MARLIN, Texas — Our series on Central Texas mysteries took reporter Jasmin Caldwell to the city of Marlin, where rumors about a once popular hotel have left some residents with a hair-raising story to tell.
“Sometimes at night, spooky things can happen,” said John, who lives in Marlin.
John has lived in Marlin all his life. He did not want to reveal his last name, but said he knows of at least one haunted spot in Marlin: The Falls Hotel.
“We were the only ones in there, and you can hear someone walking in and out of the rooms,” John said. “If you were downstairs you can hear things upstairs. We were like what was that?”
The 110-room hotel was built in 1929 as a Hilton Hotel. In fact, it was the eighth hotel built by Conrad Hilton. It was connected to the Marlin bathhouse by an underground tunnel.
“We actually felt like we heard something run towards us,” John said. “We were teenagers. We went out the second-floor window running down the stair case. It was crazy, part of your imagination I guess, but some things you did hear.”
Today, the hotel is vacant and primarily used for office space. It’s owned by Marlin resident Chris Martinez, who said he’s been in every room in the building and has never seen a ghost.
The hotel is like a lot of buildings in downtown Marlin that seem abandoned and look mysterious. Byrleen Terry with the Marlin Chamber of Commerce said they are trying to bring more businesses to town.
“We’re real excited because we can start to see movement out near the bypass,” Terry said. “We’re having O’Reilly’s come to town. I just like to drive by and see what’s happening there, and that it’s no longer a vacant spot.”
John said he would be happy to see Marlin the way it was back in its heyday, and even though some may not believe him, he sticks to his story about ghosts at the Falls Hotel.
“Of course, my friends thought I was crazy,” John said. "I’m like, 'nah man, nah man. It was real.'”
Martinez told KCEN Channel 6 he is in the process of beautifying the building. He’s fixing the broken windows on each floor.
He hopes that one day the building will thrive again.