Downtown hauntings and history

Big Spring’s first Ghost Tour begins Friday

Would you like to learn more about the original town of Big Spring?

Big Spring grew up around the T&P Railroad, and many of those buildings are no longer there, but during the 1880s and early 20th Century, most people in Big Spring lived and worked in the downtown area close to the railroad tracks.

“This is the first time we’re having a Ghost Tour in Big Spring,” says Shonda Folsom, one of the organizers of the ghost tour. “There are other ghost tours like this, closest one being in San Angelo, but they are done all over the U.S. A lot of these tours focus on local history.”

A tour guide will lead participants through the Downtown Area. The tour will begin and end at The Train Car Cigar Bar and stop at 13 different points along the way, including Desert Flower, Krazy Kow and the Heritage Museum, among others.

Continues Folsom, “At each stop, we’ll talk about some of the historical things that have taken place at that location,” continues Folsom. “When the railroad was being built up, Big Spring started to get a lot of people, which can create a lot of conflict, which leads to a lot of the stories we’ll be telling.”

“For example, there was a building where The Train Car currently sits that burned down. The first cemetery in town was placed just north of the tracks by T&P Railroad. Several years later, the city wanted to expand, and some of the bodies were moved, but not all of them. Up until the 1930’s, kids playing in that area would still find fragments of coffins laying on the ground.”

The tour will tell of a lot of the original buildings in town, such as the Nip and Tuck Saloon, where the first murder in 1882 occurred. There will also be stories of what people have experienced in some of the historical buildings, like

residents living in the loft above where the Desert Flower is now who couldn't stay any longer than two months because of the “ghost activity”. Others have reported

a cowboy walking up and down the street in the area where there were 13 saloons.

This will be a walking tour, so wear your comfortable shoes. All ticket proceeds will be donated to the Heritage Museum to help preserve the history of Big Spring. The tours will take place every

Friday in October beginning October 4, at 8 p.m. To reserve your spot, please call 432-270-6113.

Contact Staff Writer Anna Gutierrez at 432-263-7331 ext. 232, or by email at citydesk@bigspringherald.com