With Halloween just around the corner, scary movies and ghost stories have surged back into relevance. My love for Halloween and haunted tales caused me to be curious about the best places to go in Alabama for a scare. Most students at the University of Alabama have heard about Old Bryce, but there is more than just one haunted sight in Alabama. So here is a list of some of the spookiest places I could find.
The Pickens County Courthouse – Carrollton, Alabama
This sight is not necessarily haunted, but more so the story of Henry Wells’ has been etched into the courthouse’s history. In this legend, Henry Wells was accused of burning down the old Pickens County Courthouse and was being held in the new courthouse awaiting trial.
During the night of a thunderstorm, a lynch mob came to the courthouse demanding for Wells to be given to them. The town’s sheriff told Wells to hide in the attic, yet Wells instead chose to face the mob and told them: "I am innocent. If you kill me, I am going to haunt you for the rest of your lives!" Moments later, a bolt of lightning struck the window Wells hid behind, killing him and somehow etching his face into the glass of the window. Decades later and Wells’ face remains in the window, and they have never been able to clean it or remove it from the glass.
Auburn University Chapel – Auburn, Alabama
The University Chapel, built in 1851, is the second oldest building on the Auburn campus, and given its age the chapel has been witness to a lot of history. Most importantly, the chapel served as a hospital during the Civil War, caring for injured soldiers. Sydney Grimlett, a Confederate soldier, is said to have arrived at the make-shift hospital in 1864 in hopes of recovering from a shrapnel injury in his leg.
The work of doctors proved to be unsuccessful as Grimlett bled to death during an amputation surgery. While Grimlett has been dead for years, his ghost has remained at the University Chapel and has been reportedly haunting students since the 1920s. Specific events revolve around performances of the Auburn Theatre Troupe, during which Grimlett’s ghost disrupts rehearsals and steals props throughout their shows.
The Horton House – Pine Ridge, Alabama
This abandoned house in the small town of Pine Ridge, Alabama is said to be the sight of a vicious family murder. The Horton House murder is said to have taken place when a father went insane and killed three of his children, the father tortured his wife for two days before finally killing her and committing suicide himself.
Ever since these tragic events, the house is said to be haunted by the entire family. Visitors to the Horton House can reportedly hear knocking and scratching on the walls, along with the loud screams of one of the murdered children. There have also been instances of visitors to the house being choked upon entering.
Drish Mansion – Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Sarah Drish, the wife of the house’s owner Dr. John Drish, has haunted this historical plantation house since her death in 1884. Sarah’s haunting of the mansion revolves around her obsession with the burning of candles at her own funeral; something that she requested following her husbands death, which her servant neglected to do. Shortly after a tower in the house, in which Sarah frequently burned candles, lit on fire.
When help arrived the fire was gone and left no evidence of there ever being one. As these ghost fires continued to occur people of Tuscaloosa began to question who was starting the fires. The answer to this question remained a mystery, until one night when the ghost of Sarah Drish appeared.
Sloss Furnaces – Birmingham, Alabama
The Sloss Furnaces operated as an iron-producing blast furnace from 1882 to 1971. During its years of production, the furnace proved to be a dangerous facility for factory workers. Along with the dangerous conditions of work, the high temperatures of the furnace turned the factory into being a living hell for workers.
Many employees at the Sloss Furnaces suffered from carbon monoxide poisoning, while others faced the danger of death in the form of falling off of the catwalks into vats of molten steel. At night the national landmark echoes with the screams of its former workers and commands of a foreman Slag. Visitors have also seen ghosts of workers walking on the catwalks of the main floor during concerts held at the furnace.
