One of the things that makes the Texoma area unique is its history. Some of that history is shared across the border, but in some instances, the border drew a hard line that seemingly divided worlds and gave way to very different cultures, stories, and folklore.

Some of the most popular folklore to come from the history of the area are the various ghost stories. Whether someone’s a believer or not, almost everyone in a community has heard of its ghosts, and commonly those stories do reflect a town’s history.

Though our investigation experience at Dark Roast Report had never crossed over to the realm of paranormal, we decided that Halloween being so close was a good time to look into it. We spoke to an expert and explored two of the most notable haunted spots in the area to see if we could be made into believers and to share our experiences with curious readers.

The Parallel Forest - Lawton, OK.

The first place we explored was the Parallel Forest on the edge of the Wichita Wildlife Refuge, just before Meers. For a long time, the area was predominantly used for ranching and mining and remnants of that history can still be found in the forest.

The forest consists of several eerily straight rows of cedar trees that were planted in 1912, with the intention of producing tall, straight timber to be used for fence posts. However its purpose shifted when environmental experts began studying the forest to explore soil erosion control after the Dust Bowl. 

At the time, Meers was still an active mining community and utilized the area around the forest for gold prospecting efforts. This can be seen through the arrastra which still exists in the forest to this day. Commonly mistaken as an altar of sorts, the arrastra was used as a mill to grind ore. 

While the misconceptions around the arrastra, along with the shadows and creaking trees of the forest are some of the things that have linked the forest to tales of hauntings, what really enforced the notion is a more recent murder. In 1999, a man was found in the forest bludgeoned to death. It was later revealed that he’d been killed in an attempted robbery enacted by his half brothers. 

While rumors of satanists and witches using the forest for sacrifices are common in the area, the dark energy of the crime seems to pose a higher likelihood of lingering spirits. Additionally, the different Native American tribes that set up camp in the mountains and the history of outlaws that hid out there when it was “no man’s land” also may have played a role in the ghosts believed to wander the forest’s paths.

While we were ill-prepared for our trip to the forest as far as equipment goes, we realized supplies aren’t totally necessary to sense the shifting energies of the site. Simply walking through the trees and feeling sudden cold spots or hearing the groaning trees whisper the secrets they’ve witnessed into the wind are enough to convince anyone that something’s off about the forest.

Though a presence could certainly be sensed in the Parallel Forest, it didn’t appear to be threatening. If you don’t mind the constant feeling of being watched, the forest actually offers some of the most unique and beautiful sights in the whole refuge, including several great views of Mt. Sheridan, wildflowers, a gurgling creek, and tons of wildlife. In fact, the scariest part of the forest was the unfortunate amount of litter left behind by disrespectful visitors.

Little Sister statue at Riverside Cemetery - Wichita Falls, TX.

The Wichita Cemetery was added to Wichita Falls in 1879, when the first burial took place. In 1892, the city took ownership of it and renamed it Riverside Cemetery. It is the oldest cemetery in the city and has been noted by the Texas Historical Commission as a historic Texas cemetery.

Anyone that visits the cemetery will see rows and rows of headstones from the 1800s and early 1900s. Through the names marked on them, visitors can get a sense of the city’s history and the families that played prominent roles in making the community what it is today. 

One of the influential families buried there is the Kemp family. Each fall, the Kell House Museum holds a Haunted Tour which features tales of the city’s ghosts, including the story of Flora Charlotte Kemp, the daughter of Joseph Kemp and niece of Frank Kell. While the popular rumor around town is that Flora tripped and fell down the stairs of her family home on her wedding day and tumbled to her death, the true story is much less theatrical but tragic nonetheless. 

In reality, Flora died at just 20 years old of Typhoid fever in 1910. She had contracted the virus on a trip with her family to Michigan. She died just a year after her uncle’s iconic house was completed, which is likely how her death became tied to the house in folklore. 

Flora’s resting place can be found in the center of the Riverside cemetery, marked by a statue of a woman holding a wreath, with the words “Little Sister” on the bottom. She’s surrounded by the gravesites of her family. The common claim is that those who visit Flora’s grave in Riverside Cemetery at night and express sorrow for Flora’s situation can see the statue cry. This, paired with the common rumor, resulted in the name the “Crying Bride.” 

We visited her grave, taking a couple cameras and recorders with us. Granted, we visited the gravesite during daylight, but we didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. That said, we did capture some interesting audio. In the recordings, our voices appear normal when we’re speaking to each other but when we began asking questions to the spirits, our voices gained eerie, deep echoing sounds. 

This experience may not be enough to convince nonbelievers that there are spirits at Riverside Cemetery, but some people have had more persuasive experiences.

Local paranormal expert

Barry Levy is one of those people that finds a thrill in spending his free time talking to spirits and recording his interactions to make believers of us all. What began as an experiment of curiosity turned into a family tradition for Levy and his family that has continued to this day.

Levy said he didn’t believe in ghosts most of his life and went on his first ghost hunt after watching the film White Noise, which piqued his curiosity. His first attempt took place in 2007 at Riverside Cemetery with just a recorder and the act of asking the spirits questions. He said the next day he listened to the audio captured, not expecting anything but was surprised to hear multiple voices responding to his questions. He said from that point on, he was hooked on ghost hunting.

Not long after that, Levy began a ghost hunting group called Ghost Dog Paranormal, composed of family and friends and a friend’s dog (hence the name). They’ve explored many places in North Texas and other states like Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Louisiana. The goal was always simple; the thrill of the hunt. 

Levy explained that it was always exciting to capture a video, photo, or audio that displayed a new interaction. He said he’s begun carrying his equipment around and has captured footage and audio in family’s homes, friends’ businesses, and even his own home. His equipment is made up of trail cameras, video cameras, a WavePad, various recorders, toys, and balls for spirits to interact with. 

He said he asks “qualifying questions” rather than yes/no questions because they better prompt the spirit to interact and share about who they are. He added that his favorite interactions are direct responses to these questions captured on audio because they show that the entities are capable of interacting if the invitation is presented. 

“We started that group and hunted and had tremendous success. People ask ‘what do you think it is?’ and I tell them I don’t know. I have no idea but I know it’s there. You get men, you get women, you get different ethnicities, attitudes, ages, and responses and I’m still amazed by it whenever we get something good,” Levy said. 

Levy said he refers to the spirits he encounters as “entities” because he can’t be completely sure what they are. He listed several experiences he’s had with entities, as he keeps a long list of them written down in a notebook. 

He said he’s had many encounters in Wichita Falls and admitted that Riverside Cemetery was one of the most common places. Levy referred to a time that he took his kids, wife, and sister to the cemetery to examine Flora’s grave while they were recording. While there, his sister sorrowfully commented on how young Flora was when she died. When Levy reviewed the audio later, he said the distinct sound of a woman’s voice saying “I was” could be heard in response to his sister’s statement. 

Levy said he believes all nonbelievers should visit a cemetery with even just a recorder to see if they capture anything that changes their mind. He noted again that he was a nonbeliever once. He explained that there’s no harm in trying it out and great fun in being successful. 

“They may still not believe it. Die hard nonbelievers are just not gonna believe,” Levy said. “ But people who keep an open mind – let’s hope they have an open mind – if they listen to the evidence and you're successful getting some voices, you say there’s some proof here and you can take it for whatever you want.”