Ghost Stories of Old Texas

Texas is a land of legends and folktales. Some of them are based on characters like Pecos Bill, Bigfoot Wallace, and Davy Crockett - loud, outgoing, bigger­than-life "daytime" kinds of people. Others concern themselves with mysterious, shadowy things: giant, footless birds, river spirits, and phantom lights.
These ghost stories are told in whispers. Perhaps to make children behave or adults change their way of living and have become interwoven with the real-life historical happenings and characters of Texas to the point of doubt in some instances as to what is real and what is the child of overactive imaginations. As is the case with all folklore, they are told in many different versions. These have be­come a part of the heritage of Texas folklore.

Zinita Parsons Fowler taught in Texas public schools for more than two decades and was also a children's librarian.
She completed her early education at East Texas State University, now Texas A&M Commerce, where she earned both a Bachelor and Master of Arts degrees. Always seeking the best from herself, Zinita went back to school and earned a second Master's Degree in Library Science at the University of North Texas.
As a native Texan, she heard Anglo-Texas folklore from her childhood days. She became interested in actively researching folklore when she taught for a time in South Texas and came in contact with Mexican-American folklore and how real it was to many of her students.
Mrs. Fowler was well known as a master storyteller and leader of folk dancing and singing games. She is a published author of professional journals, magazines, poems, plays, and books. Her love of writing and teaching prompted the development of "The Crossroads," a literary journal where new writers could publish and receive recognition for their work. Professional memberships included the Tejas Storytelling Association and the Poetry Society of Texas.
Mrs. Fowler won the Siddie Joe Johnson Award in 1982, presented by the Texas Library Association for excellence in children's librarianship. She was also awarded a life membership in the Parent-Teacher Association by the Carrollton-Farmers Branch Pre-school PTA for her work with children in that area.
Zinita Parsons Fowler passed away on September 3, 1990, at the age of ninety. She left behind a loving family and a rich legacy in teaching and Texas literature.