1509 Pennsylvania Avenue
Fort Worth, Texas
Thistle Hill is now a historic house converted into a museum, where people can take guided tours or hold special events. If you are looking for ghosts, this place could be ideal for capturing some supernatural impressions. Thistle Hill is actually the largest surviving residence from the cattle baron era and is located near downtown Fort Worth at the end of Summit Avenue in an area known as Quality Hill.
The house was designed in 1904 by the renowned firm Sanguinet & Staats for Electra Waggoner, who lived there with her husband, A. B. Wharton. In 1910, a local businessman and cattle baron named Winfield Scott purchased the house from the Whartons. He then had the Georgian Revival-style house restored and the grounds landscaped for approximately $100,000. It is now a two-and-a-half-story house with a gabled roof, built of brick and decorated with cast stone. The exterior is shielded from the public by brick walls and ornamental ironwork. Inside, there is a magnificent staircase and stunning woodwork. A carriage house also stands behind the house. Today, everything is managed by Historic Fort Worth, Inc.
Thistle Hill was built for $38,000. At the time, this was a large sum, but Electra Waggoner's father, legendary cattle baron William T. Waggoner, had it built for her so that she would not move away. When he died, he left Electra and her two siblings a large fortune, including cattle and land. After her father's death, Electra decided to sell the house and move away. The new owner, Scott, paid $90,000 for the property, not including the cost of the restoration it underwent after the purchase. Scott died before he could see the restoration completed, and the house was left to his wife and only son. His son eventually inherited it and sold it.
In 1940, the Girls Service League of Fort Worth purchased the house and converted it into a residence for young women, which operated until the late 1960s. It then underwent another restoration and eventually came under the ownership of Texas Heritage, Inc. As a result, this once-magnificent house, which still appears very majestic today, may be home to a number of ghosts. From disappearing papers to apparitions of both a man and a woman, all of these have been reported at Thistle Hill. There was also a sealed-off ballroom on the third floor, from which workers often heard sounds during the restoration.
One story associated with this ballroom concerns a ninety-seven-year-old rocking chair that originally stood there but was moved and covered with plastic. It was later found back in the ballroom, even though no one had reportedly moved it, and the plastic had been removed. During one paranormal tour, newspaper clippings and a flashlight reportedly moved. Footsteps and voices are also frequently heard coming from the porch when no one is there. Whoever haunts Thistle Hill clearly does not mind people knowing about it, so on your next visit, stop by this cattle baron's legacy and discover for yourself what you might find.
