‘Tique of the Week: One of Austin’s grandest hotels holds spooky secrets
‘Tique of the Week is an Austin-wide search for unique and interesting antiques. With dozens of antique shops around Austin, one-of-a-kind items from the past are not in short supply. Each week we’ll find a new favorite item and feature it as our “‘Tique of the Week.”
It is well-known that 6th Street is the center of nightlife in Austin, Texas. However, what may not be as well-known is that 6th Street is also home to some of the oldest and most interesting buildings in Austin.
Our ‘Tique of the Week stands at the corner of 6th and Brazos.
The Driskill hotel, opened in 1886 by cattle baron Colonel Jesse Driskill, is the oldest operating hotel in Austin. It has since been restored, but the original look was kept intact.
The four-story building consists of huge arched windows, large balconies and a beautiful lobby with marble floors and Victorian décor. But in the spirit of Halloween, the most interesting fact about this 125-year-old hotel may be that it is said to be haunted by several ghosts.
Jesse Driskill himself is said to haunt the hotel, leaving the scent of his favorite cigars throughout the building, according to employees.
Others say that in 1887, while the Texas Senate was in session, the small daughter of a U.S. Senator was playing with a rubber ball near the grand staircase when she tripped and fell to her death. Many have claimed to hear the child’s laughter and the sound of a bouncing ball near the staircase.
A third ghost is said to occupy Room 427. As the story goes, an embittered woman who had just been divorced took her husband’s credit card and checked in at the hotel. After she spent the day shopping with her ex-husband’s money, it is said that she went back to her room, pulled out her brand new shotgun and killed herself in the bathroom. Several people have claimed to see a woman with shopping bags wandering the halls of the fourth floor.
There are a few other ghost stories from the Driskill that have been told over the years, but despite all of them, the hotel remains a pleasant place for legislators, socialites, honeymooners and everyday vacationers to stay.
