhaunts.com/united-states/haunted-places-in-texas/the-haunted-texas-governors-mansion
• https://ghosttexas.com/the-haunted-texas-governors-mansion-politics-and-suicide/
• https://gov.texas.gov/first-lady/tours