On San Antonio’s northeast side, a two-story Greek Revival house stands on ground that has seen more than its share. Native Americans camped beside the creek here for thousands of years. On September 18, 1842, Texas volunteers turned back a Mexican army on these fields in the Battle of Salado Creek. In 1867 a Swiss immigrant built the house. Today it is called Victoria’s Black Swan Inn, and the people who live and work there say its owners never quite left.
In the 1940s the estate became White Gables, home to Joline Woods and her husband, attorney Hall Park Street Jr. According to Ghost City Tours, Joline died of cancer at 38. Park Street died in the house in 1965; his death was officially ruled a suicide, though questions have lingered. Now an angry man is said to stalk the halls, and a woman in a white gown drifts near the gazebo. The two, the story goes, never meet. Owner Jo Ann Rivera, once a skeptic, told KSAT she woke to a man standing in her room and heard a voice in the hallway ordering her out. Investigators have recorded what they describe as a little girl’s laughter.
The house is now a wedding and event venue, visited through ghost tours, paranormal investigations, and scheduled events rather than walk-in stays. Book ahead. Then walk out to the gazebo at dusk, where a woman in white is said to be searching still.
Story Source: www.victoriasblackswaninn.com
Address: 1006 Holbrook Road, San Antonio, TX 78218
Accessibility Rating: Guided Tours Only — Access permitted only as part of an organized tour. Independent exploration not allowed.
Google Map
What Others Have Experienced
On the ghost tour, one visitor ran into noticeable cold spots and a wave of chills inside the old dairy barn. They also saw unexplained light effects near the building, which made the investigation feel real rather than staged.
— from TripAdvisor
A local TV news crew visiting the property watched their equipment shut down and their batteries drain almost immediately while standing at the main entrance. Reviewing their recordings later, they found what sounded like a child’s laughter that no one had heard in the room, and on a return trip they heard objects being moved inside the empty milk barn.
— from KSAT 12 News
