175 years: a long, long time to need a drink

Houstonist is always partial to a good ghost story, and we'd nearly forgotten about one in our own back yard: the tale of James Briton "Brit" Bailey, the poor soul who has spent the past 175 years wandering around a field between Angleton and West Columbia in search of a drink. Fortunately, KTRK reminded us of Bailey — and if you'll gather around the campfire, we'll tell you a little about him.

The Handbook of Texas tells us the Bailey, who was born in North Carolina in 1779, was one of Stephen F. Austin's Old Three Hundred — the settlers who got land grants in Austin's colony in the early 1820s. Bailey had actually moved to Texas around 1818, when he allegedly bought land from the Spanish government; when Mexico gained independence from Spain in 1821, it didn't recognize Bailey's title to the land. When Austin settled here, he initially ordered Bailey out of the colony, but in 1824 Austin allowed him to settle on the east bank of the Brazos River near what's now called Bailey's Prairie. On Dec. 6, 1832, Bailey died, perhaps from cholera; he stipulated in his will that he would be buried standing up, facing west and — legend has it — with his rifle at his side and a jug of whiskey at his feet. But the story goes that the whiskey didn't end up in the grave, one way or another, and since then, Bailey's ghost has roamed Bailey's Prairie looking for the hooch. "I just heard that he walks up and down the river looking for his bottle of whiskey," resident Larry Baiz told Channel 13. "People have seen him around, but I've never seen him."

But other people have, including local resident Patrick Hall. "It was crossing a field that I saw something that was out of the ordinary and didn't make sense. It was like a bouncing light," Hall said. That's how most people describe Bailey's ghost: a light (said to be Bailey's lantern) that glides around the prairie and occasionally chases passing cars. According to lore, Bailey's ghost appears every seven years, and 2006 was his last scheduled appearance — so we'll have to wait until 2013 to see if he shows up again. In the meantime, you can check out Bailey's Prairie for yourself: It's about six miles west of Angleton on Highway 35; a Texas historical marker on the side of the road will let you know you're in the right place.