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The railroad bridge
joining Piedras Negras with Eagle Pass.
TE photo, 5-04 |
One
of the few remaining 19th Century buildings in Piedras Negras can be found a literal
"stone’s throw" from the southernmost abutment of the railroad bridge that joins
that city with Eagle
Pass. Owned by the city of Piedras Negras, the two-story former hotel was
thought to have been built in the early 1900s until Eagle Pass Historian Al Kinnsal
found an ad for hotel dated 1888. The building’s convenient location - a mere
500 feet from the railroad depot - guarantees that it has seen legions of guests
over the years as well as more than a few dignitaries.
The current exterior
condition of the building is deplorable - that is to say it's about the same as
thousands of small town Texas buildings. Pigeon-infested with broken staircases
and fallen chimneys, the once wide veranda now has railings that look like termite-eaten
cork with decking of brown Swiss cheese. There is no cornerstone visible nor any
emblem or device that would show ownership by the state, railroad or family. |
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The haunted railroad hotel in Piedras Negras
TE photo, 5-04 |
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Haunted Railroad Hotel
Our agenda the day of our visit did not
include the hotel. But, after photographing the railroad bridge, it was necessary
to turn around near the (still-in-use) depot and that's when we spotted the hotel.
As we took photos against a blazing sun, a uniformed policeman appeared. But instead
of asking our business he walked past us through what is now the hotels front
door. “Looking for the ghosts?” he casually asked.
He didn't merely
ask "Looking for ghosts?" he asked "Looking for the Ghosts?" - which made it a
question that couldn't be ignored. We asked for a few minutes of his time and
he stepped back outside, smiling that we had taken the bait. Courtesy and graciousness
are abundant in Mexico (especially when both parties are pedestrians) and these
virtues are freely dispensed in a country that could teach the world a thing or
two about time management.
Having a city employee living in an otherwise
vacant building is a practical arragement. He gets free rent, the city gets a
live-in guard, the building doesn’t get set ablaze by vandals and the ghosts get
someone to torment - or at least irritate.
The
officer stated that he hadn't yet seen any headless robed figures, grotesque horned
beings or women in long white gowns carrying their heads. The spirits evidentl
haven’t felt any need to materialize. They’ve contented themselves to moving things,
mumbling at night and occassionally suspending articles a few inches in midair.
Perhaps they're behaving themselves since their audience is uniformed.
We didn’t ask, but the man offered the age of the hotel as “over 200 years old.”
We raised our eyebrows in appreciation since we didn't know what else to say.
When the subject came up on whether it bothered him to live in a haunted place,
the officer answered with a remark that we’ve heard before in Mexico when the
subject of spirits comes up. “I’m not afraid of the dead," he said, " it’s the
living that I fear.”
Perhaps one of the many para-normal investigators
in Texas will take the time to check out the hotel. We'll keep our readers informed.
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Off Duty Piedras NegrasTaxi across from hotel.
TE photo, 5-04 |
| ©
John Troesser
July
22, 2004 | | |
