15 Creepy Texas Myths and Legends That Will Give You Chills

So many urban legends, wild folklore, and creepy ghost stories come out of Texas, it's hard to keep count! We've got a ton of spooky history to scroll through on the web that will send a shiver down your spine. Think you've heard them all? Think again.

Here's 15 of the most notable myths and legends out of the Lone Star State:

1. Chupacabra

“Chupacabra” directly translates to “goat-sucker” in Spanish, and pertains to a legend that originated in Puerto Rico in the 90s. Legend has it, that the Chupacabra is a hairless, dog-like creature with huge teeth and scaly or leathery-looking skin, that sucks the blood from livestock, leaving them dead in fields with strange puncture wounds on their necks. Some truly believe the Chupacabra is real, and reports of livestock found dead with their blood drained still come out in the news occasionally, though science has yet to prove the existence of the creepy little blood-sucker.

2. Lechuza

The Lechuza is described as a massive owl with the face of a haggard woman. According to this Mexican legend, The Lechuza is a woman once scorned who has returned to seek revenge on those who did her wrong. Some stories say her child was killed by villagers, or by a drunk, or that the pair were killed together in some horrific way. Legend has it, you’ll hear her mimic the sound of a crying baby, which is her way of luring you to your death!

3. El Muerto

The story of El Muerto originated in the 1850s and refers to a headless horseman, dressed as a Mexican vaquero with several arrows sticking out of his body, and gunshot wounds. El Muerto’s sombrero-topped head is also said to be tied to the side of his saddle among other belongings. They say there are elements of historical truth behind the story of El Muerto. Some of the legend is partly credited to Willaim “Bigfoot” Wallace as well as the Texas Rangers.

4. Lake Worth Monster

The Lake Worth Monster, also known as “Goat-Man”, comes from a tale back in 1969. A report came in that a half-man, half-goat creature covered in fur and scales jumped from a tree and into a couple’s car at Lake Worth. They say the creature left an 18-inch scratch on the side of their vehicle. After the news of the monster made headlines, dozens of reports continued. Some even say he has glowing orange eyes. Several people claim to have captured photos of the monster, but none have ever been scientifically proven. The Lake Worth Monster has been a fascinating and spooky legend in the Fort Worth area since the first reports.

5. La Llorona

La Llorona is one of the most popular legends in Texas and Mexico. “La Llorona” translates to “The Weeping Woman.” Legend has it, that La Llorona wanders along rivers and canals, screaming and crying for her lost children. She is also said to slay any man who gets in the way, and some stories say she drags children into the water with her. Spooky stuff!

6. The Black-eyed Children

A journalist working in Abilene, Texas in the last 90s reported a strange encounter outside of a movie theater. He said he was approached by two children who knocked on the window of his car, and for some reason, he was immediately afraid but couldn’t put a finger on why. He rolled down his window and the children asked him for a ride home so they could get some money to see a movie. He didn’t want to take them home, but they were persistent. He realized the kids had solid black eyes. The children noticed he was spooked and began screaming at him to invite them into his car. Instead of letting them in, he drove away in a panic. He wrote about his strange encounter in the newspaper and was met with letters from others who said they’d experienced something similar. Sightings of the black-eyed children are still reported in Texas today, but if you know the legend, you know better than to let them in your car.

7. The Donkey Lady Bridge

This tale dates back to the mid-1800s. A family of 4 settled down in San Antonio near Elm Creek. One day, a rich man from the area walking past their home decided to tease the family’s donkey. The donkey bit the man, which sent him into a rage. He began to beat the donkey mercilessly. The husband and wife heard the cries of their beloved donkey and ran out to catch the man in action. They threw rocks at the man to drive him away. That night, the rich man and a group of his mean pals snuck over to the family’s home and set it on fire, blocking all of the exits so that nobody would be able to escape. The husband found a way to get out of the house but was immediately gunned down by the group of mean rich men, while he listened to the sound of his wife and children screaming and burning to death in the fire. Right as the bad guys were leaving, the wife stumbled from the home, covered in flames, with missing limbs and skin burnt black. She allegedly threw herself in the creek, but her body was never found. People claim to have seen a donkey’s face screaming at them in the area of the bridge over Elm Creek, dubbed “Donkey Lady Bridge.” They also say the woman still haunts the bridge, grieving the loss of her entire family to the devastating fire. 

8. Arlington's Screaming Bridge

This legend comes from February of 1961, when a car full of teen girls leaving a movie, fell from a burned-out bridge in Arlington, plunging the girls into the water below. This real-life story quickly became an urban legend involving a crash between two cars with a fiery ending. People say if you stand on the bridge at night, you can hear the teenage girls screaming as they fall to their death. The bridge is only accessible through a nearby park and has been blocked off from traffic for years.

9. Bigfoot Wallace

Legend has it that William Alexander Anderson “Bigfoot” Wallace singlehandedly delivered all of the mail between San Antonio and El Paso when there wasn’t another man brave enough to do the job for fear of being killed by Comanche Indians. He stuffed his shirt with hickory chips to protect himself from arrows during his mail run. He lived to tell about it, and died at the ripe age of 82, somewhere in South Texas. Nobody knows how much truth there is to the story, but everyone loved the tale of the brave hero, winning against all odds. The legend still carries on today. 

10. Centre Theater

In Corpus Christi, there is an old theater said to be haunted by the ghost of an usher who was allegedly stabbed to death in a fit of jealous rage by a jealous boyfriend, not long after the theater opened back in 1942. The theater is still used today for concerts and wrestling events, and they say if you look closely, you’ll catch a shadowy figure lurking in the corner from time to time.

11. Dancing Devil

Over 70 years ago in Kingsville, Texas, the creepy urban legend was born. A schoolgirl was said to have been really excited for a high school dance. She bought a beautiful sparkly red dress for the occasion but was later told by her mother that she would not be permitted to go. She asked her mother why, and her mother claimed a preacher told her that the dance was going to be for the devil. When her mother was busy, she dawned the dress and snuck out, determined to go. She met a handsome man, dressed in black, who asked her to dance. She’d never seen him before but agreed to dance with him. Everything started fine, and she felt like she was dancing better than she ever had in her entire life. Suddenly, the pair began spinning round and round, so fast, her feet felt hot, and it seemed the floor was melting beneath her. They spun so fast, that a cloud of dust flew up around them, hiding them from onlookers. As the dust cleared, the girl in the red dress was gone, leaving only the man with jet-black hair behind. He bowed to other party attendants and disappeared. The urban legend is that the man was the devil and he spun her to hell. This tale was more or less a reminder to mind your mother!

12. Fang Baby

In the 1960s, some pals were headed home late in the evening on Old Pearsall Road after having too many drinks. The driver swerved and the vehicle ended up in a ditch on the side of the road. He claims he swerved because he saw a toddler wearing a white shirt and diaper with blood dripping from his mouth. Everyone in the car drunkenly argued about what they had seen and then went on their way. The following day, the driver went back to where he’d sworn he’d seen the baby. He suddenly got a flat tire. When he got out to repair it, it was allegedly so damaged, he didn’t realize there were two puncture marks in it. He changed the tire and hopped back into his car, where he opened a beer from his cooler. He started sipping on it, and then dozed off, only to be awakened by a sharp pain in the neck. When he opened his eyes, the toddler he’d seen the night before was standing in his lap. Its mouth was covered in blood. Legend has it, the driver’s sister later claimed to have seen the baby in her dreams and believed it to be a warning to never go down Old Pearsall Road again. 

13. Ghost handprints

Local legends say that the railroad crossing between Villamain Road and Shane Road in San Antonio was the site where a school bus full of kids was killed by a train when the bus stalled out on the tracks. Some say, if you park there late at night, you’ll see childrends handprints on your windshield. 

14. Lady of White Rock Lake

This legend comes out of the Dallas area and revolves around a young woman, dressed in sopping wet clothes from the 1930s era who haunts flags down drivers near the lake and asks for a ride. They say, if you let her into your vehicle, she suddenly disappears, leaving a sopping-wet car seat and more questions than answers.

15. Old Alton Bridge

This is the second urban legend in Texas involved a monster described as half-goat, half-man. A black goat farmer named Osxar Washburn movied is family to a home north of the Old Alton Bridge sometime in the 1930s. He was rather successful, which rubbed some folks in the area the wrong way, being that he was a black man. Klansmen allegedly crossed the bridge near his home and kidnapped Washburn. They tied a noose around his neck and threw him off of the Old Alton bridge. When they looked down to see if he had died, the noose was empty and he was nowhere to be seen. In a panic, the went back to his home and killed his wife and children. Locals say if you cross the bridge at night without headlights, like the Klansmen did when they came from Washburn and his family, you will be met by a Goatman, believed to be Washburn, who is ready to exact his revenge. 

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