HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena — as catalogued
Downtown Sulphur Springs ice cream shop where a second-floor murder left behind two named resident spirits
111 Gilmer St, Sulphur Springs, TX 75482
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Ice cream and general store retail; no admission charge
Access
Wheelchair OK
Downtown commercial building; ground-floor retail access
Equipment
Photos OK
Hopkins County commercial district historic fabric · Documented second-floor murder — basis for local haunting tradition
Sulphur Springs built its downtown commercial corridor in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and the block along Gilmer Street retains much of that original fabric. The two-story building at 111 Gilmer has changed tenants over the decades; in its current iteration it houses the Magic Scoop, which sells ice cream and general store goods at street level while the second floor holds an office and storage area.
The building's documented dark history centers on a murder that occurred on the second floor. Local press coverage, including a 2023 Front Porch News feature on Hopkins County hauntings and a Sulphur Springs News-Telegram piece, confirms the murder as part of the building's recorded past rather than as unsourced folklore. The specifics of the killing — victim, perpetrator, date — are not thoroughly documented in available public sources, but the event's occurrence is treated by local media as established fact.
Employees have developed an informal working relationship with the building's apparent presences. The male spirit they call 'Charlie' is most frequently encountered in the upstairs office area; staff describe a sense of being watched or accompanied rather than anything confrontational. A second presence, described as female, has also been reported on the upper floor.
Sources
The haunting tradition at the Magic Scoop is employee-generated rather than tourist-marketed — staff came to call the second-floor male presence 'Charlie' through accumulated experience, not a deliberate branding exercise. Local news coverage from 2023 documented employee accounts: Charlie is most active near the office area, and his presence is described as that of a settled occupant rather than an agitated one.
The female spirit is less-documented than Charlie, appearing in accounts as a secondary presence on the upper floor. Neither entity is connected to a named historical individual in available sources — the murder victim and any associated identities have not been definitively linked to specific paranormal claims in published reporting.
The Magic Scoop's participation in local Halloween events and Hopkins County haunted history coverage has made it a recognized stop on informal dark tourism routes through Sulphur Springs, though it operates primarily as a working ice cream shop rather than a ghost attraction.
Notable Entities
The Magic Scoop operates as a functioning ice cream parlor and general store. Staff are open about the building's history: employees have named a male spirit 'Charlie' who is frequently sensed near the second-floor office, and a female presence has also been reported. The shop participates in local Halloween events and Hopkins County haunted history coverage.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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