10 Staggering Photos Of An Abandoned Mansion Hiding In Texas
By Katie Lawrence|Published March 22, 2017
×
Katie Lawrence
Author
Katie Lawrence is a Southeast Texas native who graduated 18th in her high school class with a GPA of 4.25. She attended college in the Houston area and began writing for OnlyInYourState in 2015.
Today, Katie writes, edits, and performs several other tasks for OnlyInYourState and has never been more passionate about a job before. Outside of work, you can likely find her curled up on with a hot cup of coffee, practicing yoga, baking, or exploring the beautiful Lone Star State (in particular, the vast and mystical West Texas desert).
Abandoned places have a certain mystique about them that seems to beckon us inside to explore their secrets. Stewart Mansion in Galveston is no exception, and it has a history just as alluring as the eeriness of its decrepit remains.
The 8200 square foot Stewart Mansion first bore the name "Isla Ranch," given to it by its first owner, George Sealy Jr.
Many grisly rumors are associated with the house, one being that Stewart murdered his wife and children before burying them inside the walls - this has long since been debunked, however.
The third and final homeowner was the UTMB, who used it as a home for sick and disabled children before letting it fall into its current state of abandonment.
The history of the land on which the mansion is built is fascinating yet gruesome. It is the very land where Karankawa Indians once lived in the early 1800s.
Jean Lafitte himself came to Galveston in 1817 to establish his slave-trading business. He encountered and slayed most of the tribe, whose bows and arrows were no match for his crew's cannons and guns.
Many caretakers and trespassers have reported seeing apparitions of pirates and Native Americans or hearing sounds of war such as cannon fire and screams.
