The noose tightens around his neck. The condemned chokes and gasps, but can manage a few inhales of oxygen. It’s good to be tall, as his feet can just touch the ground beneath him. Yet his executioners, determined to see this through, begin to dig a hole beneath the hanging man’s feet. Soon, the earth slips away and darkness prevails.
Such is just one of the ghost stories and legends of Alabama.
The Redmont Hotel
Birmingham’s Redmont Hotel is the oldest operating hotel in the city. It’s got a long and interesting history, one that’s led to more than a few ghost stories.
Opening in 1925, Redmont has seen a number of celebrities stay in its rooms. One of those guests was the one and only Hank Williams Sr. In 1952, Williams stayed at the Redmont just before he died of heart failure on New Years Day. It’s said that his night at the Redmont was his last night on Earth. That has led to the belief that Williams continues to linger in the Redmont. Take this tale with a grain of salt, though, as Hank Williams is said to haunt a number of places around the South. Nothing like a celebrity ghost to drum up some extra business.
Among the other apparitions said to haunt the Redmont include a young woman who walks the 9th floor and even a small dog that roams the halls. Finally, there is Clifford Stiles, the hotel’s former owner. Mr. Stiles died decades ago, but apparently he’s still taking care of the Redmont from beyond the grave.
Consolation Church
For such a small building, Consolation Church seems to house a lot of spirits. Spectral dogs with glowing red eyes snarl and snap at visitors and long dead Confederate soldiers march the cemetery where they’re buried.
One rather odd haunting is that of a banshee. Normally associated with Gaelic traditions, Consolation’s banshee can sometimes be heard sobbing and, of course, screaming within the church’s walls. When she’s heard, it is said that someone within the sound of her voice will soon die.
If that wasn’t creepy enough, there is the phantom pickup. The story goes that if you hang around the church grounds on the night of a full moon, a black pickup will appear from thin air and begin to chase you down. If it catches you, doom awaits you.
Unfortunately, the church was vandalized over the years. Honestly, who would vandalize a church? In 2015, a fire broke out within the wooden building and completely destroyed it.
Cedarhurst Mansion
Dating back to 1823, the Cedarhurst Mansion has been home to many people over the years, including 16-year old Sally Carter. Sally passed away within the mansion in the mid-1800s. Things were pretty quiet until a young man staying at the Cedarhurst had a strange dream about a woman named Sally asking him to fix her tombstone. As the legend goes, the young man and his family dismissed the dream until it was discovered that Sally’s tombstone had indeed been knocked over in a recent storm.
Since then, Sally seems to have become more active. She’s been spotted walking the mansion grounds, while inside the mansion furniture moves on its own and voices are heard in empty rooms. Sally seems to be a benevolent spirit as she will watch over children as they sleep, though it begs the question, is she simply watching or is she standing guard?
Old Bryce Hospital
Abandoned mental institutions have got to be some of the best places for ghost stories, probably because they are some of the worst places. The Old Bryce Hospital is no exception. Opened in 1861, the hospital housed those deemed insane. As is the case with many such institutions, the hospital became overcrowded and the treatment of the patients was said to be, shall we say, harsh.
Today the place is empty and decaying, its halls and rooms filled with garbage and graffiti. The living who visit Old Bryce say you can hear strange sounds echoing through the halls. The ghosts of children are sighted playing among the grounds. Too many met untimely ends in such places, and it seems they can’t escape, even in death.
Choctawhatchee Bridge
This is quite a tale. Below Choctawhatchee Bridge (and I’m from the wrong side of the Mason Dixon to be pronouncing that correctly), is the site of Bill Sketoe’s Hole (yeah, I know, no jokes). Poor Bill was hanged on that spot by Confederate soldiers. Why he was hanged is a matter for speculation, some say he was a deserter, while others claim he was a captured resistance fighter. Whatever’s true, Bill was meant to meet his end near where the bridge stands today.
When the soldiers strung Bill up, they discovered that he was so tall his feet touched the ground. Panicking, the soldiers frantically dug a hole beneath his feet in order for the hanging to work. Work it did, and Bill eventually died.
From that time forward, it was said that the hole endured. It never filled back in, not matter what was tried. If you did fill it in, by the next morning it would be back just as it had been. It wasn’t until a flood hit the area and covered the hole with tons of rock and dirt that the hole finally disappeared. Maybe Bill’s still there, though. Maybe someday the hole will return.