Photo courtesy of Joey Held.
Austin’s Driskill Hotel is regularly voted as the most haunted in all of Texas. Learn about the lore and ghosts of this legendary hotel.
The Driskill Hotel is a pillar of downtown Austin. Its prominence on 6th Street sticks out among the nearby bars, restaurants, and music venues. There’s simply a different feel as you’re walking past it—which might be because it’s supposedly haunted.
I’ve stayed at The Driskill and regularly visited its bar and the 1886 Café & Bakery. The hotel is also a stop on just about every ghost tour of the city. Yelp users even regularly name The Driskill as the most haunted hotel in Texas.
Who, exactly, is haunting The Driskill? Let’s look at the hotel’s history and some of its most famous poltergeist guests.
Photo courtesy of Joey Held.
The Driskill history
By the time The Driskill was built, Colonel Jesse Driskill was already a Texas legend. He arrived in 1849 and set up a cattle business that helped supply Confederate troops during the Civil War.
Driskill moved to Austin in 1869, and the city became the state capital three years later. By 1880, Driskill’s business empire had expanded, making him a respected entrepreneur and leader. He sought to build a grand hotel that would help Austin stand out among other cities. In 1884, Driskill bought a lot on the corner of Brazos and Pecan Street, later renamed 6th, for $7,500.
The Driskill officially opened on December 20, 1886. Less than two weeks later, it hosted an inaugural ball for the recently elected Texas governor, Sul Ross. That set the stage for an ongoing tradition—several subsequent governors have held their inaugural balls at the hotel.
Driskill died in May 1890, but he saw his hotel and the state capital grow into successful attractions before his death. His life-size portrait is still in the lobby today. The hotel continued to change hands over the years, with improvements coming along the way, including a new annex and private bath upgrades that were finished in 1930.
In 1969, planned construction fell through, and it looked like The Driskill would be destroyed. A community fundraiser raised enough money to save the hotel, which had a grand re-opening in 1973. Hyatt Hotels & Resorts has owned The Driskill since 2013.
The hotel has presidential ties, too. In September 1934, Lyndon Baines Johnson met Claudia “Lady Bird” Taylor for their first date at The Driskill Dining Room. He asked her to marry her on that date, and their wedding was later that year. During LBJ’s presidency, The Driskill was the home base for the White House Press Corps, with the Governor’s Suite permanently reserved for the President.
Hauntings at The Driskill
If you stay at The Driskill, you may very well have a typical stay. But depending on your room and the time you visit—and if you decide to torment or tease the ghosts within the walls—you may encounter some of these spirits moving about the hotel.
Samantha Houston
In 1887, tragedy struck The Driskill. Samantha Houston, the four-year-old daughter of Senator Temple Lea Houston, reportedly was chasing a ball when she tripped and fell down the grand staircase. The young girl died, and visitors claim her spirit still haunts the hotel, with the sound of a girl laughing and a ball bouncing echoing through the halls.
The girl in the “Love Letters” portrait on the fifth floor supposedly looks quite similar to Samantha, though it’s not actually her. Nevertheless, the photo has a vibe similar to the Mona Lisa in that the girl’s eyes seem to follow you around, and you might even catch her cracking a smile. And there’s not a massive line like at The Louvre, another bonus.
I took a ghost tour of The Driskill, and while in the lobby, one of the folks in my group said she spotted Samantha running back up the stairs with her ball, which she successfully retrieved. As someone who loves to play ball, it warms my heart to know she still has a competitive spirit.
Room 525
Weddings are supposed to be an exciting time. For a pair of brides, their vows turned into nightmares—and they both stayed in Room 525.
The first bride shot herself in the bathtub after her fiance called off their wedding. You may spot her walking around the halls, full of sorrow, the bottom of her Victorian gown sadly sliding behind her on the ground.
The second bride was a socialite from Houston who died in 1991—more modern than our other ghosts on this list. She was probably jamming to songs like EMF’s “Unbelievable” and Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” which are still in heavy rotation today.
In any case, the bride was stood up at the altar and went on a vengeful shopping spree (by some reports, spending around $40,000 on purchases). She brought her bags into the room, laid them out on the bed, then went into the bathroom and shot herself with a pistol. Guests spot her walking the halls with her hands full of bags or a pistol, walking right through the door into Room 525.
I’ve never stayed in Room 525, but guests report flickering lights, eerie sensations, and knocks on the door. Should you end up in the room, maybe don’t take a bath.
Peter Lawless
Your stay at The Driskill would likely only be for a few days, though some visitors spent months and even years there. Peter Lawless, a railroad worker, was a long-time resident, living at the hotel for 31 years before dying in 1917.
You’ll most frequently find Peter around the elevator. He’ll pop out of the doors, take a look at his railroad watch, nod approvingly at the staff, and then head out into the abyss.
Colonel Driskill
Any good entrepreneur likes to check in on their businesses. Jesse Driskill would be proud of what his hotel has become. If you hang out around his portrait in the lobby, you might get to have a quick business meeting with him.
Driskill was a frequent cigar smoker, and numerous guests have reported smelling cigar smoke. My delicate nose has picked this scent up, as well—yet The Driskill has been smoke-free for quite some time.
If you notice anything weird happening with the lights, that’s likely the colonel at work. He was fascinated by elaborate lighting.
The Driskill attractions
Even if you’re not staying at The Driskill, stroll through the impressive lobby and bar area. You might glimpse a ghost scurrying up the grand staircase or find someone seated at one of the bar chairs. I remember watching the Texas Longhorns men’s basketball team losing a heartbreaker to Abilene Christian in a March Madness upset and hearing mournful wailing directly behind me—which was particularly strange because I was seated against a wall.
The 1886 Café & Bakery is also worth a visit for breakfast, brunch, or lunch. Though it only opened in 2002, its menu is full of recipes from the hotel’s extensive history. As a fun twist, every menu item is a certain dollar amount and 86 cents. The Texas-Shaped Pecan Waffle and Hangover Omelet are both excellent selections.
I’ve regularly stopped to grab a drink or a bite at The Driskill and just taken in the sights. The lobby and bar feel like two different places. The towering ceilings in the lobby provide a nice reverb and offer a dignified, regal setting. Then, after a few steps into the bar, you’re greeted by leather couches, cowhide barstools, cattle carpet, and an enormous mounted longhorn head admiring all the patrons. Order your favorite cocktail or mocktail, cozy up in a seat, and have some deep conversations with a friend—or a stranger; everyone’s friendly here.
Or, just bring your own haunted vibes to the hotel! My friends hosted a wedding rehearsal murder mystery dinner at The Driskill, and it was a perfect setting for it. I was a murder suspect and, for some reason, chose a southern accent for my upstate New York car salesman character. And you know what? There’s just enough quirkiness to The Driskill that it worked.
Photo courtesy of Joey Held.
Planning a stay?
With 189 rooms and suites, you can get a different experience depending on where you stay at The Driskill. A room like 525, with its extensively haunted history, will likely give a more frightful, spooky ambiance.
Since the hotel is owned by Hyatt, members usually get a small discount. Rooms typically range between $250 and $400 per night (before tax), though booking well in advance often saves a few extra dollars.
Understandably, the suites are more expensive. The 1886 Suite 1 King is usually one of the more affordable, hovering around $450-$550 nightly. The Cattle Baron Two Bedroom Suite, a 1,230-square-foot suite with two bedrooms and private baths, including a clawfoot soaking tub, could run you upwards of $1,600 per night.
Each room and suite offering has a “Keeping Up with the Johnsons” add-on that usually runs just under $100. The package includes two tickets to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center and LBJ Presidential Library, plus two signature cocktails at the Driskill Bar.
Even if you’re not staying overnight at The Driskill, it’s worth visiting simply to take in all the history. And if you do see a ghost, be nice to them. The spirits appreciate kindness, too.
This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
