The Face in the Courthouse Window

“Since 1878 there has been the picture of a man’s face so indelibly stamped on a window of the the Pickens County Courthouse that it looks as if a photographer had snapped his lens and made the likeness on the glass pane. But it was no human photographer who reproduced that countenance, which reflects the anguish and terror filling the heart of a man who knew that he was face to face with violent death””

— Kathryn Tucker Windham, "13 Alabama Ghosts and Jeffery"

Unmoved by Soap, Water, or Modern Cleaning Chemicals…

On April 5, 1865, just four days before General Robert E. Lee surrendered, effectively ending the Civil War, United States Army General John T. Croxton ordered the destruction of the Pickens County Courthouse in Carrolton, Alabama. Why he did it is unknown. The community however, would not be cowed and vowed to rebuild. Yet to their horror, the new courthouse would not last either. On November 16, 1876 the people of Pickens County watched helplessly as their new courthouse, was consumed by flames, just as its predecessor had been– it too was the victim of arson.

Legend, and history, placed the blame for the burning courthouse on the shoulders of Henry Wells, a formerly enslaved man who was said to be not the kindest of individuals and was in fact known to have participated in robberies. Though no evidence pointed to him as the courthouse arsonist, the community believed in his guilt, and it is said played a role in his death. According to legend, his fate at the hands of a lynch mob resulted in the vision of his face, permanently etched, in a window of the Pickens County Courthouse.

ADDITIONAL LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE:

Watch Kathryn Tucker Window tell the story of the 'Face in the Courthouse Window.'

Sources:

Aheron, Piper Peters. Pickens County. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2000.

Hauck, Dennis William. Haunted Places: The National Directory. London: Penguin, 1997.

Higdon, David and Brett Talley. Haunted Alabama Black Belt. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2013.

“Mystery of the Pickens County Courthouse Face.” The Haunted Places. Accessed February 1, 2023. https://thehauntedplaces.com/mystery-pickens-county-courthouse-face/. 

Norman, Michael and Beth Scott. Haunted Heritage: A Definitive Collection of North American Ghost Stories. New York: Tom Doherty Associates, 2002.

Reid, Tim. “Alabama Ghost Stories: The Face in the Courthouse Window.” CBS 42 News. October 29, 2020. https://www.cbs42.com/news/local/alabama-ghost-stories-the-face-in-the-courthouse-window/. 

Windham, Kathryn Tucker and Margaret Gillis Figh. 13 Alabama Ghosts and Jeffrey. Tuscaloosa, AL: University of Alabama Press, 2016.

The Dancing Ghost of Grancer Harrison

“Although certainly not everything written here is true, one can be assured that most old tales still told about ‘Grancer’ Harrison have some basis in fact, and many are true in their entirety.””

— The Montgomery Advertiser [Newspaper], February 23, 1969

Dance, dance, dance, while you may…

For decades, folks traveling along a long, lonely stretch of country road, just east of Kinston, Alabama have claimed to hear the faint sounds of a fiddle playing, or the tap tap tap of dancing feet emanating from an old, empty country cemetery. It’s said that those who hear this phantom music and dancing steps have had an encounter with one of Alabama’s most well-known spirits, the dancing ghost of ‘Grancer’ Harrison.

William ‘Grancer’ Harrison established a successful 2,500-acre cotton plantation on land just outside what is now Kinston. Though a planter, it was said that Harrison enjoyed nothing more than the company of his friends, so much so that several times a month he’d throw parties, barbecues, or horse races for all to enjoy.

It was said that not long after the parties finally stopped, spectral sounds of fiddle music and disembodied dancing began to emanate from the cemetery on Saturday nights. The parties may be over, but Grancer Harrison ain’t done just yet.

Additional Links From This Episode:

• Purchase the Morbid Curious, Vol. 6.

• Purchase the Feminine Macabre, Vol. 3.

Sources:

Brown, Alan. The Haunting of Alabama. Gretna, LA: Pelican Publishing, 2017.

Boutwell, Josh. “The haunted history of Kinston’s dancing, fiddling, Grancer Harrison.” October 21, 2020. The Southeast Sun. https://www.southeastsun.com/news.

Burgess, John A. “‘Grancer’ Still Dances 100 Years After.” The Montgomery Advertiser and Alabama Journal, February 23, 1969. Newspapers.com.  

Duncan, Andy. Alabama Curiosities: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities & Other Offbeat Stuff. Guildford, CT: Globe Pequot, 2009.

“Grancer’s Ghost.” William G. Pomeroy Foundation. Accessed October 12, 2022. https://www.wgpfoundation.org/historic-markers/grancers-ghost/. 

Hauck, Dennis William. Haunted Places: The National Directory. New York: Penguin Books, 2002. Guildford, CT: Globe Pequot, 2018.

Ogden, Tom. Haunted Cemeteries: Creepy Crypts, Spine-Tingling Spirits, And Midnight Mayhem. Guildford, CT: Globe Pequot, 2010.

The Opp News (Opp, AL). “Grave Robbers Use Dynamite To Blast Open 100 Year Old Tomb.” June 6, 1963. Newspapers.com

Weeks, Paige. “Weeks of Terror: The Dancing Ghost of Coffee County (Grancer Harrison).” WDHN. October 18, 2019. https://www.wdhn.com/news. 

Windham, Kathryn Tucker and Margaret Gillis Figh. Thirteen Alabama Ghosts and Jeffrey. Tuscaloosa, AL: University of Alabama Press, 2014.

The Legend of Huggin' Molly

For over a century, folks in Abbeville, Alabama have claimed to have encountered an unknown entity that stalks children on the city’s streets at night, violently hugs them and screeches into their ears. It is infamously known as Huggin’ Molly.

This episode of Southern Gothic is part of our Campfire Tales, a series of daily podcasts released during Halloween 2022!

Frank the Library Ghost

Now Entering Frank’s Study

Although the Red Lady may be Huntingdon College’s most well known ghost, she is certainly not the only one!

It’s believed the Huntingdon College's Houghton Memorial Library is home to a mysterious, and mischievous spirit named Frank. Perhaps most unsurprising for a library ghost, is Frank’s has a particular fondness for playing with books.

Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your favorite podcasts!

Sources:

Brown, Alan. Haunted Alabama. Haunted America. New Orleans, LA: Pelican Publishing, 2021.

Huntingdon College. Library: Ghosts. Houghton Memorial Library. Accessed January 14, 2022. https://libguides.huntingdon.edu/website/ghosts 

Mitchell Bennett Houghton (1844-1925). Find a Grave. Accessed January 14, 2022. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/65121276/mitchell-bennett-houghton 

Rankin, M. (2020, October 30). Hauntings at Huntingdon: Frank, the Library Ghost. CBS 42 Birmingham. Accessed January 14, 2022. https://www.cbs42.com/news/hauntings-at-huntingdon-frank-the-library-ghost/ 

Serafin, Faith. Haunted Montgomery, Alabama. Charleston, SC: The History Press, 2013.

Swancer, Brent. “The Mysterious Lady in Red and Other Hauntings at Huntingdon College.” Journal Online, March 22, 2021. https://journal.com.ph/the-mysterious-lady-in-red-and-other-hauntings-at-huntingdon-college/.

Walking tour. Huntingdon College. Accessed January 14, 2022. https://www.huntingdon.edu/admission-aid/learn-more/walking-tour/

The Red Lady of Huntingdon College

““Nearly all colleges have ghosts, legends that have grown up around some supernatural occurrences generations of students tell to each other [...] but the finest of those ghost stories, those college ghost stories, is told here at Huntingdon College in Montgomery.””

— Kathryn Tucker Windham

One of the most Iconic College Hauntings in America

Huntingdon College of Montgomery, Alabama regularly makes the lists of ‘most haunted’ universities in America as generations of students have claimed the ghost of a young woman haunts the fourth floor of Pratt Hall--an apparition that has become known as the Red Lady.  Legend claims that this young woman named Martha left behind her home in New York to attend the institution, but upon her arrival, she was overcome by homesickness and the loneliness of being misunderstood by the other girls in her dormitory.  As a result, Martha did something drastic that students continue to whisper about to this day.    

But did Martha actually exist or is this just another tall tale to frighten freshmen?  We will explore this question and more on this week’s episode of Southern Gothic….

Additional Links From This Episode:

• Watch Kathryn Tucker Windham tell the story of the Red Lady of Huntingdon College on Dr. Poppy Moon’s YouTube Channel.

• Listen to Wolfgang Poe on Season One of Ghost Tour.

• Check out Astonishing Legends: The True Story Behind the Exorcist - Episodes 219-221.

Sources:

Barefoot, Daniel W. Haunted Halls of Ivy: Ghosts of Southern Colleges and Universities. Winston-Salem, NC: J.F. Blair, 2004.

Brown, Alan. Haunted Alabama. Haunted America. New Orleans, LA: Pelican Publishing, 2021.

Brown, Alan. The Haunting of Alabama. Gretna, LA: Pelican Publishing Company, 2017.

Crider, Beverly. “Strange Alabama: The Red Lady of Huntingdon.” AL.com. Advance Local Media LLC, April 17, 2012. https://www.al.com/strange-alabama/2012/04/the_red_lady_of_huntingdon.html.

Ferri, Jessica. “A Crimson Vision: The Red Lady of Huntingdon College.” The Lineup. Open Road Media, August 17, 2016. https://the-line-up.com/the-red-lady.

Hauck, Dennis William. Haunted Places: The National Directory. London: Penguin, 1997.

Huntingdon College. Accessed January 6, 2022. https://www.huntingdon.edu/. 

Huntingdon College's Red Lady. YouTube. Dr. Poppy Moon, 2013. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsinhmsF4gA&t=48s.

Kazek, Kelly. “Let's Look at the Real Sites From '13 Alabama Ghosts'.” AL.com. Advance Local Media LLC, October 26, 2018. https://www.al.com/life-and-culture/erry-2018/10/4e9023658d7208/lets-look-at-the-real-sites-fr.html.

“Lady in Red (Ghost).” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, November 25, 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_in_Red_(ghost). 

Schexnayder, Brandon, Alicia King-Marshall, hosts. “Wolfgang Poe of the Birmingham Historic Touring Company” Ghost Tour (podcast), September 10, 2021, accessed January 5, 2022, https://www.southerngothicmedia.com/blog/gt001

Serafin, Faith. Haunted Montgomery, Alabama. Charleston, SC: The History Press, 2013.

Swancer, Brent. “The Mysterious Lady in Red and Other Hauntings at Huntingdon College.” Journal Online, March 22, 2021. https://journal.com.ph/the-mysterious-lady-in-red-and-other-hauntings-at-huntingdon-college/.

“White Lady.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, January 5, 2022. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Lady. 

Windham, Kathryn Tucker and Margaret Gillis Figh. 13 Alabama Ghosts and Jeffrey. Tuscaloosa, AL: University of Alabama Press, 2016. 

The Spirits of Sloss Furnaces (Revisited)

“We felt like we were in hell…”

Built in 1881, Sloss Furnaces was the first of many blast furnaces in Birmingham, Alabama to manufacture pig iron.

The furnaces aided in catalyzing an Industrial Revolution in the postwar south. It was in Alabama, that the iron industry took off, providing the rest of the country with the material necessary to build everything from country bridges to the first skyscrapers.

But this lucrative new economy came at a high cost to the men who toiled to keep the furnace fed. A majority of furnaces workers were formerly enslaved men, willing to take any work away from the fields they were once forced to labor in. With extreme and hazardous working conditions at the best of times, it is no surprise that accidents resulting in injury or death occurred

Today, many believe that echoes of the tragedy experienced by past workers still reverberate through the tunnels and catwalks of this icon of American industry.

The Eliza Battle's Final Voyage

ALABAMA’S PHANTOM STEAMSHIP

The Eliza Battle was once one of the most luxurious steamboats on Alabama’s waters, but her untimely demise by fire has left many to believe that she can still be seen on the Tombigbee River’s water– an omen of death.

Gaineswood's Ghostly Piano

In 1843 Nathan Bryan Whitfield began construction on a grand mansion in Demopolis, Alabama.  The beautiful home, which he named Gaineswood, still stands as part of Whitfield's legacy; but some claim that echoes of a tragedy that occurred here remain as well.  Echoes that purportedly come in the form of a mysterious, disembodied piano.

Legend of Bill Sketoe's Hole

On December 3, 1864 William Henry Sketoe was hanged near his home in Newton, Alabama. Some legends claim he was a Confederate deserter, others a Union sympathizer; but for whatever the reason may be, his story has been one of Alabama's most infamous ghost stories for over a century.

The Ghost Town of Cahaba

The town of Cahaba was once the thriving state capital of Alabama.  Yet today, over a century since it was last seen on census records, only ruins remain at the location of this once great city that many claim to be “Alabama’s Most Infamous Ghost Town.”

The Tale of Two-Toed Tom

Legend of a Demon Alligator

Legend says that a vicious alligator once roamed the swamps & farmland along the Gulf Coast of Florida and Alabama.  The creature was over fourteen feet in length, had glowing red eyes and an undeniably monstrous strength.  Locals called him Two-Toed Tom for his unique footprint.  The demon gator had lost all but two of the toes on his left foot after being caught in a steel trap. 

For over two decades Tom preyed upon livestock, with all attempts to be stopped thwarted by his undeniable strength.

CARL CARMER’S TALE OF PAP HAINES

The legend of Two-Toed Tom was first published in 1934.  Author Carl Carmer recounted the tale in his acclaimed work Stars Fell on Alabama which outlined folklore from all across the state.  Carmer tells the story of Pap Haines who purchased 40 acres of land from the lumber company in South Alabama.  Locals warned Pap that he shouldn’t keep any livestock on his new property or else he might attract the attention of a local alligator who was like no other he’d ever encountered, but Pap ignored the warnings.  The result was an epic battle between man and beast.

MYSTERY OF THE DEMON GATOR

Pap wasn’t the only man to attempt to hunt the demon gator.  After decades of Tom’s destruction, a group of Alabamians were finally able to chase him out, all the way across the border into Northwest Florida.  Some say he made a home in a pond near Esto in Holmes County where locals claim he’d let out a deep monstrous bellow every time the nearby lumber company’s whistle would go off.  

Eventually sightings of Two-Toed Tom began to waver and speculation of his demise began.  Then, a half century after Carmer published the story of Pap Haines, the tracks of an enormous alligator were found on a sandbar at Boynton Island on the Choctawahtchee.  These monstrous footprints had two toes.

Whether these tracks were in fact Two-Toed is still a mystery to this day.

Phantom Flames of Tuscaloosa

Dr. John R. Drish began construction of one of Tuscaloosa's first plantation homes in 1835.  Unfortunately, after he and his wife Sara's deaths, the home fell to ruin; giving life to claims that the tower that looms over this once stately plantation home is often the sight of eerie apparitions. 

Taking Up Serpents for Salvation

The religious practice of snake handling sprung up from the isolated rural communities of Appalachia in the early twentieth century; spreading throughout the south by way of an eccentric, charismatic and often troubled group of devout pastors.