HAVE YOU HAD A PARANORMAL EXPERIENCE AT THIS LOCATION?
Share Your Experiences
By Ernest Mettendorf - <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Contact_us/Photo_submission" class="extiw" title="w:Wikipedia:Contact us/Photo submission">Contact us/Photo submission</a>, Public Domain, Link
History
Although the name dates back to a fort built on the ruins on a French fort in 1721 the fort was built at it’s present location in 1747.
By 1771 the fort had been rebuilt in stone and was the only Spanish fortress on the Gulf Coast between the Rio Grande and the Mississippi River. The civilian town, not surprisingly called Goliad, began to become populated in the latter quarter of the 18th century.
By the 19th century it was one of only three important sites in what was then known as Spanish Texas and one of only two schools.
In 1810 the Mexican War of Independence - from Spain - began. The Mexicans invaded Texas and captured the fort in February of 1813. It wasn’t returned until the remaining Texas territories were liberated by the Spanish Army by the summer of that same year.
In 1821 the fort was captured again – this time by Americans angry over the treaty between Spain and the United States which gave Texas to Spain – but only for 4 days. By the end of 1921 Mexico had achieved it’s independence from Spain and absorbed Texas.
In October of 1835 the Texas Revolution began between the colonists and the Mexican government. On October 10 Anglo-American volunteers (Texicans) attacked the fort. They forced the Mexican surrender after yelling out that they would slaughter everyone if they didn’t surrender now.
In early 1836 the Mexican Army entered Texas to put an end to the Revolution. After the more famous fort - the Alamo – fell, the Texicans retreated from the Presidio under the orders of General Sam Houston.
The Mexican Army overtook them, forced them to surrender, and forced them back to the Presidio fort. On March 27, 1836 the Texas prisoners of war – between 425-445 of them – were executed by the Mexican Army under orders from the President of Mexico. This became known as the Goliad Massacre.
The bodies were piled up outside the fort and burned. They were left for the vultures until the remaining Texican army found them a few months later and gave them a military funeral.
In the 1960’s $1 million was donated to rebuild the fort and bring it back to it’s former glory as a Spanish fort. It is now run as a public museum and is owned by the Catholic Church.
Paranormal Activity
The ghost of Col James Fannin (leader of the massacred Texan forces) is seen in the courtyard where he is sitting in a chair blindfolded and ready for his execution. Those who have witnessed his apparition say the air gets very cold and they feel a chill on their spine.
Col Fannin is also seen in the old officer’s quarters where phantom footsteps and cannon fire often are heard when his ghost appears.
Most of the soldiers were murdered in the quadrangle and the majority of the paranormal activity is focused here. People have reported smelling decaying flesh; a smell so strong the local vultures flock in to look for a meal. Phantom blood also appears on the walls.
In the courtyard a woman in white is seen; legend says she is looking for a lost grave.
The chapel – Our Lady of Loreto – is also reported as being very paranormally active with multiple ghosts. A woman in black is seen holding a burning candle apparently mourning someone for eternity. A robed monk is also seen in the chapel. There are reports of there being numerous other ghosts in the chapel.
When the chapel is empty people have heard the organ playing, a woman’s choir, a bell ringing and babies crying.
Other Reported Activity: disembodied voices; electrical disturbances; cold spots; time slips and feelings of not being alone.