The Most Haunted Places in Alabama
October 2020
Everyone loves a good ghost story, and Sweet Home Alabama has plenty of them. From North Alabama to South Alabama, the state has its fair share of bone-chilling haunts, and we’re bringing you five that you can explore for a hauntingly-good time. Read on, if you dare….
Some of the sites listed below may be on private property; others may be located in dangerous locations. Please follow the law and be safe.
Maple Hill Cemetery
Established in 1818, Maple Hill Cemetery is Huntsville’s largest and oldest cemetery with more than 80,000 gravesites. The site's long-running history provides fodder for unexplained phenomena including ghostly encounters involving the sightings of spectral apparitions and hearing strange noises after dark. Perhaps, one of the most haunted places in the cemetery is the area known as the Dead Children’s Playground where people have reported swings moving by themselves and the ghosts of children playing on the playground. This cemetery is home to the Maple Hill Cemetery Stroll, an annual event that celebrates the diverse heritage of the Tennessee Valley and Northern Alabama.
Drish House
The Drish House has been a site of alleged supernatural events, such as phantom fires and ghostly lights protruding from the house, since the early 20th century. These hauntings are believed to have begun after the owner of the house, Sarah Drish, died in 1884. Sarah’s husband, John Drish, died in 1867 after falling from atop a stairwell. After her husband’s funeral, Sarah kept candles from the funeral in hopes of one day having these same candles used at her own funeral. Her family searched for the candles after her death, but were unable to find them. This is said to have angered Sarah so much that she has come back to haunt the house, even allegedly causing a fire in the third-story tower by lighting the candles. This house was the focal point of the story, “Death Lights in the Tower” from the beloved book “Thirteen Alabama Ghosts and Jeffrey” by Kathryn Tucker Windham and Margaret Gillis Figh.
Sloss Furnace
Sloss Furnace is a national historic landmark that transformed coal and ore from surrounding areas into hard steel from 1882 to 1971. This facility not only paved the way for the industrial revolution, but it also quickly earned Birmingham the nickname of “The Magic City.” However, the facility’s rich history has also earned it the title of one of the most haunted places in the south. The urban legend begins with James “Slag” Wormwood, a foreman of the graveyard shift who, to impress his supervisors, would make his workers take dangerous risks, resulting in 47 workers losing their lives and countless others losing their ability to work during his reign. In 1906, it was alleged that Wormwood lost his footing at the top of the highest blast furnace and plummeted into a pool of melted iron ore. Slag was reportedly dizzy from the gases in the furnace, but many believe that the workers fed him to the furnace. After Slag’s disappearance, many complained of an unnatural presence and claimed to have been approached by a man whose skin appeared badly burned and who angrily shouted commands at them.
Gainesridge Dinner Club
The Gainesridge Dinner Club has been named the “Most Haunted Restaurant” in Alabama. Located in a beautiful 1820s home, the restaurant is known for its family of ghosts including a woman screaming and calling out as she floats past the windows and the ghostly reflection of a tall, bearded man in black, known as Old Ebeneezer Hearn. Several guests have also reported hearing screams and cries of a baby and smelling pipe smoke when no one in the house was smoking. Luckily, these ghosts are harmless and only enhance the draw of the restaurant.
Fort Morgan
Fort Morgan is a Third System masonry fort built between 1819 and 1833 and served a prominent role in the Battle of Mobile Bay, Spanish American War, World War I and World War II. Many believe the souls of those that perished there are still around. It’s rumored that the ghosts wander the grounds of the fort at night. Visitors have reported hearing the voices and cries of men at night, hearing footsteps when no one is around and seeing ghostly apparitions wandering the halls. The most witnessed ghost is that of a young woman who was attacked in the fort. It’s believed she roams the fort searching for justice with hopes of finding her attacker.
Some merely dismiss these occurrences as Halloween hoaxes, others do not. We’ll let you decide.
