Moody Mansion

The Moody family bought this 28,000-square-foot mansion in 1900 and built a financial empire out of it. Four generations lived here, and the banking, insurance, and hotel money they accumulated apparently wasn't the only thing that stuck around.

Moody Mansion, a 31-room Romanesque Revival masterpiece built in 1895, served as headquarters for one of Texas's most powerful financial empires. Originally constructed for Galveston socialite Narcissa Willis, who always dreamed of a stately home to impress her social circle, the mansion first bore her name.

Tragedy struck before Narcissa could enjoy her triumph. Widowed and estranged from her family, she led a lonely existence in her dream home until her death in 1899--alone in the grandeur she had craved.

When the Great Storm of 1900 swept through Galveston and claimed over 6,000 lives, Moody Mansion stood strong amid the devastation. Cotton magnate W.L. Moody Jr. seized the opportunity: with most bidders withdrawn after the catastrophe, he acquired the home valued at $100,000 for just $20,000.

Today, paranormal investigators and visitors report strange noises, sudden temperature drops, and objects moving on their own throughout the 20-room museum tour. Footsteps echo through hallways where no one walks. Many believe that some of the Moody family never truly left their beloved home.

The lonely ghost of Narcissa Willis stalks the halls and rooms, still wandering the mansion she so desperately wanted in life but could never truly enjoy.

The most notable phenomenon at Moody Mansion is the surprisingly common photographic anomalies. Spirit photography has become particularly popular here--visitors have sworn to see faces appear in their photographs that weren't visible when the pictures were taken.

Some believe locals who perished in the 1900 hurricane have also taken up spiritual residence. The Moody Mansion ranks among Galveston's most haunted locations, alongside the Broadway Cemetery and Bishop's Palace. Many of the city's hauntings stem from that terrible storm, though some are attributed to the "saffron scourge"--the yellow fever epidemic that ravaged Texas in the 1800s.