Haunted Places in Midland, Texas: A Saturday Ghost Crawl to Odessa and Big Spring
Looking for haunted places in Midland, TX? This Saturday ghost crawl starts upstairs in the Turner Mansion at the Museum of the Southwest, heads west to Odessa for dinner with a ghost named Billy, and ends with a nightcap at Hotel Settles in Big Spring.
Are the ghosts real? That part is up to you. The stories are worth the drive either way.
Looking for costume contests and trunk-or-treats instead? Our Halloween in Midland guide has the family-friendly list.
One ground rule before you go: these are a working museum, restaurant, and hotel. Go during public hours, be kind to the staff, and stay in the areas open to guests.
The ghost crawl at a glance
2 p.m., Midland: Behind the Scenes Tour of the Turner Mansion at the Museum of the Southwest
Dinner, Odessa: The Legendary Barn Door and the Historic Pecos Depot, home of Billy
Nightcap, Big Spring: Pharmacy Bar & Parlor at Hotel Settles
Drive: About 25 minutes from Midland to Odessa, then a little over an hour east on I-20 to Big Spring
The Turner Mansion at the Museum of the Southwest
The Museum of the Southwest is built around the Turner Mansion, the former home of Fred and Juliette Turner. The campus also holds the Blakemore Planetarium and the Fredda Turner Durham Children’s Museum, and it made our list of the top museums and historical sites in Midland. It is also the stop where real history and ghost story sit closest together, so we keep them apart.
The history
On Oct. 29, 1963, Juliette Turner was killed in her home by an intruder. Fred Turner died the next year, and the house became part of the Museum of the Southwest. The Turner name is still on the campus today.
The legend
The ghost story most people tell puts a presence on the second floor, and over the years many have connected it to Juliette. Nobody can prove that. We would rather remember her for the house that became a museum the whole city can walk through.
Online visitor accounts describe curtains moving by the stairs, footsteps in the upstairs hall, and a chair that rocks on its own.
How to see the upstairs
The second floor is closed during regular hours. To see it, book the museum’s Behind the Scenes Tour, Saturdays at 2 p.m. It covers the private upstairs rooms, the historic kitchen, and other spaces usually closed to the public. Tours cap at 20 guests, and reservations are required. Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for kids ages 3 to 12.
The second floor is not ADA accessible. The museum offers a FaceTime tour for guests who can’t take the stairs.
Address: 1705 W. Missouri Ave., Midland, TX
Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, 2 to 5 p.m.; closed Monday
General admission: $12 adults, $8 children and seniors, free for ages 2 and under (museum hours and admission)
Upstairs: Book the Behind the Scenes Tour
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Billy, the Barn Door’s Ghost in Odessa
The Legendary Barn Door has served Odessa since 1963. Next door sits the Historic Pecos Depot, an 1886 train station that closed in Pecos in 1972 and was moved beside the restaurant, where it opened as a bar in 1973. It holds a mahogany bar, a lot of railroad antiques, and, in the Barn Door’s own words, “our very own ghost.”
His name is Billy.
The Billy story
The story goes that Billy was shot at the depot back when it was still a working station in Pecos. When the building moved to Odessa, Billy apparently came with it.
Staff have described him as a short man in a dirty hat, white shirt, khaki pants, and black shoes. Some employees won’t go into the depot alone after midnight.
The best detail is the smallest one. Staff have set up the depot’s executive room for an event, then come back the next morning to find chairs moved and a ring on the table where someone set down a drink. The ring doesn’t match any glass the restaurant uses.
Billy had a drink.
Texas Time Travel gives the same advice we would: ask your server for “The Billy Story.” To stay on theme, order Billy’s Chicken Fried Steak, hand-breaded and topped with cream gravy.
Address: 2140 Andrews Hwy., Odessa, TX
Hours: Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.; Saturday, 4 to 10:30 p.m.; closed Sunday (current hours)
Ask about: The Billy Story, the ring on the table, and whether you can look around the depot
Is Hotel Settles Haunted? Ghost Stories in Big Spring
Hotel Settles opened Oct. 1, 1930, built by the Settles family after they struck oil on their ranch outside Big Spring. According to the hotel, it was the only full-service hotel between Dallas and El Paso when it opened. Elvis Presley stayed in Room 311 in 1955.
The hotel closed in May 1980, after Webb Air Force Base shut down and during the oil bust. Everything of value was auctioned off, down to the toilet paper holders. Big Spring native Brint Ryan bought the empty building in 2006 for $75,000, and it reopened in December 2012 after a full restoration.
A grand hotel that sat empty for more than 25 years was always going to collect a few stories.
The Hotel Settles ghost stories
Ghost-story sites list apparitions in period clothing, cold spots, and a presence that plays with the silverware and glasses. Local TV station YourBasin has reported stories of glasses flying off shelves and a photo of a bearded man in an old-fashioned tux in the lobby.
Staff take it in stride. A former mixologist at the hotel told YourBasin, “they’re just cool stories, they’re experiences.”
Have a drink where it happens
You don’t need a room. The Pharmacy Bar & Parlor, which really was a pharmacy at one point, is open seven days a week, with happy hour from 5 to 7 p.m. On your way through, look for the original terrazzo lobby floor, the old safe door, and two of the hotel’s three original phone booths in the alcove by Settles Grill.
Then decide whether staying the night sounds like a better or worse idea. Rather keep the nightcap closer to home? Pick from our best cocktail bars in Midland.
Address: 200 E. Third St., Big Spring, TX
Go: After dinner for a nightcap, or book a room and stay over
Watch for: Cold spots, a man in a tux, and glassware that won’t sit still
How to do the ghost crawl in one Saturday
2 p.m., Midland: Take the Behind the Scenes Tour at the Museum of the Southwest. Book ahead, because it caps at 20 people.
Dinner, Odessa: Take I-20 west to the Barn Door, which opens at 4 p.m. on Saturdays. Ask for the Billy Story.
Nightcap, Big Spring: Head back east on I-20, through Midland, to Hotel Settles.
Home: Big Spring to Midland is about 40 minutes.
That is a lot of I-20 for one night. Bring a designated driver, or book a room at the Settles and make it an overnight. It also makes a strong date night; for more like it, see our date spots in Midland that aren’t dinner and drinks.
Send this to the friend who will actually ride along. Every ghost crawl needs one person brave enough to ask for the Billy Story.
Can’t do a Saturday? The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday, and the Barn Door serves lunch on weekdays. You’ll miss the upstairs rooms, but Billy keeps regular hours.
Filling the rest of October? Start with 60+ things to do in Midland this fall, pumpkin patches and fall fun, and everything else on our things to do in Midland page.
Haunted places near Midland: quick answers
Is the Museum of the Southwest haunted?
The best-known story places a ghost on the second floor of the Turner Mansion. The only way to see those rooms is the Saturday Behind the Scenes Tour.
Who is Billy at the Barn Door in Odessa?
Billy is the ghost said to live in the Historic Pecos Depot next to the Barn Door. The story goes that he was shot at the depot when it still stood in Pecos and came along when it moved to Odessa.
Is Hotel Settles in Big Spring haunted?
Guests and staff have shared stories of figures in period clothing, cold spots, and moving glassware for years. The hotel calls them stories, and so do we.
Can you visit Hotel Settles without staying the night?
Yes. The Pharmacy Bar & Parlor and Settles Grill are both open to the public seven days a week.
Know a Midland ghost story we missed? Email it to us. We are taking nominations for round two.
— Midland AF