Site of the 1836 Goliad Massacre, Still Operational Fort
217 US-183, Goliad, TX 77963
Age
All Ages (ghost hunts 18+)
Cost
$
Museum/site admission: Adults $5; Seniors/Veterans/Teachers/First Responders $3; Children 6-17 $2; Under 5 free. Ghost hunts $99 per person (Haunted Rooms America). Overnight stays in The Quarters approximately $212.50/night (currently unavailable due to plumbing renovation).
Access
Wheelchair OK
Partially paved grounds; historic fort with courtyard and chapel
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1749 · Texas Revolution Historic Site · Goliad Massacre Site · National Historic Landmark · Spanish Colonial Architecture · Catholic Heritage Site
The Presidio Nuestra Señora de Loreto de la Bahía was established alongside Mission Espiritu Santo in 1749 on the banks of the San Antonio River near Goliad, in its third and final location after previous sites proved untenable. The fort and mission together formed the Spanish colonial anchor point for the Texas Gulf Coast, designed to secure the region against French expansion and provide a base for further colonization.
The presidio passed through multiple periods of conflict as Texas' political status shifted from Spanish to Mexican control after independence in 1821. During the Texas Revolution, the fort became a focal point of combat and massacre. On October 9, 1835, a group of Texan volunteers captured the fort in the Battle of Goliad — one of the first military engagements of the Texas Revolution. Colonel James Fannin subsequently occupied the fort with a force of approximately 400 men.
On March 19, 1836, Fannin's command was captured by Mexican forces at the Battle of Coleto Creek. The prisoners — numbering approximately 341 by most accounts, with estimates ranging from 340 to over 400 — were marched back to the Presidio and held in the chapel. On March 27, 1836, Palm Sunday, General Santa Anna ordered their execution. They were led from the fort in three groups and shot. Francita Alavez, known as the 'Angel of Goliad,' intervened to save some prisoners from execution and is commemorated with a statue in the Presidio's plaza.
The Texas Historical Commission maintains the Presidio today as a historic site. Our Lady of Loreto Chapel within the Presidio remains an active Catholic parish.
Sources
The paranormal activity at Presidio La Bahia is concentrated in the spaces most directly associated with the Goliad Massacre. In the quadrangle — the open courtyard where the executions were carried out on March 27, 1836 — investigators and visitors have reported wailing, screaming, and crying described as auditory residual phenomena. Accounts describe what has been called 'phantom blood' on the quadrangle surface, a visual anomaly that cannot be explained by current weathering patterns in the stone.
Colonel James Fannin's ghost is reported specifically in the quadrangle, described as a figure waiting in the posture of a condemned man. Accounts also place him in the officer's quarters. One notable account describes him as headless.
The Our Lady of Loreto Chapel produces its own distinct entity reports. The Lady in White is described as a female figure roaming the courtyard, sometimes interpreted as searching for her name among the list of the dead — a figure of grief and unresolved identity rather than aggression. The Lady in Black appears in the chapel specifically, described as being in mourning dress and observed lighting a candle near the altar. A robed figure — attributed to a monk or priest — is reported patrolling the chapel interior, and has been credited with frightening off unauthorized visitors who entered after hours.
Francita Alavez, the historical figure known as the Angel of Goliad for her documented interventions during the massacre, is commemorated physically in the Presidio with a statue. Her presence in paranormal accounts is less specific — she appears in the historical narrative rather than in witness reports of apparitions.
The ghost hunt program operated by Haunted Rooms America has brought professional investigators to the site on multiple occasions. Recordings submitted by these investigations include what investigators describe as audio anomalies captured in the chapel and quadrangle — voices, crying, and what one account describes as the sound of multiple people in distress.
Notable Entities
Self-guided tour of the 1749 Spanish presidio — one of the best-preserved colonial forts in North America. The Our Lady of Loreto Chapel remains an active Catholic church. The quadrangle is where the Goliad Massacre took place on March 27, 1836: the execution of approximately 341 Texan prisoners of war under General Santa Anna's orders.
A full-night paranormal investigation of Presidio La Bahia from 8:00 PM to 2:00 AM, led by the Haunted Rooms America team. Includes paranormal investigation training, use of professional equipment, structured vigils, and private investigation time. The quadrangle — site of the Goliad Massacre — and the chapel are among the primary investigation areas. Currently out of stock; join waitlist on Haunted Rooms America site.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
Brackettville, TX
Fort Clark was established on June 20, 1852, at Las Moras Springs near present-day Brackettville, Texas, to protect the southern border and the wagon road to El Paso. The post served as a major cavalry installation through World War II and was home to the Seminole-Negro Indian Scouts beginning in 1872. The fort is now a private residential community with an active museum.
San Antonio, TX
Fort Sam Houston is one of the oldest continuously active Army installations in the United States. Construction on the iconic Quadrangle began in 1876, and the post became the headquarters of the Department of Texas. The Quadrangle is a National Historic Landmark, and the fifteen Staff Post officers' quarters along the parade ground were designed by San Antonio architect Alfred Giles in the early 1880s.
Philadelphia, PA
Fort Mifflin on the Delaware was constructed beginning in 1771 as a British colonial fortification and was claimed by American forces at the start of the Revolutionary War. In the autumn of 1777, a garrison of roughly 400 Continental soldiers held the fort against 250 British warships for six weeks in the largest bombardment of the Revolutionary War, buying time for Washington's army to reach Valley Forge.