It’s Halloween weekend, which means it’s time for my annual flashbacks to the various costumes I wore as I joyfully trick-or-treated at front doors across Claremore.
I have vivid memories of driving to Ehrle’s Party Supply (RIP) when it was on Memorial to buy a Michael Myers mask based off his look in the newly released “Halloween: H20.” My soundtrack that day was Rob Zombie’s “Hellbilly Deluxe” and especially “Dragula.” Little did I know the musician would direct a “Halloween” reboot nine years later. Spooky!
Speaking of driving, I’d spend teenage nights cruising back roads in my Ford F-150, when gas was around 75 cents a gallon, often looking for cry baby bridges, abandoned buildings, rural cemeteries and even drove over an hour to see the Devil’s Promenade Spook Light. I steered clear of Mohawk Park after dark.
It started when I was a kid and, to this day, I swear there was a ghost or two in my second house. I still get chills when I think about some of those nights.
I was raised on horror. I talked my mom into renting “Friday the 13th” movies from Aardvark Video when I was in elementary school and somehow convinced my dad to rent “A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors,” which gave third grade me terrifying nightmares — as it should!
Then I wanted more. I read Stephen King and Dean Koontz books, and watched the Tim Curry version of “IT.” By junior high I was obsessed with “The X-Files,” and just like Fox Mulder, I want to believe there are ghosts, ghouls, vampires, Moth Man, Flukeman, werewolves and other hairy, sharp-toothed monsters lurking in the shadows.
Throughout adulthood, my obsession with all things spooky has continued to grow. I see pretty much every scary movie on the big screen that I can and stream all the drops on Shudder. I’ve talked to folks who have had supernatural experiences and others who pursue them. I’ve read the blog posts and instantly started going through all the sightings on Carlos Moreno’s newly created Ghosts, Lights, and Cryptids of Oklahoma interactive map.
Sitting in my colleague Jessica Remer’s office Wednesday, we started talking about Tulsa’s many haunted spots. A story was forming.
A few nights before Halloween, I visited some locales known for their spooky history. Ghost encounters. True crime. Indigenous mythology. We’ve got it all in T-Town.
Fueled by a Braum’s Butterfinger Mix, I waited for the moon to rise then headed out with my trusty camera, phone and notepad to see if I’d encounter any supernatural forces at some of Tulsa’s legendary haunted locations. I was once told on a New Orleans ghost tour that spots in photos mean apparitions.
The lore of Hex House
My first stop was the location of the Hex House — not the haunted attraction, but the spot where a 1944 crime took place that is still talked about over eight decades later.
The story goes that 51-year-old Carolann Smith, 51, was living in what Tulsa World described as a “stately ivy-covered duplex at 10 E. 21st St.” In Smith’s basement lived Virginia Evans, 31, and Willetta Horner, 30, who, according to the World, “were ‘hexed’ into turning over every cent from their day jobs to her.”
Smith was found guilty for multiple crimes, and stories spread across generations that she had been engaged in occult practices that involved spell casting and other strange rituals. The home was demolished in 1975 and became a parking lot, but the steps remain along 21st Street.
I visited the spot and walked around the lot to see if I could spot the two girls, who supposedly haunt the area. While I didn’t see an apparition, I did hear a girl’s laugh that sounded distant and, curiously, my phone would not load the internet ‘til I walked off the property. Bad AT&T service or was Smith messing with me?!
Tales of Tulsa theaters
Take your pick of old theaters still standing in Tulsa, and there’s likely a ghost story attached to it. I bypassed the Spotlight Theater and its ghost on the second floor, and headed toward Tulsa Theater to see if I could spot any ghosts entering or exiting it since the building was closed.
There have long been stories that, in 1921, an Italian opera singer got sick while in Tulsa to perform. He returned home to Naples and died, but was so angry his ghost made the thousands of miles trip back to haunt the space.
Another story is the ghost roaming the building is a construction worker who died.
I’ve never spent time alone inside the theater, so I can’t confirm there’s one hanging around, and I didn’t see any coming or going during my visit Wednesday night.
A couple blocks away is Cain’s Ballroom, which has a few different ghosts if you believe the stories that have been told by those who have worked in the building. I’ve been told by multiple people they’ve heard sounds and seen someone.
It’s believed a woman ghost likes to hang out in the mezzanine. Some say she wears red. In the main area, it’s believed a young boy haunts the dance floor and backstage area. Other people have claimed the ghost of Bob Wills is in there, but to date, nobody has heard a fiddle playing.
I’ve been there alone and never seen a ghost. The only weird sounds I’ve heard came from some of the bands on stage.
Last fall, I photographed a Tulsa Spirit Tours as Teri French led people through the Arts District and pointed out there’s also a ghost haunting the spaces above Valkyrie. I didn’t visit that spot on this night, but those interested can take one of her dark tours across town.
Are you there, Deer Woman?
My last stop for the night’s ghost adventure was the entry to Mohawk Park. I’ve long heard stories of Deer Woman stalking the grounds. I’ve walked the Oxley Nature Trail many times during daylight and can report I’ve seen some deer. Was one of them the deer woman? If so, she didn’t transform.
There are other stories of little people and other creatures roaming the land and ghosts haunting the Mohawk Park Golf Course bathroom. There’s also the belief homicidal maniacs like the area.
When I arrived at the entry Wednesday night, I was greeted by closed gates and didn’t dare cross them. My headlights shut off, and I was surrounded by darkness. Standing there for a few beats, I could hear something rustling in the nearby trees.
Maybe it was a raccoon or a stray dog. It could have been a deer … or a deer woman. There’s also a chance it could be a Stikini.
I didn’t take any chances and got in my car and left. Soon I was safe at home. All the lights off, family sleeping in beds. My eyes started to close when I heard a bump in the night.
Have a spooky story to share about a supernatural encounter in Tulsa? My inbox is open at tim@tulsaflyer.org.
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