Haunted History of the RGV: Fort Ringgold

UTRGV CHAPS, alumni comment on the allure of ‘haunted’ historic fort

By Amanda A. Taylor-Uchoa

Founded in 1848 along the Rio Grande, Fort Ringgold isn’t simply an important landmark in American history. It is, by many accounts, a cauldron of spooky sightings and supernatural tales.

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) has a vital role in preserving this historical and ghostly landmark through its Community Historical Archaeology Project with Schools (CHAPS), which engages local communities in exploring and sharing the region’s rich history and culture. UTRGV CHAPS now is engaged in restoration and preservation projects, in response to the fort’s colorful, cultural and historical significance in South Texas.

BASTION OF BORDER DEFENSE

Established in the aftermath of the Mexican-American War, Fort Ringgold – named in honor of Maj. Samuel Ringgold, who was mortally wounded at the Battle of Palo Alto – quickly became a strategic site in a region marked by tension and unrest.

“Fort Ringgold, like Fort Brown in Brownsville and Fort McIntosh in Laredo, was critical in establishing a U.S. military presence along the border,” said Col. Rosbell “Ross” Barrera, U.S. Army retired, veterans service officer and UTRGV legacy alumnus who has partnered with the UTRGV CHAPS program in restoration efforts. “Every 100 miles, you had a fort. The mission was to protect the border.”

During the Civil War, the fort saw a shift in allegiance when Confederate forces took control following Texas’ secession from the Union. Union troops later regained command, underscoring the fort’s strategic importance on the frontier.

“The Civil War period was tumultuous for Fort Ringgold,” Barrera said. “Its occupation by both Confederate and Union forces reflects the deep divisions within the country and the strategic value of the Rio Grande border region.”

In the years that followed, Fort Ringgold played a crucial role during the Indian Wars and the Mexican Revolution, and hosted African American Buffalo Soldiers in 1899.

Maria Elia Ramos, a local historian and member of the Starr County Historical Commission, said that due to an outbreak of racial violence in 1899, the fort was closed shortly thereafter.

Despite being decommissioned in 1944, the fort’s legacy continued, and the site was transferred to the Rio Grande City school district. By 1948, the first students attended classes there, and it became known as the Fort Ringgold Campus. Many original structures remain intact, serving as historical landmarks and educational facilities.

WHISPERS OF THE OTHERWORLDLY

Beyond its military significance, Fort Ringgold has garnered a reputation as one of Texas’ most haunted locations. Stories passed down through generations speak of unexplained phenomena and ghostly apparitions roaming the old barracks and grounds.

“Fort Ringgold is quite spooky – haunted, according to people who have experienced incidents,” said Aminta Reyna Alaniz, a tour guide for Rio Grande City on the Bessie Trolley Tours. “Security guards working the night shift see lights in many of the buildings turn on and off. People working late also experience lights flickering and doors closing and opening on their own.”

Even those who work at Fort Ringgold today have had eerie encounters. JoAnn Orta, a secretary at Rio Grande City Grulla ISD’s student services, shared her unsettling experience, along with a co-worker, in one of the old hospital buildings, where they both saw an apparition.

“You could see a black shadow,” Orta described. “It was looking at us from one side. I didn’t want to mention anything, but when she saw it too, it was like, it’s not only me.”

Cathy Rubio, museum exhibit technician at the Kelsey Bass Museum in Rio Grande City, has also heard and experienced paranormal activity related to Fort Ringgold.

She describes a specific spot in the building that gave her an uneasy feeling.

“There was one corner in that building that I just could not get near,” she said. “The hair on my arms would stand up. I would get a little queasy, a little dizzy. I thought maybe my mind was playing tricks on me, but the more I went, the stronger those feelings became.”

Rubio also recounted an incident in a neighboring building.

“A friend of mine told me a story of a gentleman who was putting in new phone lines in a building around midnight,” she said. “He turned around and saw a gentleman dressed in soldier clothing, in cavalry with those high boots. He asked him what he needed, and then the man vanished. The gentleman packed up his tools and walked out of the building, and he only worked during the day after that.”

STORIES HOLD WEIGHT

Roseann Bacha-Garza, program manager of UTRGV CHAPS, has heard numerous accounts of paranormal activity at the fort.

“In several tours that we’ve taken, walking the grounds throughout the years that we’ve been researching Fort Ringgold, we have heard stories about hauntings,” she said. “About ghosts appearing in windows in the officers’ quarters. About a woman walking across the parade grounds looking for her true love.”

She believes these stories hold weight.

“I absolutely believe it,” Bacha-Garza said. “After hearing so many stories from different people, it’s kind of hard to make up when they sound similar and they’re pointing to certain locations at the fort, like the parade grounds and the officers’ quarters.”

Asked why such phenomena might occur at historical sites like Fort Ringgold, Bacha-Garza speculated, “I would suspect tragedy, sudden death. In the military, people die suddenly from either an attack or action, and it’s unexpected. So, I think that people who leave this earth in an unexpected way may have trouble leaving forever.”

LEGEND OF THE LADY IN WHITE

One of the most enduring and haunting Fort Ringgold legends is that of the “Lady in White.”

Locals and visitors alike have reported sightings of a spectral woman dressed in a flowing white gown, wandering the parade grounds, especially during the late hours of the night. Some say she searches endlessly for a lost love – a soldier stationed at the fort who never returned from battle.

Rubio shared an intriguing discovery related to this apparition.

“I know that there are stories about a woman in white. I’d never really believed those stories, that she walks around the parade grounds,” Rubio said. “But when I found out about this interview and this project, I went looking through my Fort Ringgold pictures in the museum, and there is a picture that has a young woman in a white dress. Could it be? I can’t say. All I can say is I’d never noticed that before.”

Stories about the woman walking the parade fields have been around for five or six years now.

“So, is it her? Who knows, but who am I to say that it isn’t? Could be,” Rubio said.

Barrera also recounted tales of the Lady in White.

“The story goes that years ago, there was a young lady who fell in love with a soldier and got pregnant. She went to the fort to look for him, but he had left. She drowned in the river, and now she comes out to the parade field in her wedding dress, looking for her soldier.”

While there are no historical records of a woman who died this way at the fort, the dramatic stories and sightings have only added to the captivating, haunted tales that come out of the fort.

RESTORATION EFFORTS BY UTRGV CHAPS

In recent years, UTRGV’s CHAPS has undertaken significant efforts to help restore and preserve Fort Ringgold.

“Fort Ringgold is the best-preserved 19th-century military fort in our country,” Bacha-Garza said. “We want to try to do what we can to save what is possible to save – for example, the post hospital and other buildings on the campus.”

Once the significance of the fort was recognized, CHAPS immediately took action.

“Through our Rio Grande Valley Civil War Trail project, we wanted to highlight Fort Ringgold as one of the valued sites on this tourism trail,” Bacha-Garza said.

“We created an award-winning documentary film – ‘And Then the Soldiers Were Gone: Fort Ringgold and Rio Grande City’ – as a gift to the residents, so they could know exactly what a jewel they have in their midst.”

The CHAPS program focuses on engaging the community, including students and educators, in uncovering and preserving the area’s rich historical and cultural heritage. The program also has engaged with scholars, developed lesson plans, and created curriculum for K-12 education to ensure the fort’s history is passed down.

“Our goal is to reveal how interesting this Rio Grande Valley history is, especially along the river in these villages and towns,” Bacha-Garza said. “Perhaps we could attract more visitors, which then would attract more business and create a more thriving economy to garner more interest for the region.”

CONVERGENCES

Today, Fort Ringgold remains a place where history and mystery intertwine. The collaboration between UTRGV CHAPS, the local community and historians has revitalized interest in the fort, ensuring that its stories – both historical and supernatural – are not forgotten.

“We want to bring out all of the good things about the Rio Grande Valley, along with all the intriguing, historically significant aspects of our past, so that the residents can be proud of where they’re from,” Bacha-Garza said.

Fort Ringgold’s walls may no longer house soldiers, but they continue to echo with the stories of those who lived, served and, perhaps, still wander the grounds.

“If someone were to ask me if Fort Ringgold is haunted, I would say, ‘Come with me at night and you be the judge,'” Barrera said.

As both a historical landmark and a reputed haunt, the fort invites visitors to reflect on the complexities of the past and the mysteries that endure.

“Fort Ringgold is more than just a relic,” Barrera concluded. “It’s a living chapter of our history, one that continues to teach and inspire. We have a duty to preserve it – not just for ourselves, but for generations to come.”

And, possibly, for past generations – in case they’re still listening and watching.