Oldest building in Old Town Spring, opened 1902 as a railroad hotel and brothel, survived Prohibition and a 2015 fire, and is said to still be run by the ghost of Charlie Wunsche
103 Midway St, Spring, TX 77373
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$
Full-service restaurant and saloon; standard dining prices
Access
Wheelchair OK
Single-story historic building in Old Town Spring's commercial district
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1902 · Oldest surviving building in Old Town Spring · Texas Historical Landmark · International-Great Northern Railroad era commercial building
Charlie and Dell Wunsche built their saloon and hotel in 1902 from lumber produced at the family's own sawmill — a common construction method for the era in Southeast Texas, where sawmill operators often supplied material for local building projects. The location on Midway Street in Spring placed the establishment directly in the path of workers and travelers on the International-Great Northern Railroad, which ran through the town. The building operated as a hotel, brothel, and drinking saloon, serving the laboring population that came through on the line.
The Wunsche brothers ran the establishment through the early twentieth century. Prohibition hit the saloon hard, though local lore holds that Wunsche Brothers was the last bar closed by Harris County authorities — and that lawmen famously lined up the remaining liquor bottles in the street and shot them rather than simply confiscating them. After Prohibition, the building transitioned to café use and changed hands in 1949.
The building was designated a Texas Historical Landmark, becoming a recognized anchor of the Old Town Spring commercial district that developed as a tourist destination in the latter half of the twentieth century. In May 2015, a fire broke out and caused significant damage, though the original saloon bar survived. New owners purchased the property in 2017, and after four years of restoration work that preserved original fixtures, photographs, and interior woodwork, the Wunsche Brothers Cafe and Saloon reopened in February 2021. The current operator's phone number, 281-350-1902, preserves the building's founding year as a deliberate nod to its history.
Sources
The ghost at Wunsche Brothers is identified with Charlie Wunsche himself — the original owner whose name still appears on the sign above the door. The characterization in staff accounts is consistently one of mischief rather than menace. Former manager Mary Beth Vincent told ABC13 that 'the telephone receiver was always being picked up and thrown on the floor' — not once but repeatedly, as a recurring pattern during her time there. She also described music changing during daytime hours when no one was near the controls and water fixtures turning on and off without prompting.
Other accounts describe doors held shut from the inside — as if someone were leaning against them — with no person visible in the room when the door was finally opened. Patrons have reported similar door behavior, and electronics in the bar area have been described as behaving inconsistently in ways staff attribute to Charlie.
The building's long run as a saloon and hotel — and the fact that it survived Prohibition, a fire, and more than a century of ownership changes while retaining much of its original material — may account for why staff reports have remained consistent across different eras. The current operators have not formally marketed the haunting as a tourism hook but the building's reputation circulates primarily through diner word-of-mouth and local media coverage.
Notable Entities
Full-service restaurant and saloon in the restored 1902 building. The original bar, historic photographs, and saloon-era fixtures are intact. The dining room occupies the former hotel common areas.
The Wunsche Brothers building is the oldest surviving structure in Old Town Spring's historic commercial district. The exterior, historical marker, and original wooden construction visible from the street make it a natural stop on any self-guided tour of the area.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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