That Castle is Haunted

The first wing of the castle was built in 1860 on the shores of Lake Worth by an unknown groom (it’s said the original documents were lost to a fire) as a gift to his future bride. To set the scene, it was basically in the middle of nowhere at the time. Like deep in the woods Hansel and Gretel style. The two planned to marry in the entryway as soon as it was completed.

I think you know where this is going. Like so many haunting tales, the bride dies mysteriously. Drowned. Found face down floating in the lake on her wedding day. So what is the grief-stricken groom to do? Oh, I know. Marry her little sister and move into the house a month later. What could go wrong?

That’s when the hauntings began. Guests and staff alike reported seeing the transparent form of a woman in a flowing white dress crying as she scurried to the lake where she disappeared at the water’s edge. But it wasn’t until the owners themselves found watery footprints outside their bedroom door that they believed. It was sold immediately.

The place changed hands several times until a member of the Whiting family acquired it in a high-stakes poker game in 1920. He moved his extended family in and the sightings began again. His young son was especially taken with the idea that their home was haunted. However, the Whitings were a modern family and did not believe in ghosts and refused to speak to him about it. A few months later the boy killed himself inside his parents’ room. When a fire gutted the castle the Whitings sold it and left the area.

Numerous families purchased it, adding their touches and renovations. However, none stayed for more than a year. Along with the woman in white, the residents now reported seeing a boy running through the halls or hanging from an exposed beam as well.

In 1963, a woman named Karen Beck rented a room in the castle. She didn’t last long either. She was found dead in her bed with no cause of death. Maybe she saw something that frightened her so badly her heart stopped.

In 1982, Larry Keith Robison went on a killing spree on property that once belonged to the castle. Larry was a paranoid schizophrenic whose mother had repeatedly tried to get him treatment for his mental health issues.

Larry first slaughtered his roommate, decapitating him before moving to the house next door. There, he stabbed three members of the family to death. When the 4th arrived later, Larry killed him too.

It makes me wonder if there’s just something about the land itself that people should steer clear of.

You can visit the Castle of Heron Bay, if you dare, at 9115 Heron Drive in Fort Worth. Bring some binoculars though because the place is fenced off so you can’t get close. Maybe you’ll see her running to the lake. Maybe the boy will wave to you from a window. Maybe you’ll find the missing head. Who’s to say?

Just say your prayers because ghosts and Jesus are everywhere.