The Legend of The Gery Witches

Posted: 04.11.2025 | Updated: 04.11.2025

Home to many mysterious occurrences, the town of San Marcos is the birthplace of one of the darkest urban legends in all of Texas, the Legend of the Gery Witches. This mother-and-daughter duo faced a cruel and tragic death, and many believe that is why they linger around the area, tormenting residents while seeking their vengeance.

If you love learning about the haunted history of San Antonio, be sure to schedule a tour with us here at River City Ghosts today for a chilling experience you will not soon forget!

What is the Legend of the Gery Witches?

The folklore of the Gery Witches has been passed down from one generation to the next by the residents of San Marcos. In the late 1600s, Genevieve Gery and her daughter Isabelle were charged with several crimes, including witchcraft and consorting with the devil. They were hanged and burned at the stake, meeting a gruesome fate that ensured they would not be forgotten.

Today, the location of where the Gery’s cabin once stood is believed to be haunted by the spirits of the mother and daughter who seek revenge for their murders, as well as other ominous entities from San Marcos’s dark history.

The Strange Disappearance of Fort Saint Louis

Between the years of 1682 and 1691, Roland J. Gery, an explorer and settler of New France, set sail with other explorers to establish a new coastal fort that would serve as a trading post between New France and New Spain. His daughter Genevieve came along for the journey as they voyaged to set up the Fort of St. Louis.

The details from history concerning their endeavor are limited, but based on the story that has been passed down over centuries, Fort Saint Louis endured a mysterious fate similar to the Lost Colony of Roanoke.

When Fort Saint Louis was established, a Spanish explorer named Alonso DeLeon visited the colony in hopes of establishing new trade relations and discussing territorial concerns France and Spain may have about the new territory. When he arrived, he was startled to find that the promising trade location appeared to be a ghost town. The only people who were still there were Roland and his daughter.

De Leon questioned Roland about the sudden disappearance and considered him to be insane when Roland refused to speak of it. To this day, no one is sure what happened at the French outpost. Roland and Genevieve were the only two people who knew the truth.

Still, De Leon stuck around, allowing Roland to be his guide and help him establish a new colony. Roland and Genevieve traveled with De Leon along what is now known as the San Antonio trail. They established an encampment at the river named after St. Marcus, also known as San Marcos.

The Birth of Isabelle Gery 

It is believed that De Leon then stationed a small army to protect the Franciscan monks who were at the camp, as well as Roland and his daughter. The conquistadors rebelled against raids by natives, and while there are no records of Roland and Genevieve being there, there are records stating that a Christian widower and his daughter lived in the same area.

After Roland Gery passed away, Genevieve became pregnant and gave birth to her daughter, Isabelle. There’s no record of who Isabelle’s father was and no marriage records for Genevieve. However, it is recorded that Isabelle was baptized, which indicates she was Catholic and likely not born out of wedlock.

Some believe her father was one of the monks De Leon protected, while others have claimed he was one of the natives who raided the camp. But there is also a third option: a dark legend still circulates through the area that Isabelle’s father is the Devil himself.

The Entrance to Hell

During the Inquisition, accusations of witchcraft were taken very seriously, and those who were believed to be guilty were convicted by authorities of the Catholic Church.

According to lore, Genevieve and Isabelle were conducting their acts of sorcery in the present-day Wonderworld cave. This cave was known by locals at the time as “the Entrance to Hell.”

When news spread about the Gery Witches’ whereabouts, a friar was sent by the Catholic Church to condemn the women for blasphemy, heresy, witchcraft, and consorting with the devil. 

Genevieve and Isabelle fervently denied their accusations. But there was little justice for those accused of witchcraft those days. The mother and daughter were sentenced to death by hanging and ordered to be burned at the stake.

The Ghosts of Genevieve and Isabelle Gery

The final resting place for Genevieve and Isabelle Gery is unknown, but according to the legend, their remains were spread in the area now reserved by the Hays County Jailhouse in Durham Park. And they have been up to some sinister activities over the years.

According to the story, the ghost of Genevieve Gery is believed to be responsible for the disappearance of several children. Years ago, when families would be passing through the area, there would be a shrill sound in the distance of a woman crying out for help. When concerned people would go to search for the source of despair, they would sometimes leave their children behind to wait for them. 

Unable to find anyone in distress and in need of help, the parents would return to find their children had vanished. It is said that Genevieve is responsible for the missing children because she has been searching for her long-lost daughter, Isabelle. It is also believed that her spirit may be seeking retribution for their torture and death.

The spirit of Isabelle Gery has also been felt at the same location. In 1832, a young schoolgirl named Helen told others that she was able to make contact with Isabelle. She said the spirit told her she would seek revenge on anyone who called out her name, and she would then proceed to deliver their souls to Hell.

Hauntings in the San Marcos Community

While most locals believe the bodies of Genevieve and Isabelle Gery were buried at the site of the Hays County Jail, there are some who think otherwise based on recent research findings.

Several years ago, at a house on S. San Antonio Street that was originally built in the 1940s, a road crew conducting a survey discovered two unmarked graves at the site. They reported what they found to the police, who then turned the case over to medical examiners. 

The examiners determined the graves were an archeological site and contacted a local university to evaluate them; however, no further research on the graves has been carried out.

In the same area, apparitions of ghastly-looking women and phantom children have been seen on more than one occasion. The small house seems to be the epicenter of ghostly activity, as several residents have reported hearing strange noises and feeling a general sense of unease while staying there.

Spiritual Encounters at a House Party 

In 2009, there were reports of strange spiritual activity happening at a house party in the same community. Two young girls attending the party mysteriously began to channel the Gery Witches. It’s been said that the girls started revealing personal details about other people at the party that they shouldn’t have known.

After fifteen minutes, the visitation by the spirits abruptly ended, and the girls collapsed to the floor, exhausted. Before that night, they had never heard about the legend of the Gery Witches. Still, after their encounter, they claimed that Genevieve and Isabelle were buried underneath the house, and their spirits were very angry and restless.

A Visit from a Native Entity

The owner of the house had another strange experience occur one night when he and his roommate were spending time with two young women, drinking and enjoying each other’s company. One of the women went into the kitchen to get a drink, and as she was returning to the living room, she dropped her drink and fell to the floor. 

The owner of the house said it reminded him of someone having a seizure. The other three had no idea what was happening as they tried to help her. She didn’t appear to be injured, but something wasn’t right.

The woman then started to claw at the hardwood floor. She kept clawing vigorously until the others helped her to her feet. The house owner said he was afraid she’d end up tearing her nails open if she kept going.

They led her over to a chair to sit down, but she wouldn’t budge. It was as if sitting on furniture was a foreign concept to her. She broke free from them and went to sit cross-legged on the floor. That is when the situation took an even stranger turn.

A Voice From Beyond 

The woman started ranting in a voice and language the others didn’t understand. She was rattling off words quickly that the man described as sounding like a Native American dialect. She then got up, looked frantically around the room, and collapsed to the floor again.

This time it took her a while to come to. She woke up crying, not understanding why she was on the floor. The others helped her up once again to sit on the sofa. After a few minutes, she calmed down and began to speak about what she experienced. 

She explained that she was visited by the spirit of a Native American man who was searching for something underneath the house. He never mentioned what it was, but she believed it was something very disturbing and unsettling.

Haunted San Antonio

San Antonio is known for being home to many historic battles and tragic deaths contributing to its dark history. However, the legend of the Gery Witches dates back even further and is one of the earliest known urban legends of the area.

If you would like to learn more about the most haunted locations in San Antonio, like The Alamo and The Freeman Coliseum, be sure to check out our blog. And if you are interested in diving even deeper into the haunting myths of the area, you can schedule your next ghost tour with us here at River City Ghosts.

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Sources: 

• https://thesanmarcoswitchsociety.weebly.com/the-gery-witches-of-san-marcos-a-brief-history.html
• https://spookysmtx.wordpress.com/2019/09/22/witches-be-crazy-the-gery-witches/
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsCuZc78fPI
• https://www.visitsanmarcos.com/blog/post/spooky-san-marcos-stories/
• https://thesanmarcoswitchsociety.weebly.com