Spooky season may be a few months away, but for San Antonio company Curious Twins Tours & Events, Halloween is every day. In July, the business purchased the abandoned Yorktown Memorial Hospital, touted by no less an authority than Texas Monthly to be one of the most haunted buildings in the state.
The Felician Sisters of the Roman Catholic Church opened the Yorktown Memorial Hospital in 1951 to serve the tiny South Texas town of the same name, now with a population of less than 2,000. In the mid-80s, the facility became a drug treatment center before being abandoned in 1992.
The granite and concrete structure could double as a set for horror anthology series American Horror Story. A coffin sits front and center in the chapel, another room features long-lost dolls, and an organ sits unplayed — or at least visitors hope it does. Fred Garza-Guzman, who owns the company with husband Stephen Garza-Guzman, says they don’t plan to interfere with the hospital’s spooky charms.
Who dares to walk these darkened halls?Photo courtesy of Yorktown Memorial Hospital
“We want to keep it very much the same,” says Garza-Guzman. “It’s an abandoned property still.”
Yorktown Memorial is purportedly home to several spirits. As the stories go, the hospital had poor standards, resulting in multiple patient deaths. The most famous spirits said to roam the halls include a little girl named Stacey, former addict TJ, stern nuns who scratch at anyone with visible tattoos, and a snarling black mass. Zoinks!
The Garza-Guzmans have been leading tours of the hospital for a few years, but the purchase will save the “very raw property” from fading away into history. Their goal is to eventually restore the building for commercial use. Eventually, the business will open an online gift shop to raise funds for the repairs.
Dauntless San Antonians who want to take a peek inside the building, and risk a few unsettling dreams, can book daytime or evening tours through Yorktown’s website. The outings range from short walkthroughs to overnight stays.
Those who don’t want to drive the 80 miles to Yorktown can get the chills through several San Antonio jaunts. Curious Twins, who recently brought the cursed Annabelle doll to Texas, are also hard at work planning its eighth annual San Antonio Paranormal Fest, held September 20 at Victoria’s Black Swan Inn at 1006 Holbrook Rd.