Old Town Spring has a history of ghostly occurrences and paranormal activity. So much so that the town has been dubbed "The Ghost Capital of Texas." No fewer than a dozen buildings in the turn-of-the-century railroad town are said to house ghosts, spirits and emanations from past souls. Unexplained happenings and sightings lend credence to the town's eerie title, and television crews and "ghost chasers" from throughout the state have visited here to document the paranormal activity.
The German settlers brought with them old-world superstitions, tales and mystieries about ghosts and spirits - both benevolent and frightening. A common consensus seems to be that the spirits or ghosts of Old Town Spring often appear at a place where they actually died. Sometimes, however, they just come back to places where they were happy in life with someone or something they loved, as kindly, benevolent guardians that protectively watch over someone or a place they once loved. Some are simply unexplained presences that represent the restless souls of now dead human beings. But each story is linked to an historical event or place as to make it plausible and therefore believable.

Doering Court, in the heart of Old Town Spring, is said to be the home of one of the town's most playful ghosts. A young girl named Sarah took a bad spill from the loft in the barn and badly fractured her leg. Later, complications set in, and the young girl contracted blood poisoning and tragically died within a few months. It is said that young Sarah's spirit returned to the place where she spent so many fun times and is waiting for her other playmates to join her. And apparently some have, for several tenants of the building have reported hearing noises of children's laugher and even of hearing the name "Sarah" being called out.
The hard nosed newspaper publisher and his staff who now occupy the building have reported hearing the playful sounds and also of sharp noises running across the roof � noises that sound more like running children than scampering squirrels. He even said that he believes Sarah and her friends watch him work late at night. "It's an eerie feeling," he said. "Sometimes I feel a rush of cold air around me for no apparent reason. Sometimes when I open the office in the morning," he said, "I know that things on my desk have been rearranged, and I have this sensation that the spirit or whatever it might be, is friendly and means no harm."

The Spring State Bank
It is said that at night the ghosts of Bonnie and Clyde return to the areas of their mis-deeds, including the Spring State Bank, to boast of their ill-gotten gains and to confront and harass the lawmen and others who eventually shot them to death.

Wunsche Bros. Caf� & Saloon
During the night as the owner recalled he had a dream of an old man seated in a chair. He had longish white hair, worn over the collar, and he had on a tall- crowned black hat and a black suit. He was sitting sort of hunched over at the table, and he look dejected and upset. He arose from the table and started pacing up and down. The dream was so real that it startled the artist from his sleep, and he picked up his pencils and drawing pad and drew a portrait of the man he saw.
The next morning at breakfast, the traveler recounted the story and showed the other guests his painting. "Why that's Uncle Charlie," (A former owner) one of the roomers said. "I would know that crusty old face anywhere!" Others agreed that the painting indeed was a dead ringer for dead ol' Uncle Charlie Wunsche. They said he was angry because someone was sleeping in his bed and in his room, and he thought it might be the suitor who stole his young love away. And since the wayward traveler could not possibly have known or seen Uncle Charlie, it must have been Charlie's ghost who visited that night.
On still nights, just after the moon creeps above the tall pines, you can still hear the footsteps and clanking noise Uncle Charlie makes at his saloon and hotel. It is even said that you can hear him going from room to room � upstairs and down. Some have said his image can be seen in the windows of the popular establishment. Current owner/manager Mrs. Sherri Sinisi has had many encounters with Uncle Charlie, usually when changes are made to the old Saloon or when new staff members rearrange furniture or equipment. "Uncle Charlie definitely doesn't like changes of any kind," Mrs. Sinisi says. "There have been instances of doors being locked for no reason, tables and chairs upset, items lost or misplaced, only to turn up in unexplained places. Sometimes, when he is in a particularly bad mood," she states.

Puffabelly's Depot Caf�
Several local residents can attest to the strange apparitions and ghostly happenings witnessed at the site over the years. There are tales of ghosts and the sightings of eerie lights near the depot. It is said that shortly after it was constructed in 1902, a railroad yard switchman was involved in a tragic accident as he was attempting to flag down an engineer whose train was headed down the wrong tracks. As the switchman ran toward the oncoming train, waving his lantern and yelling frantically, he suddenly tripped on the rails and fell underneath the train. The accident decapitated the poor railroad worker, whose mangled and bloodied body was taken inside the train station by his co-workers.
For years, people in Lovelady reported strange apparitions near the terminal. Several said they could make out a headless man waving a lantern and moving up and down the front of the station near the tracks, presumably looking for his lost head. The story was all but forgotten when the depot was moved to Spring, but shortly after it was reassembled on its present site, there were reports of similar sightings. One man, Ralph Hutchins who used to live off Riley Fussel Road, reported to police that as he was returning home late one evening, he noticed eerie lights coming from the area of the East side of Puffabelly's (nearest the tracks). He at first thought it might be an oncoming train, so he stopped at the crossing, expecting a slow moving freight to pass. But there was no sound nor was there a train� only the slow moving lights that seemed to cross perpendicular to the railroad tracks. Mr. Hutchins also said he felt a sudden rush of cold air, even though the incident occurred in August, and he made out what he described as "a headless man in overalls," waving a lantern. As the man approached, Hutchins said he feared for his life and gunned his car across the tracks and away from the lantern-waving apparition.
The story of the strange sightings in Old Town Spring eventually made their way back to Lovelady, Texas and connected to the original ghostly appearances there. Since the removal of the Lovelady depot, there have been no more reports of the headless switchman at that East Texas town.

Whitehall
On the corner of Main and Keith Streets
The 25-room house is also home to a small colony of insect eating bats that can be seen right after dusk on mild nights. And fewer still know that there is a secret room in Whitehall, which is home to the structure's two ghosts. The story goes that in 1933, during the depths of the depression, a young couple on a courting outing late one evening, became distracted on the darkened Riley Fussel Road that crosses Spring Creek. The young man driving the auto, inexplicably ran off the bridge, plunging the car into the ravine and killing the two occupants. Early the next morning, when the young couple was found by local hikers, the pair was taken to Whitehall, which at the time was the local Funeral Parlor. Their wake at Whitehall attracted a large crowd of people, as did the burial later. Because they died at such an early time in their lives, it is said that their ghosts returned to Whitehall to enjoy the home's beautiful surroundings. They became known as the "Courting Ghosts of Whitehall." Several residents have reported hearing strange noises coming from the upstairs rooms of Whitehall, and some have seen the strange apparition of the pair swinging cozily in the large swing on the upstairs screened-in porch. The story also goes that the couple lives inside the secret room of Whitehall and enjoys coming outside and taking moonlight strolls when the weather is mild and breezy. Another story concerning the Whitehall ghosts is that they enjoyed frightening three young boys who built a tree house in a large Pecan tree at the rear of the residence. Remains of the tree house can still be seen, and it is said that the "Courting Ghosts of Whitehall" would scare the boys away from the retreat by shaking the treehouse and making ghostly noises. VII. The Old Town Spring Historical Museum At the entrance to Old Town Spring and housed in a building that served as the Court House for many years � is the Spring Historical Museum. In it one will find memorabilia, artifacts and photographs that chronicle the colorful history of this unique town One such story concerns the 1900-era Victrola originally owned by Marie Bailey. She brought the hand-cranked machine with her from St. Louis when she came to Spring to be with Albert Paetzold � a man her father had forbidden her to see. The two lovers were wed, however, and remained devoted to each other until their deaths in the 1970's. It is said that the two young lovers of Old Town Spring would spend hours listening to their favorite music coming out of the early Victrola, and that they often danced to the music in their small farmhouse. After their death, the machine became the property of the Lemm family in Spring and was later sold to the Mallott family, who donated it to the museum. On several occasions, and without explanation, the machine would start by itself and play lovely music from a scratchy old record�.lilting music that was a favorite of Marie and Arnold. The occurrence has been reported by several people, particularly by members of the Old Town Spring Historical Society who operates the museum and who lock and close it at day's end. Usually, according to some of these ladies, the music is heard right after the closing of the museum, when the lights have been turned off, everyone has left the building and when the streets of Old Town are nearly deserted. On a moonlight night, some people have even reported seeing the ghostly images of a young dancing couple through the windows of the museum. The lady is dressed in a white satin and lace bridal ensemble; the man in typical formal attire of the period.
Few towns in Texas can match the town for the number of sightings and tales of strange apparitions and inexplicable occurrences. In addition to being a shopper's paradise, Old Town Spring is proud of its title as "The Ghost Capital of Texas."