You are probably wondering where the name "Spindletop" came from.
The name
dates as far back as before the Civil War.
One theory about the origin of Spindletop's
name has to do with a grove of trees on the hill. Supposedly, because of heat waves
rising from the surrounding prairie, the grove of trees had the appearance of a spinning
top.
Many ghost stories have been associated with Spindletop Hill.
Here are some examples:
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Ghosts come out from under the ground when people,
who are looking for oil, go to Spindletop Hill and poke holes in the earth.
The ghosts are angry and come out to chase the people away.
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Another
ghost story says that an old Indian woman was spotted on Spindletop Hill dancing with
the ghosts. People believed that the ghosts gave her great power.
There are others, but too gruesome to mention here.
One scientific theory that explains the so-called appearance of ghosts on Spindletop
Hill is that it is only fumes and heavy mist from the sulphur water and gas that escape
from the hill. St. Elmo's fire or static electricity is another way to explain the
strange occurrence of dancing figures on Spindletop that people so eagerly said were
ghosts.
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