History

The Hauntings of Enchanted Rock

By  | 
Tony Maples Photography

 

Photos by Katelyn Robertson

Moans and groans can be heard nightly at Enchanted Rock, eerily echoing off of the massive granite dome. These sounds have, of course, been explained as the nightly cooling off and moving of the rocks, but for over a century, other explanations have been offered that are much more sinister.

enchanted4

The Native Americans were the first to notice the almost supernatural activity that took place at Enchanted Rock. In fact, it was the nightly sounds that led to the naming of the area. It is widely believed that human sacrifices were offered on the top of the formation and that the spirits continue to haunt it.

One such story was that of a Native American who, eager to win the favor of the gods, brought his young daughter to the top of the rock and offered her as a sacrifice. However, his sacrifice was not acceptable, and the man was condemned to forever wander the surface of the rock. His unhappy spirit is one of the earliest said to haunt the area. The story is also told of a woman who was captured by Native Americans and held captive on the dome. It is said that her screams are the sounds heard every night.

enchanted2

While, like most ghost stories, many tales of the area are mostly hearsay and folktales, some stories are factual when it comes to Enchanted Rock. A plaque on top of the dome tells the tale of the daring escape of a Texas Ranger. In the 1840s, Captain Jack Hays was ambushed by a group of Comanches, cutting Hays off from his group. Hays found a hiding spot in one of the large cracks between the sheets of granite. However, this angered the Comanches, who felt that Hays had violated a spot that was so sacred to them. Hays managed to escape, killing many of the Comanches in the process. Those spirits are said to be some that are still at Enchanted Rock.

Whether or not you believe in the supernatural side of the stories, Enchanted Rock is a beautiful part of the Central Texas landscape. Go, visit, and be enchanted.