Waco's Haunted Heritage (Pt. 2)

My first stop in my dark tourist adventure is the supposedly haunted Dr Pepper Museum which opened its doors in 1991.

Walking through the front doors, it feels like I’ve been transported back to the late 1800s.

Maybe it's the original teal wooden beams that are still used in the building's structure, or the life size animatronic of Charles Alderton, the inventor of Dr Pepper, but there was something I just couldn’t quite put my finger on.

Dr Pepper is the oldest major soda on the market. It was created in 1885 in downtown Waco, at the Morrison’s Old Corner Drug Store. The drink was actually called “Waco,” for a short period of time, coined by Alderton, who was a pharmacist.

KELSEY UNGER: “A lot of your early soda fountains were in pharmacies because people thought soda was medicine. So, of course, your pharmacist is going to make it for you.”

Kelsey Unger, a native Wacoan and tour guide at the Dr Pepper museum, tells me that the museum is a certified paranormal location. She says their haunted tour started after the staff shared numerous stories of encountering ghostly entities.

KELSEY UNGER: “Lots of stories of seeing shadow figures in both of our buildings, a couple of stories of full body apparitions.”

Of course, I had to ask Kelsey the big question on my mind.

AUTUMN JONES: “Do you personally believe in ghosts?”

KELSEY UNGER: “...Yes.”

The museum's paranormal tour happens year-round on Saturdays from 7 PM to 9 PM, available only to those 18 years or older. Tickets can be purchased online at drpeppermuseum.com, and up to 16 people can attend. They also offer private tours.

Paranormal investigators and expert tour guides walk you through the museum's historic buildings, and give you the opportunity to investigate paranormal activity yourself using ghost hunting equipment like Electromagnetic Field readers, also known as EMF readers, which pick up on electromagnetic radiation, something ghosts supposedly give off.

Cindy, being a tour guide for the museum's paranormal experience, recounts her own chilling tales.

CINDY LITTLE: “At the Dr Pepper Museum, leading the tours, we have gotten some pretty consistent activity. I’ve been involved in that for a couple of years. We see shadow people out there, one week we had kind of a flirty ghost that was grabbing one ladies thigh and another ladies ankle. Then I got poked in the behind. There’s an office on the third floor of the AMBC building, which is the main building, not the soda fountain one. We’ve been hearing these knocks, like somebody is knocking pretty loudly on the door. It’s happened like two or three times. The last time it happened I was telling one of the tour guests about it and he was like, ‘oh wow!’ He puts his ear up to the door, and it's just a small office and it's locked so we’re not able to get into the office, and he just steps back and his face turns white. I said, ‘what, what happened, what did you hear?’ He says, ‘I swear to you I heard somebody running up to the other side of the door and stopping right on the other side of the door.”

But what caused the museum to be haunted? Cindy tells me that hauntings are almost always born out of trauma.

CINDY LITTLE: “You know, the 1953 tornado, I think that had a very big impact of course. You had this big traumatic energy event that is contributing to paranormal activity.”

The May 11, 1953 tornado was a disaster that completely reshaped the city of Waco that we know today. With winds reaching up to 260 miles per hour, the tornado cut a devastating path through the city, causing extensive destruction and leading to the tragic loss of over a hundred lives.

The trauma of this event still lingers in the collective memory of the city, and it has also found its way into the history of the Dr Pepper factory.

Having learned more about the hauntings of the Dr Pepper Museum, I can't help but wonder if the energy from that day in 1953 still resonates within these walls, possibly contributing to the unexplained and otherworldly encounters that visitors and staff have reported over the years.

KELSEY UNGER: “We like to focus on the scientific element of it as well as the history as well. Talking about why we think we are haunted, how the history of Dr Pepper ties into that.”

As I wrap up my visit to the Dr Pepper Museum, one thing is certain – this place holds more than just the secret formula of the beloved soda. It's a living testament to Waco's history, resilience and the enduring allure of local legends.

From historic artifacts to the intriguing ghostly tales, the museum has an undeniable charm that draws in visitors, dark tourists and historians alike. The Dr Pepper Museum offers a blend of history, mystery and the unmistakable flavor of Waco.

Tune in Monday during Morning Edition and All Things Considered where I go on my first ghost tour in downtown Waco and learn more about the history behind local hauntings and lore.

For 103.3 Waco Public Radio, I’m Autumn Jones.