Two young girls died in the front well of the house and a man hung himself in a room upstairs. The hotel completely embraces the paranormal reports here as staff have reported seeing full body apparitions, footsteps, and physical contact from spirits.
Haunted by two children that drowned in a well, you will hear whispers, with freezing cold spots and EVP's.
The LaBorde House in 1899, French immigrant and merchant Francois LaBorde (also spelled Laborde or La Borde) built a majestic Parisian-style home for his family in the border town of Rio Grande City in Starr County. The home was originally designed in Paris by French architects in 1893. In 1896 LaBorde purchased two lots on Main Street in Rio Grande City. Architectural plans for the complex were perfected by one or more San Antonio architects onsite, and it was finished in 1899. The complex consisted of two single-story buildings for a general store and office that faced on to the street, and each building was attached to a two-story residence set back from the street and with a central courtyard. The LaBorde family never lived in the home full-time. Eva Marks LaBorde and her five children spent most of the year living in San Antonio. According to a feature in the Brownsville Herald, the LaBorde children “more often visited than resided.” For them the residence became “a point of departure to a far-away exclusive school or a plush home in San Antonio.” As a merchant and businessman, Francois quickly saw the potential of the home and started drafting plans to transform it into a hotel. He employed well-known San Antonio architect Leo M. J. Dielmann, and the design included the addition of a second story to the front buildings. The hotel opened about 1917.
In 1917 Francois LaBorde died suddenly of a gunshot wound to the head. It is unclear to this day if it was a suicide or an accident. Years after his death, and with business at an all-time low during the Great Depression, the LaBorde family sold the home. It was purchased by George Boyle and retired Brig. Gen. James S. Rodwell in 1939. It was re-named the Ringgold Hotel after nearby Fort Ringgold and was remodeled to include a restaurant and a number of private baths.