As the Gingerbread House at 3602 Broadway, this Victorian mansion is equal parts inviting and intimidating. Built in 1891, the 6,310-square-foot estate includes fourteen rooms and a four-story entrance. Developers Alfred Albert and Catherine commissioned the home just seven years prior to Galveston's deadliest disaster – its Great Storm of 1900. Yet the house could shelter citizens, making it a source of safety during unthinkable devastation. Nevertheless, many whisper about the "man in the attic." Is it the spirit of Alfred Albert? What does this poltergeist want?
Did You Know?
- Fifty citizens evacuated underneath the staircase during the Hurricane of 1900.
- Famed architect Nicholas Clayton designed the residence.
- Antebellum Antiques (the home's previous tenant) reported a "man in the attic."
- This is known as "The Gingerbread House" for its ornate details.
Is the Van Alstyne House Haunted?
Established in 1891, it provided critical refuge for approximately fifty neighbors during Galveston's Great Storm of 1900. The staircase sheltered citizens against the winds. Nevertheless, the residence is reputed for its man of the attic. Although not everyone encounters this poltergeist, he's been a constant fixture of folklore. But who is this attic apparition? Why does he continue to visit Galveston?
The Van Alstyne Family
Alfred Albert Van Alstyne and his wife, Catherine Waelder Van Alstyne, commissioned the gingerbread home of 1891. The couple needed four stories of space for their six children, whom they raised within the residence. Renowned architect Nicholas Clayton implemented the Victorian property, incorporating twenty-one additional rooms for the service staff. It's an estate of lavish proportions, featuring original woodwork in quarter-sawn oak, a cantilevered Grand Hall, a ballroom, and parquet floors. The distinctive gingerbread trim gives the house its nickname, a tribute to the family.
The Hurricane of 1900
Not only did the Van Alstyne family survive the hurricane, but so did fifty-two of their neighbors. Approximately fifty neighbors sought shelter within Van Alstyne's staircase. As a Category 4 hurricane that made landfall on September 8, 1900, it produced winds of 145 mph and destroyed 3,600 homes. It's one of the deadliest natural disasters in U.S. history, killing between 6,000 and 12,000 people. Yet the Van Alstyne Family and their guests survived. Might this be a cause of paranormal activity?
The Man in the Attic
Antebellum Antiques occupied the Van Alstyne House from 2000 until 2012, throughout which they fielded accounts of the "man in the attic." Proprietor Scottie Ketner documented these events, alleging to witness toy trucks gliding on their own, alarms activating without explanation, security sensors indicating intruders, and European-accented voices throughout the residence. For some, these are "residual energies" or imprints, actions or impressions that play on repeat from those who passed away. Others believe in "intelligent hauntings," paranormal phenomena that engages with the living. It's always a scary sight. But is it residual? Or is it intelligent?
The Van Alstyne House Today
The residence is being renovated, a multi-year restoration effort that honors the gingerbread residence's Victorian history. Although the site is a private residence, it's a fixture of Galveston's Ghost Tour.
Visiting the Van Alstyne House
The Van Alstyne House is located at 3602 Broadway, though it's a private residence. Leave the owners alone!
The ornate Queen Anne architecture that houses generations of sorrow
The mahogany staircase where Victorian spirits still roam
