By james art LAREDO, Texas (KGNS) – A 200-year-old house in downtown Laredo, now the Rio Grande Republican Museum, has become a focal point for paranormal investigators looking for a connection to the past.
Originally built in 1830 by a descendant of the city’s founder, Thomas Sanchez, the building served as the residence and later capital of the short-lived Rio Grande Republic. Today, it houses artifacts and, reportedly, the hovering spirits of some of Laredo’s earliest settlers.
In the second part of a three-part series, paranormal investigators from Nightmare Hour visited the museum to explore its history and uncover any possible supernatural energy within its walls.
“Republic of the Rio Grande Museum, this was our second visit and the first time we got a lot of responses,” said Jesus Moreno, founder of Nightmare Hour. The researchers, who collected evidence from various locations in Webb County, brought their EMF (electromagnetic field) meters and snuff boxes to gather responses from every possible presence at the museum.
In one room, investigators asked if someone had moved a crib on display that appeared to have shifted. “Are you moving? Have any of us touched it? I wasn’t here,” Moreno asked, followed by:¿Alguien movie la cuna?‘ or ‘Did someone move the cot?’
After setting up their spirit box, Moreno described the setup: “What it does is channel through radio frequencies in milliseconds. One person will listen through headphones in another room. I’m just repeating what was said here. The thing is, I don’t hear what you’re asking.
Violet Mutuk, a researcher on “Nightmare Hour,” was impressed with the results. “All the responses we get to some of the tools are kind of crazy. Hearing voices coming out, like these things in the box, is crazy – because I’m like, “Wow, this thing works!”
While listening, Moreno reported hearing “Isaac” through his headphones, prompting Mutuk to ask, “¿Te llamas Issac?” which translates to “Is your name Isaac?” Later in the session, Moreno repeated “La bota”, or “the boot”, referring to a historic battle in the nearby square known as Las Botas Y Los Huaraches.
Eduardo Garcia of the Webb County Heritage Foundation explained the significance: “There was a battle here in front of the plaza called Las Botas Y Los Huarachesconnecting the phrase of the voice with local history.
Reflecting on the experience, Moreno noted, “We just wanted to see if the activity was still there, and I definitely think the activity is still very much there. I can tell it’s more than a few entities. Like I said, I don’t know if they are male or female, but there are more than a few here.
The Nightmare Hour continues to document their experiences in Webb County, working with the Laredo Paranormal Society to investigate haunted stories at historic sites.
For more information on Nightmare Hour, click here and here.
For part one of this series, click here.
For more titles, click here.
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