The Night Owl: True Ghost Stories

Haunted Freddo ATX - Part II (Episode 60, May 26, 2025)

Episode Overview

In this gripping follow-up to the Freddo ATX investigation, host Stephen Belyeu and the Night Owl Paranormal Research Society team revisit the historic Victorian home-turned-cafe at the corner of South Congress and Althorf in Austin, TX. With reports of a heavy, foreboding presence, unsettling noises, phantom children, and sightings of spectral figures peering from upstairs windows, the team enlists three psychic mediums — Kate the Brave, Jeffrey, and Meg — all brought in blind to the location’s details. Their goal: validate prior claims, uncover new phenomena, and perhaps identify the lingering spirits that call Freddo home.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Background & Historical Context

• The Freddo ATX site occupies an 1876 Victorian home with a rich history and notable former residents, especially Walter Tips, an influential Austin merchant and state senator who died in the house. Despite Freddo's recent tenure in the space, reports of hauntings abound among staff, guests, and local tour guides.

Initial Psychic Medium Walkthroughs

Kate the Brave (05:57)

• Immediate emotional response: Began crying en route; sensed a younger woman spirit, not herself.
• Shadow sightings & separation of energy: Detected “tugging” sensations, shadows in windows, and a dominant older woman "tied to the place historically," who mostly stays upstairs.
• Children's spirits: Sensed three or four child presences, especially a little girl fascinated by tarot cards.

  “She wants me to, like, take them out and show her the pictures. And she really likes to be interacted with and played with.” — Kate (08:28)

• Male presence: Felt an immense back pain inside, connected it to a male spirit associated with physical activity and manipulation of objects—elusive, “tries to hide.” (10:40)
• Energy dynamics: Noted the female spirit seeks attention for herself/family, not the male.

  “It feels like she's, like, trying to pull the attention to her and away from this.” — Kate (10:08)

Jeffrey (14:47)

• Pre-arrival impressions: Heard “blowing on someone's neck,” whispers, metallic banging noises, and a dislike for bright lights.
• Visuals of the past: Saw faces “peeking” from the staircase, images of an early 1900s married couple — notably, the man had a large mustache (Walter Tips was known for his mustache).

  “I kept looking at the windows, looking at the windows...wondering if there's like a hand in the window, maybe a little blurry face.” — Jeffrey (16:14)

• Upstairs windows & sadness: Focused on back hallway windows, sensed “deep sobbing” and residual energy, but didn’t feel close to any spirit yet.

Meg (21:00)

• Building-centric sensitivities: Experienced throbbing headache (as at other highly active sites), noted the home “had been moved,” a direct hit to a key historical fact about the house’s 1970s relocation.

  “I was busy watching the side. The side paneling on the house was jiggling. So that tells me that this house was moved from somewhere else.” — Meg (21:12)

• Time-warp sensation: Detected temporal disturbances (“bubble,” “distortions”), compared to the famed Bell House at Pioneer Farms, suggesting repetitive, layered energy patterns — as if multiple timelines/realities overlap in the home.

Building Energy Impressions & Sighting Reports

Kate’s Direct Visual (29:54):

• Saw a man, “older, bigger in frame,” sitting at the table — not residual energy, but “very present.”

  “He knew he was looking at me and he knew I could see him here.” — Kate (30:14)

Servant/Children Dynamics (32:36):

• Jeffrey sensed the likely presence of a maid/nanny and child(ren). This was historically validated by later home research.

Back Hallway/Storage Room Focus (34:45)

• Both Meg and Kate independently drawn to this area. Meg saw a “young lady” (late teens/early 20s) in the right back corner.
• Kate and Meg both reported seeing apparitions falling or jumping from the roof/awning outside, with Kate specifying the figure as female and Meg unsure but concurring in location (38:53—40:21).

Spirit Character Profiles (Throughout)

Older Male (“Walter”):

• Consistently described as tall, dignified, elderly, potentially with a mustache.
• Key personality traits: authority, manipulation, “grumpy,” interacts audibly and with physical nudging.

Older Female (“Mary,” “Marie,” or Johanna):

• Frequently seen looking out windows, described as lost, stuck, searching for familiar aspects of the property/landscape (horses, dirt road).
• Emotionally attuned but sad, feels a need to be “recognized” rather than overshadowed by the male presence.

Younger Female:

• Sometimes described as a teen or young woman, sometimes as childlike; appears to be an “outsider” spirit compared to Walter and the older woman.
• Associated with curiosity, tarot interest, and a playful presence.

Child Spirits (Boy & Girl):

• Playful, residual energy, with the boy often seen in/near hallways, sometimes playing with a “train or little car.”
• Girl is more interactive with mediums, particularly with Kate.

Potential Second Male (Downstairs):

• Sensed as mischievous, sometimes connected to technical malfunctions (POS system) and minor physical incidents with patrons/staff.

Notable Quotes and Moments (with Timestamps)

• “It feels like she's, like, trying to pull the attention to her and away from this.” — Kate, about the older female spirit (10:08)
• “I kept looking at the windows, looking at the windows...wondering if there's like a hand in the window, maybe a little blurry face.” — Jeffrey (16:14)
• “This house has been moved from somewhere else.” — Meg, nailing a well-known historical fact (21:12)
• “Somebody fell off the balcony… she feels female to me. I see it breaking and her like coming off is how it feels.” — Kate (39:51)
• “I know because he's just standing there…he's just staring in the room. Also, somebody died here.” — Kate (42:36)
• “It's like an overcrowdedness…there's a woman here and a man here and it feels like spokespersony, like she comes forward from this part of things and he comes forward from this part of things.” — Kate (43:21)
• "The man lived here 100%. I don't think she did either. And I feel like she's stuck." — Kate & Meg, on spirit origins (45:07)
• “There’s three main energies: that masculine, like an older feminine and then younger feminine.” — Kate, identifying spirit core grouping (49:15)

Estes Session Highlights

Session 1: Jeffrey (57:55–61:01)

• Multiple voices: heard “three or four,” including “a woman’s voice and a deep man’s voice.”
  • “Legacy.” “House.” “Move.” “Spirits.” “Trickster.” “Check.”
  • Move/house responses correlate with house’s history of relocation.
• No child voices detected, but strong sense of authority and presence.

Session 2: Meg (61:18–68:05)

• Immediate arrival of “Wally,” “Walter” and strong male energy.

  "Wally. Walter. Wallet. Wal. Wal. Walter. There he is right there. Right there. I told you." — Meg (61:18)

• Detected “she's trapped,” competing male energies, mention of “war” and classical music; Walter served in the Civil War and was a musician.
• Female spirit names: “Rachel,” then “Mary.” Theme of “baby” and possible child death(s).
• “Stillborn” and “baby that died a few months later” (historically accurate for Tips family).

Session 3: Kate (70:06–81:45)

• “Walter” and “Marie/Mary/Beth” come through.
• Spirit claims: "Go to bed," "I have a message," "Say it again," "Walter," "Junior," referencing possible son of Walter who died in adolescence. (76:36)
• Multiple voices, sometimes overlapping; female whimpering, two men (one “Walter,” one possibly “Ed/Edward”).
• “Slow down” advice, suggests folklore and need for patience in investigations.

  “He kept repeating it over and…Walter. Walter. Over and like, sometimes it'd be like whispering and sometimes it'd be like, louder.” — Kate (81:45)

Validation of Spirit Claims with Historical Research

• Numerous hits validated:
  • Walter Tips’ presence: Confirmed by both Meg and Kate using the name “Walter,” and visually identified in Jeffrey's sketch.
  • House moved: Meg’s unprompted statement about building relocation.
  • Civil War, music, classical references: Walter’s service and personality.
  • Family tragedies: Reference to children and babies dying, aligning with Tips family history.
  • Division of home/family: Kate sensing a “divided house” and family, with historic record of the home being converted into apartments and having a basement apartment for Walter’s widowed daughter.

Unresolved Mysteries and Spirit Identification

• Is the elusive male presence responsible for technical malfunctions or does another young male or “trickster” linger on the lower floor?
• Is the trapped, lost-feeling older woman Walter’s wife Johanna/Mary/Mary Elizabeth, or another past resident?
• Are the childlike and young female energies separate spirits, or manifestations of the same figure perceived differently by psychics?
• Was a fatal fall from the roof/balcony a traumatic real event, or symbolic spiritual residue?

Memorable Closing Reflections

• Kate’s Final Summary (85:29):

  “The first thing I picked up on was, like, a woman and I keep seeing her in the windows. She looks older and feels stuck...I also felt an older man...Downstairs energy feels very separate from the upstairs energy...The woman is very observant...leans over, over shoulders, looks over shoulders. She wants to see what everybody's doing.”

• Meg’s and Harry’s Confirmations: Staff and guests consistently sense odd energies, technical glitches, and report minor physical contacts—matching the mediums’ descriptions.
• Stephen's Conclusion (92:06):

  “A strong male presence came through in two of our Estes sessions, both identifying the name Walter and Jeffrey's sketch bore a striking resemblance to a younger Walter Tips. While Walter may not be responsible for everything, he is very likely a lingering presence in his former beloved home...Now I find myself wondering, could his wife Johanna, who may have gone by Mary, also still be here?”

Timestamps for Major Segments

• 05:57 – Kate’s Initial Impressions and Child Spirit Details
• 14:47 – Jeffrey’s Walkthrough and “Classic” Window Phenomena
• 21:00 – Meg Notes Home Is Moved, Energy Patterns
• 29:54 – Kate's Visual of Male Spirit
• 34:45 – Meg Sees a Young Woman, Drawn to Hallways
• 38:53–40:21 – Both Meg & Kate Witness Apparition Falling from Roof
• 42:36 – Kate Encounters Tall Male Figure, "Someone Died Here"
• 57:55 – Jeffrey’s Estes Session
• 61:18 – Meg’s Estes Session with “Walter” and Child Death References
• 70:06 – Kate’s Estes Session, Direct “Walter” Contact
• 85:29 – Kate’s Summary & Closing Reflections
• 92:06 – Final Theories and Episode Wrap-up

Conclusion

Haunted Freddo ATX — Part II deftly combines deep historical research, first-hand psychic impressions, and modern paranormal techniques in pursuit of answers. The night yielded eerily specific validations: names, details about the building, and personal characteristics of its once-prominent inhabitants. Yet, questions linger. Who are the more elusive spirits? Will Walter’s story ever be fully known? With plans to return for a final investigation, the Night Owl team’s restless pursuit of the truth continues.

Notable Quotes Compilation

• “He knew he was looking at me and he knew I could see him here.” — Kate, [30:14]
• “Wally. Walter. Wal. Walter. There he is right there. Right there. I told you.” — Meg, [61:18]
• “He kept repeating it over and…Walter. Walter. Over and like, sometimes it'd be like whispering and sometimes it'd be like, louder.” — Kate, [81:45]
• “It's like they're polar opposites…This guy, he's grumpy. He messes with people. She's very intuitive…So they're having this, like, clashing, it feels like.” — Kate, [40:40]
• “There's three main energies: that masculine, like an older feminine and then younger feminine.” — Kate, [49:15]

Next: The investigation concludes June 30th. Stay restless.

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