Ghostly happenings abound at Austin's historic Clay Pit
AUSTIN (KXAN) — It’s no secret Austin has a storied past. And on this Halloween, KXAN’s Barrett Tryon got a tour of one of Austin’s most active spots, the Clay Pit restaurant at 1601 Guadalupe St. downtown.
“Throughout most of the 1800s, [Austin] had one of the largest Red Light districts in the south,” explained Sarah Maples. She’s the senior tour guide for Haunted ATX, a tour that specializes in ghosts and the unexplained.
“I’m a big believer that the louder you are here in life, the louder you’ll be in death,” she said.
At the Clay Pit, Maples said one of the most active ghosts is a woman named “April.” She was the madam of a brothel that used to sit next door to the restaurant. She is most active in the cellar area, Maples said. April is known to follow people who are talking about her, sometimes even saying their names.
April is also known as the “Scarlet Lady,” as she’s often seen wearing red. She was murdered in the basement, where the cellar now is, by an unknown John.
The Bertram family once called what is now the Clay Pit home. The building began as a general store and later morphed into a saloon. Underground tunnels connected the building to the brothel next door — and other buildings. While they’ve since been sealed off, rumor has it they went as far away as the Capitol building.
Rudolph Bertram and his wife Bertha would have eight children together, all living here. Five of the eight would die within a few years of each other.
On the second floor, where the family maintained their residence, there’s a lot of activity in the bar area, specifically in the mirrors behind the bar.
“This guest was taking pictures and in one photo you could see [April’s] entire body,” Maples said. The problem? The mirrors are more than seven feet off the ground. The woman also appeared in black and white.
Another unexplained phenomenon happens with the kitchen door a few feet away.
“It is a rather flimsy kitchen door, so it’s not strange for it to wiggle just a little bit, but often times, as we are here, we’ll say hi to ‘Toby,’ which is how the spirit likes to be called,” Maples said. “He does mess with the staff up here quite often.”
A corner room in the upstairs was used as the quarantine for the children while they were fighting various diseases and illnesses. This is also the room where Toby died from typhoid fever in 1880.
“Because of the suffering, there’s a really heavy nature in this room,” Maples said. “[The room] tends to be very active.”
Maples said the paranormal activity happens both day and night, with many skeptics walking away as believers when the tour is done.
The Clay Pit is one of a handful of spots Haunted ATX tours take you to. Attendees have the option to ride in a hearse as part of the experience. Learn more about tickets and availability on its website here.
