The Haunted Black Swan Inn

Black Swan Inn's land has ties back to a Native American tribe from 5,500 BCE; centuries later, it became the site for a battle between the Texans and the Mexican armies in 1842. The battle was another attempt by Mexico to reclaim the territory it had lost after the Battle of San Jacinto, but like the others since 1836, it was a failure.

Forty-five years later, German immigrant Heinrich Mahler founded a dairy farm on that same land, purchased for $2,220 in 1887. The house's history takes an interesting turn, as after Mahler's wife passed away in 1923, he followed two years later. In 1941, the Holbrooks and Woods families purchased the property; the wives were sisters, and the whole lot of them set up shop.

After a renovation, they nicknamed the house the White Gables. And, when Joline Woods married Hall "Park" Street Jr., they then took over White Gables entirely. Unfortunately, tragedy struck in 1959, when Joline died of cancer, and her husband took the loss of his wife incredibly hard.

Park Street died in 1965, and his death was reportedly ruled a suicide. Who, then, is still haunting the Black Swan Inn?

According to local legend, both Park and Mrs. Woods still haunt Victoria's Black Swan Inn. Guests have reported seeing apparitions all throughout the property, but especially in one of the upstairs bedrooms. There, the spirit of a young woman if often spotted, seated on the bed. Those lucky enough to catch sight of this female ghost often liken her to a young Mrs. Woods, although, as the story goes, her final resting place was actually in one of the downstairs bedrooms. It's in that room that many experience an overwhelmingly oppressive heaviness.

Other paranormal phenomena at the Black Swann Inn include notable dips in temperature, unexplainable noises and lights that are often turned off and on at random. But perhaps the most unnerving spectral presence at the property is that of a man who has been spotted stalking angrily all over the house. Rumor has it that he is the ghost of Hall Park Street. Is he perhaps looking for his beloved wife Jolene, whose spirit is also said to haunt the Inn? Dressed in a white gown, this female spirit roams the property aimlessly, but the two never seem to meet.

Even in death, it seems that their love remains on separate tracks.

At Victoria's Black Swan Inn, it's no secret that the ghosts are just as active at the property as the living. There is the spirit of a child, who acts out only when living children are around—then, the spectral boy is known to pull pranks and throw tantrums.

Today, the Black Swan Inn is an event venue rather than an inn (it offers no overnight guest rooms), but it's well worth a visit if you're in the area. And, if you happen to run into one of the property's many spirits in the interim, just remember that it's unlikely that they'll follow you home . . .