It would go on to boast others, including the "Second Most Corrupt City in Illinois." Click hereto see more. People are fascinated with abandoned sites. Railroad tracks run alongside the backs of the surviving buildings, parallel to the dirt lane called Robinson Switch Road. It is named for war veteran and politician Joseph Wheeler, as is nearby Wheeler Lake. The site is beneath the Alabama Highway 134 bridge over the Choctawhatchee River. HauntedPlaces.org makes no claims that any of the statements posted here are factually accurate. We have the list of places to check out! That makes sense, because the fort was in use during the Civil War, Spanish American War, World War I and World War II. A pearly white marble known as Chewacla Marble was mined in the quarry. According to the Library of Congress, The brick warehouses had 12 -inch firewalls and fire doors. Groups such as Main Street Birmingham, the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Alabama Trust for Historic Preservation have attempted to find a use for it and funding to refurbish it. Hayden Pursley spent three years restoring the historic hotel and had several stories he often told to include seeing a girl around the age of 12 running down the halls. He also experienced a ghost, thought to Capt. It is now a concert venue. The hotel's location next to the Shelby Iron Works, built in 1842 for access to a spring on the property, made it a popular weekend destination for the public but it was also used by employees of the Iron Works. The Knight Sanitorium is a three-story brick building. Decatur Alabama Population The spirit of an inmate who committed suicide in the building is reported to walk its halls. Check out the 15 most haunted places in Decatur then learn more by visiting HauntedDecatur.com. Molly was bittem by her puppy, which had contracted rabies. When Hood arrived at Decatur on October 26, he found a Federal infantry force of 3,000 to 5,000 men defending an entrenched line that included two forts and 1,600 yards of rifle pits; a much heavier force than Roddey had believed. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. If you go, drive by only. With its troubling past of murder, manslaughter and illegal activity, it isn't that hard to believe either. They were holding candles, and her hair caught fire. Legend says those who face the front of the house will feel a tap on their shoulders and see a dark figure running across the roof. Simp McGhee's The penthouse is still up for sale, he said. This weathered concrete frame on Shelby County Road 42 was once part of Shelby Chemical Co., a plant owned by Shelby Iron Co. Stewartfield in Mobile. When filming was completed, the owners of the property on Jackson Lake Island near Millbrook told director Tim Burton to leave the sets rather than bulldoze them. Every community has a ghost tale that everyone has heard, often related to an old or abandoned house, a spooky cemetery or a dark and creepy road. After a mummified woman was discovered in her home, people claimed she was a witch. Although there are no detailed legends about this site, many believe it is haunted. Deaths include several from a cholera outbreak in 1900 and one from murder. In 1908, Condie Cunningham came to Montevallo, then called the Alabama Girls Industrial School, and was known to make fudge in the Main Hall kitchen at night. IMPORTANT NOTE: Many of the sites listed below are on private property; others may be condemned or located in dangerous locations. Legend says the apparition of a woman named Nancy, for whom Nancys Mountain is named, haunts a path to the river on Haines Island, shown above. It is located across fromShelby Iron Works Park, which has been preserved as an educational site. The Grace Evans house in Cahaba, the states first capital city, in the 1930s, decades after the town was abandoned due to flooding. See map for precise location. Now her ghost is often seen along the road. At the site of Mount Vernon Arsenal, founded in 1828, more than 30 historic buildings are rotting where they stand, including those that housed, at differing times, Geronimo, a Civil War militia,Dr. Walter Reedand African American mental patients when it was the Mount Vernon Asylum for the Colored Insane, later known as Searcy Hospital. Inside a seven-story, Renaissance Revival-style building in downtown Birmingham, framed photos of unknown people linger on desks that haven't been used in three decades. 1888 as a private residence. Battleship Island, Japan. It is alleged that you can hear the screams of soldiers who died in the Civil War at this cemetery. Having promised her adoring audience she would return, she was killed in an accident on the way. Copper Center - Tonseno Lodge - A man was killed in the hotel, and now he's haunting it. St. Stephens is located nearly 70 miles north of Mobile and served as the capital of Alabama between the years 1817-1819, until Cahawba became the capital. This abandoned funeral home in Opelika still has hearses and caskets inside its casket showcase room. You may experience the presence of a Native American ghost named Mary who knocks things over, plays electrical pranks, alters the temperature, and whispers over the drive-through speakers. Reportedly haunted by the ghost of a woman who hanged herself back in the day when the Center was a teaching college. Brick Deli specializes in sandwiches and live music at night. Following the deaths of John Drish and his wife Sarah, the home was used as a school from 1906 to 1925 and was used as an auto parts warehouse for several years. (Source: Matt Glasscock at left; Birmingham Public Library at right), http://www.al.com/living/index.ssf/2016/09/amazing_photos_show_abandoned.html. . It was abandoned for years and is currently being refurbished. Location: 1205 Tennessee St., Courtland, Alabama Hours: 7 to 10 p.m. For this feature, Ive combined those two loves. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). Members of Steel City Urbex were allowed into the bank area and the basement that are being developed for a business such as a restaurant or wine cellar, he said. For 75 years, the stone structures built by the Works Progress Administration in Chalkville sheltered girls labeled "incorrigible," "delinquent," or "wayward," although most arrived at the Alabama Training School for Girls because of behavioral and emotional problems and had committed no crimes, according toits superintendent in 1966. Prairie Bluff is a ghost town in Wilcox County, Alabama that first appeared on maps in 1819. I worked there as a jailor in the county jail there in the old part when it was on the 2nd floor. Others have reported hearing disembodied screams and footsteps. The house is reportedly haunted by the spirit of an invalid woman who killed herself in the home in the 1960s. Kids and adults will enjoy exploring various hands-on exhibits, including a gallery of bees, turtles, alligators and snakes, a recreated Alabama cave, insect galleries, a 15,000-gallon aquarium, and more. 15 most haunted places in Decatur. Flickr/Jon Dickson. In 1909, Kirkseys wheelchair-bound daughter Margaretta Eliza, who was 29 years old, fell from the second-floor balcony. Months after Pegues was killed in battle in 1862, strolling lovers claimed to see an orb in the garden behind the home. Some have been completely abandoned, making them TRUE ghost towns. At her death, her family searched the mansion for the candles but were unable to find them. Or they are shocked by the waste of still-useful homes and buildings. Before long he was drunk and, in his anger, he dragged his wife to the bridge and hanged her from the railing before jumping to his death. The Chamber of Commerce building, above right, was constructed in 1910 as a bank. Read about the Brights and the plans for the island by clickinghere. For the next 125 years, people claimed the hole would always return no matter how many times it was filled. If you want to suggest another tale, email kkazek@al.com or comment below. Princess Theatre in Decatur, Alabama M MSNHA Storage Buildings Old Barns Built In Storage Lauderdale Garages Sheds Beautiful Things Old Barn on Spring Avenue, Decatur, Alabama B Bonnie Goodman Little Theatre Old Signs Once In A Lifetime Movie Theater Performance Art Decatur Alabama great little Theater C Coil Billingsley Southern Homes Residents hear screaming and footsteps and other ghostly sounds. Kelly Kazek |kkazek@al.com. This historic museum operated as a hospital during the civil war, so the rumours of haunting's appear to have a leg to stand on; which can't be said for some of the apparitions supposedly reported. The Tennessee River railroad bridge on Alabama Highway 43 in Florence is shown in the late 1960s. Winter Place is actually a complex with two huge homes; the second is that both homes are in dire need of renovation. This is one of the outbuildings at the site. (Source: Karen Manasco via FindaGrave.com). It was designed in the Eastlake style of. Brick Deli is housed in a building that dates back over a century. The interior of the Goode-Hall house in the 1930s. A hearse can be seen inside the garage of the abandoned Wards Funeral Home in Opelika. Dicksonia Plantation in Lowndesboro had a reputation in its day as a stately mansion in picturesque surroundings. At night, ghosts of the people buried there haunt the area. Possibly among the most inane of haunted reports, people claim to see a green light in the cemetery at night. The 1893 Peyton building in downtown Bridgeport in the 1930s. (Source: Alabama Department of Archives and History). Condie allegedly ran, screaming, with flames streaming from her. People claim if they get out of their cars, they hear and feel a presence beside them. The once flourishing Eastern Bank of Alabama at 201 Broad Street in Eufaula, was abandoned and in bad shape when this photo was taken in 1935. According to the Auburn University Libraries, this is the only known interior photograph of the building that served as the Dallas County Courthouse at Old Cahaba from ca. He is reportedly always looking toward the Tombigbee River, where his beloved steamboat exploded. The story was told by author Kathryn Tucker Windham in 13 Alabama Ghosts and Jeffrey.. Click herefor more photos. The date of the photograph is unknown, but it was probably taken in the late 19th or early 20th century, after the building had been used as a grist mill. It is no longer standing. Legends claim the captains spirit roams the cemetery, keeping watch over his children. We're sure this Victorian home in rural Missouri was once quite beautiful. Nebo Baptist Church. TOURS OFFERED FOR THE 2023 SEASON:Haunted History Bus Tours: $32 Per PersonGhost Hunter's Bus Tours: $42 Per PersonTOURS DEPART: Decatur Civic Center411 East William Street | South Parking LotFree Parking in Lot. In the 1930s, this beautiful 1842 home known as the Bethea-Strother House, located on Alabama Highway 28 in Camden, was abandoned and deteriorating. (Historic American Buildings Survey/Library of Congress). During the Civil War, Nancy lived with her husband and son on a small farm but her son was killed in the war and his body was never recovered. During the 1920s, Decatur would gain infamy as a place where murder, bootlegging, prostitution, kidnapping, gambling, corruption and, of course, ghosts, were commonplace. Construction on Kendall Manor began before the Civil War but it could not be completed until 1867. Legend says a girl named Sally hung herself in a stairwell on the third floor of the building. Mining towns were abandoned when the mines closed; many due to the devaluation of silver in 1893. 9 Best . Love Alabama? The building was constructed in Northport on what was once called Cherokee Plantation, owned by Robert Jemison. ADVANCE PERMISSION REQUIRED. Read more 0 Abbie's House Guntersville, Alabama 39.5 miles from Decatur, AL This home dates back to 1909 and is registered by the local historical society. 42 places sorted by traveler favorites 1. This private property houses the infamous ghost bridge that has numerous claims of haunting. These buildings are the longest continuously occupied industrial buildings in the state. If you have a specific location from the list below The canyon's proximity to the Natchez Trace, which was known as the Devil's Backbone, made it a choice hideout for many outlaws who robbed and murdered travelers along the Trace. The abandoned Memphis and Charleston Freight Depot in Huntsville. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Now it looks like something from a horror movie. The building was constructed in 1930. One surviving example is the stone on the grave of Korea Nettles, which has three faces said to be those of her children. Read more 0 If you agree to give him a ride, witnesses Alabama is fond of getting into Hell it seems. It is located on a street bordering Montgomery's quaint Cottage Hill district, which is filled with refurbished cottages. It produced plating for Civil War-era ironclad vessels, as well as pig iron for munitions and other wartime materials. Buildings in Downtown Decatur have a long and . ", The Pickens County Courthouse in Carrollton is widely known as the site of hauntings by the spirit of Henry Wells, who was once incarcerated in a jail cell on the second floor. It was a stormy night and her carriage flipped, killing Burns. InsideEastern Bank of Alabama in Eufaula. Aunt Jenny Brooks Johnson, shown above, was a real mountain woman whose sons became outlaws.