The Legend of Woman Hollering Creek

Posted: 12.20.2024 | Updated: 12.26.2024

San Antonio, Texas, holds a special place in the heart of the American landscape with it being the location of The Alamo. However, the city’s beauty doesn’t stop there, with its numerous cultural influences and popular tourist destinations. It’s also home to some of the country’s scariest locations, including Woman Hollering Creek. 

It lies only 18 miles outside San Antonio’s borders, and as the name suggests, it carries with it a ghostly legend. People have claimed for years to hear the incessant wailing of a woman echoing from the creek late at night. There’s something even more terrifying to the story, and it’s what sends people running the other way should they hear her cries. 

There’s a more haunting side to San Antonio, and it’s waiting for you. Book a ghost tour with River City Ghosts today for an experience you’ll never forget! Be sure to also check out our blog for more spine-tingling stories on the city’s most haunted locations. 

Is Woman Hollering Creek Haunted?

The official name of Woman Hollering Creek speaks for itself, with its eerie tales of a woman’s spirit believed to haunt the creek at night. Despite the overwhelming curiosity it invokes, believers and non-believers alike prefer to keep their distance. It’s because of its connection to an even more terrifying legend that’s almost as renowned as the boogeyman. 

History of the City of St. Hedwig

The area of San Antonio details a long and culturally rich history dating back thousands of years. It was first inhabited by Native Americans, and as the number of tribes grew, so did fighting for control of the land. However, the arrival of the Spaniards in the 16th century drastically changed the landscape. 

The tribes, collectively referred to as Coahuiltecans by the conquistadors, gradually became displaced. It was due to newly introduced European diseases, the Conquistadors’ conquering mindset, and advanced weaponry for the time. Nonetheless, new cultural and religious traditions, along with morbid tales, were shared, such as the legend of La Llorona. 

Spanish missions and establishments continued to be set up throughout East Texas during the 17th and 18th centuries. One of them was the small mission San Antonio de Valero, more famously known as the Alamo. It was the starting point for the city we now know and cherish today as San Antonio.

Another cultural influx came to Texas in 1855 with the establishment of the City of St. Hedwig, a peaceful rural community 18 miles outside of San Antonio. It was founded by immigrants from Upper Silesia in Prussian Poland. By 1897, the town consisted of 200 families, predominantly from Poland and Germany. It was even christened with the name St. Hedwig, the patron saint of the residents’ Silesian homeland. 

The City of Saint Hedwig stands just off of highway I-10 between San Antonio and Seguin. It continues to maintain its strong agricultural presence in Bexar County, ironically serving as a home to what makes I-10 the most haunted road in Texas. 

What is the Legend of Woman Hollering Creek?

Woman Hollering Creek is named for a centuries-old legend behind it, and it’s the most unsettling of all– the legend of La Llorona. Stories of her have struck terror into the hearts of children throughout Latin America for centuries, including the surrounding area of San Antonio, TX. Nobody knows if there’s some fabric of truth in the story, but then again, nobody has been brave enough to stick around. The answer as to why lies in the legend.  

La Llorona, “the wailing woman,” is believed to have originated from the highlands of Central Mexico in the 16th century. Her story has many variations, including minute details. However, it generally goes that this vicious spirit was once a woman named Maria who fell in love with an upper-class Spaniard. The only thing Maria loved more than him was their two children. 

Maria’s suspicions began to rise as her lover became more distant towards her over time. Her feelings were confirmed soon enough when the man eventually married an upper-class woman. Maria’s anger grew into a blind rage, and she threw her children into a nearby river in a fit of jealousy. 

She quickly realized what she had done, but by then, it was too late. Maria spent her remaining days looking for her children until she also died by the river from starvation and a broken heart. Her vengeful spirit is now said to float along the banks of rivers and creeks at night, doomed to look for her children as she wails into the darkness. She is known to drown any who get too close to her, as people are said to be lured by her haunting cries.

Haunted San Antonio

San Antonio’s history is a colorful tapestry of cultures, religions, and stories intertwined with American history. It also includes an abundance of ghost stories that continue to shake us to the core. 

One such story in particular lies hidden in the City of Saint Hedwig, only 18 miles away from San Antonio: Woman Hollering Creek. The very name is unsettling, but this is no typical ghost story. It’s the legend of La Llorona, a vengeful mother who committed an unspeakable act of evil centuries ago. Since that time, her very name has become the stuff of nightmares throughout South and North America and a caution to all to not believe everything they hear in the dead of night. 

What better chance to have your own personal ghost story to tell than with River City Ghosts? Book a ghost tour on our website today, where you can experience some of San Antonio’s most eerie locations and see firsthand what goes bump in the night. You can also read up on our blog for more chill-ridden stories and stay connected with us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

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