50 or so miles west of Fort Worth, Mineral Wells is a charming town with little more than 15K residents.   Don’t let its size fool you though.  Mineral Wells has an interesting and intoxicating history to offer visitors.  

If you are a lover of the outdoors, you can enjoy camping, rock climbing, geocaching, and hiking at Lake Mineral Wells State Park.  If you are a history buff, there is plenty of that to go around.  Fort Wolters, once known as Camp Wolters, is a WWII era military base though it no longer functions as such.  If you are looking for something unique, check out the washing machine museum known as the Laumdronat or be sure to appreciate the many murals around Mineral Wells. 

Now I know what you are wondering.  What about the haunted stuff?  Well, here ya go.  :-)

Haunted locations in Mineral Wells:

• Haunted Hill House;

• Crazy Water Hotel;

• Fort Wolters;

• Old Nazareth Hospital; and

• Baker Hotel

Haunted Hill House

Fast facts

• Haunted Hill House has 3800 sq. ft. and is open for paranormal investigations (by appointment).

• It is alleged the house was once a brothel that provided “entertainment” to those visiting the Baker Hotel.

• It is alleged that several deaths have occurred in the house that include at least one of the previous owners. 

• It is believed that the spirit of a young boy resides in the house,  specifically on the 2nd floor. He is believed to be the son of one of the prostitutes from the 1950s. 

Crazy Water Hotel

Fast Facts

• The Crazy Water Hotel was built in 1912 .  The water from the wells allegedly had many curative properties and there is a report that a woman with some type of dementia drank the water daily and was cured.  The name Crazy Water was born.

• The hotel burned in 1925 but was rebuilt by Carr Collins in 1927.

• The Crazy Water Hotel featured over 200 guest rooms and indoor pavilion.

• It had many famous guests including Judy Garland,  Conrad Hilton, the original Machine Gun Kelly, and Bonnie and Clyde among others.

• When it closed, the old hotel served as a retirement center.

• It is believed to be haunted by a little girl in pink dress. She is seen frequently in the kitchen and her identity is a mystery.

• The spirit of a man in a trenchcoat has also been seen in the kitchen.  It is believed he is from the 1930s or 1940s but his identity is unknown. 

• The apparition of a woman is seen.  She is described as having a red  1930s style dress and her identity is unknown.

We (my family and I) stayed in a lovely 2 bedroom/2 bathroom suite. It is basically an apartment with a full kitchen and living room. It was quite comfortable and the location is great because we could walk to several businesses.

Fort Wolters

Fast Facts

• It is available for paranormal investigations (by appointment).

• Established as Camp Wolters in 1925, it was named for Brig. Gen. Jacob F. Wolters who was commander of the Fifty-sixth Brigade of the National Guard.

• During World War II the camp became an infantry-replacement training center.  

• Six months after the end of the war the camp was deactivated.

• Camp Wolters reopened in early 1951, under the authority of the United States Air Force.

• In September 1956 the base changed hands again and became the Primary Helicopter Center under the United States Army.

• In June 1963 it was renamed Fort Wolters and it was flight training facility for aviators.

• In 1968 it became a training facility for army personnel, for helicopter pilots for the Marine Corps, and also for the Air Force in 1970. 

• The base was also the site of the 84th Military Police Detachment, Beach Army Hospital, the United States Army Reserve Detachment 20, 16th Weather Squadron, and 328th United States Army Band.

• The base was deactivated in 1975.  The property is now a combination of public and private businesses, and the Education Center of Weatherford College. Some of the land is owned by the state of Texas for development as part of Lake Mineral Wells State Park.

Old Nazareth Hospital

Fast Facts

• Friends and I were fortunate to be able to investigate the hospital before the city shut it down. As far as I know, it is currently not available for paranormal investigations or accessible for tours. Entering the building is trespassing.

• Before the hospital was built, there was a bordello where the building is now.

• The Mineral Wells Clinic was built in 1927.

• In 1931, the Holy Sisters of the Nazareth bought the then 46-bed facility and they used the top floor of the building as living quarters.  The hospital served the community from 1931-1956.

• The staff began with a mere six Sisters, 12 doctors, a single registered nurse, and a janitor.  Almost half of admitted patients, were charity cases. 

• The basement was the TB and polio ward, sanitarium, emergency room, and morgue. People with severe mental disabilities and physical disabilities lived and were cared in the santarium.

• The 2nd floor was the entrance and lobby, the administration offices,  procedure rooms, and patient recovery rooms. 

• The 3rd floor held the dining hall,  the chapel, and doctor’s offices. 

• The 4th floor held the labor and delivery, and the nursery. 

• The 5th floor held the operating rooms, radiology, and ICU. 

• The 6th floor held the living quarters for the nuns.  The priest quarters moved into the house behind the crematorium/incinerator.

• The crematorium was housed in the building off to the side of the hospital. 

•  The hospital was closed in the 1960s.

• In the late 1980s through the early 2000s the old Nazareth Hospital  housed city and county offices including Head Start, Civil Service offices, Social Security, medical  offices, and Planned Parenthood.

……..and now I saved the best and most anticipated one for last.

The Baker Hotel

Fast Facts

• The Baker Hotel is currently (2022) under renovation and not accessible for paranormal investigations or tours. Entering the building is trespassing.

• Entrepreneur T.B. Baker commences construction on The Baker Hotel in Mineral Wells, Texas at a cost of $1.2 million began 1926.

• In the early 1900s, stories of Mineral Wells’ healing waters brought visitors from around the world. It wasn’t long before bathhouses, spas, and drinking pavilions opened around town. 

• The Baker Hotel opens in 1929 just two weeks after the great stock market crash. Talk about bad timing eh?

• The hotel had 460 rooms, two suites, two spas, an outdoor Olympic-sized swimming pool, and the famous Cloud Room.  It was appealing to many political leaders (i.e. President Ronald Reagan), celebrities and performers such as Judy Garland, prominent businessmen, and allegedly, Bonnie and Clyde. 

• In 1963 the Baker Hotel closed its doors but was reopened shortly after by a group of local leaders.

• 1972 The Baker Hotel closes again.

• 2019 a significant historical restoration of The Baker Hotel and Spa begins.  It is projected to take three years and  $65 million to bring her back to her former glory.

• The hotel is allegedly haunted by multiple spirits, some of which were sick guests who came to the hotel for its curative mineral water but still died.

• It is allegedly haunted by TD Baker and his mistress.  

• There have been many reports of smells of perfume and cigar smoke, the feeling of tugging on clothes, and voices.  When tours were allowed, many guests reported small items disappearing from their pockets or purses only to be found later on during the tour. 

• Baker’s mistress reportedly jumped from a  window of the 7th floor. There is no known reason for her suicide but her lavender perfume has been noted many times.  She has been seen in multiple areas of the hotel.

• The apparition of a bellhop is observed. Only the top half of is body is seen and he allegedly died in an unfortunate elevator accident that occurred in the 1950s in which his body was cut in half. 

• The spirit of a young boy is also observed.  It is believed that he died in the 1930s or 1940s from leukemia.  He was brought to the Baker by his parents in the hope of curing him.

Friends and I are eagerly awaiting the reopening of the historic Baker Hotel. Last I read, the anticipated reopening will be in 2024.

If you are planning on a visit to Mineral Well, I hope this helps you figure out what you want to do or see. If you are a paranormal investigator, Haunted Hill House and Fort Wolters offer a comfortable environment in which to conduct paranormal research. I hope the Old Nazareth Hospital becomes available again one day and I am waiting with much excitement for the Baker Hotel to reopen in 2024. If you plan on visiting the Baker too…….see you there in 2024! :-)

Make this beautiful day count!

Annette