Fort Sam Houston

Posted: 05.09.2025 | Updated: 05.09.2025

Everything’s bigger in Texas, and that includes the ghosts!

San Antonio might not be the first on people’s list of the most haunted cities in America, but it has quite the collection of haunted buildings and places. The one we’re talking about this week isn’t your run-of-the-mill graveyard or haunted theater, though; it’s an Army fort – an unexpected kind of haunted hotspot. 

Yes, Fort Sam Houston is well-known to San Antonio residents, Army veterans, and ghost-hunters alike. The reason for its notoriety comes from the fort’s rich military tradition, proud history, and the mysterious happenings that occur in its BAMC building. 

Keep reading to learn what that building is and which ghost may be haunting it. After you’re done, we’re sure you’ll want to learn even more about haunted Texas. The best way to do that is by booking an in-person ghost tour with River City Ghosts.

Who Haunts Fort Sam Houston?

No one is quite sure who the ghost behind the hauntings at Fort Sam Houston is, but one thing is for sure – they’ve left quite the impression on the troops who have passed through here. 

Fort History

Sam Houston was a legendary frontiersman, general, and American statesman whose name adorns countless streets and schools in Texas. A vital figure in the Texas Revolution and Texas’s first and third President, it seems only fitting that the Lone Star State would name a fortress after him. 

Fort Sam Houston was first established as a relatively modest quartermaster supply depot for the Army in San Antonio. Supplying troops and other forts across the West, it soon became beloved by the troops and surrounding locals as a steadfast constant. At first, it was only referred to as “the Post at San Antonio,” but in 1890, almost thirty years after Houston’s death, its name was changed to honor the legacy of a Texas icon. 

It would go on to serve the United States in various wars over the centuries. After the Spanish-American War and the Mexican Revolution, it would undergo major expansion and renovations, becoming the second-largest Army post in the country. 

During World War II, it would stand as a welcome muster point for soldiers returning home and their loved ones. The fort would process over half a million troops on their homeward journey from Europe and Japan. 

World War II would also see Fort Sam Houston emerge as a key site for Army medics, as it was the center of medical training and care during the war years. That proud medical tradition continues to this day, under the Joint Base San Antonio and the Army Medical Department Center and School (AMEDDC&S), both headquartered in Fort Sam Houston. 

Hauntings at Fort Sam Houston

Of course, one can’t speak of the medical history of Fort Sam Houston without speaking of the Brooke Army Medical Center. Known by the acronym (as most things are in the Army) BAMC, the Brooke Army Medical Center was where all hospital centers and medical activities were consolidated during World War II. It would go on to provide treatment for soldiers wounded in Korea.

Afterwards, the BAMC would train generation after generation of Army medics and earn great prestige for doing so. However, it would also garner a reputation for being haunted, too.  

The old BAMC Building, now serving as US Army South headquarters, is said to be infested with the ghosts of the patients who were once treated in its emergency rooms. Between 1996 and 2003, this building stood empty, and it was believed that this period of lifelessness summoned these ghosts there. Reports of ghost activity vary based on eyewitnesses and time of day. 

Sometimes, elevators will seem to move on their own, and doors will slam without warning. At other times, glowing eyes can be seen in the basement (usually late at night). Some soldiers have even reported spying furniture moving around by itself! Of course, the furniture stops rearranging itself as soon as an officer is summoned to inspect it! 

But, signs of its haunted status aren’t always so dramatic. The old building is said to host several cold spots – areas where the temperature will suddenly drop as soon as you step into it. These cold spots seem to have their own rules regarding temperature and will stay frigid, no matter how warm it is outside. 

The Galleon Ghoul

However, it’s not just the old BAMC building that’s said to house ghosts at Fort Sam Houston. Other specters have been known to pop up at other locations, too. At the old psychiatric ward, sounds of laughter and crying can be heard late at night in abandoned buildings. 

A master sergeant named Jose Moraga recounted a chilling late-night encounter. He was walking by the BAMC building and looked up towards the seventh floor, and noticed the lights flickering on and off. As he stepped forward to investigate, a black cat (animals aren’t allowed on base) stepped forward and almost knocked him flat. 

As he continued to approach the building, he heard a voice from nowhere shout, “Go home! You’re not welcome here!” He followed the voice’s instructions, and to this day, it’s unknown if that voice was a real ghost or if one of his Army buddies was playing tricks. 

Similar to the BAMC building, the old officers’ quarters are also thought to be haunted, with flickering lights of their own. Items, there, will also move, as if by some unseen force, and even some officers are known to believe something suspicious may be going on down there. 

Some soldiers have brought up a culprit before. They call this figure the Galleon Ghoul (creative names are a bit of an Army tradition). It’s thought that this name pays homage to the US Army South’s unit patch, which depicts a Spanish galleon ship riding a wave. 

In any case, the ghoul is thought to be the one behind the BAMC and officer’s quarters hauntings, although who he is or what’s brought him to be so mischievous is still unknown. 

Haunted San Antonio

Maybe you’ll be able to get a glimpse of the Galleon Ghoul and find out why he’s so troublesome if you ever find yourself visiting Fort Sam Houston. If you are in the San Antonio area, the other haunted locations in town are also well worth checking out and investigating, too! 

Whether you’re a fervent visitor to haunted places or just liked this story and want to learn similar tales, check out our Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. They spotlight other offbeat ghost stories all over the United States. Checking our San Antonio blog is another good way to stay up-to-date with all the latest ghost stories and haunted spots in Texas.

And speaking of Texas ghosts, if you want to explore more ghosts from San Antonio, a ghost tour with River City Ghosts is the best way to do that. Our guides are knowledgeable and enthusiastic and can provide even more information on the area. 

Sources:

• https://www.jbsa.mil/Portals/102/Documents/JBSA%20History/Fort%20Sam%20Houston.pdf
• https://www.jbsa.mil/News/News/Article/626563/the-ghosts-of-old-bamc-still-roam-us-army-south-headquarters-building/
• https://www.texashauntedhouses.com/real-haunt/fort-sam-houston.html