Some sources sayit opened in the 1890s as a mental hospital. They will come with a title that will be put into the auction bidder's name. Now, it's just old and long abandoned. A hearse can be seen inside the garage of the abandoned Wards Funeral Home in Opelika. 10.7K subscribers Exploring Abandoned Kmart Decatur Alabama Kmart is a chain of big box department stores headquartered in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, United States. When she finally reached her home and reported the accident to her husband, the man began drinking to soothe his grief. She reportedly haunts her old room on the third floor. People claim to hear disembodied laughter. Today, it is a historical landmark and is open for tours. Location: 30338 Lester Road, Lester, Alabama Hours: 7 to 11 p.m. Website: Click here Haunted House of Horror About: Wander around an 8,000 square-foot town filled with supernatural scares. Cook Museum of Natural Science 123 Science Museums Educational sites By alwildflower3 It's fun for groups, children of all ages, and solo adults or couples. For the next 125 years, people claimed the hole would always return no matter how many times it was filled. William Chancellor House in Harpersville today. A photo of the Richard Crocheron mansion in the 1880s, when it was already an abandoned ruin. Stories of figures haunting cemeteries, ghostly marching soldiers, and mysterious music playing in empty abandoned buildings are told in every corner of our state. Today only ruins remain. Or they are shocked by the waste of still-useful homes and buildings. Read more 0 The cotton press in the Dallas Compress Co. in Selma. 9. (Illustration from a photo of Old Cahawba/Will Elrick), Old Cahawba Archaeological Site is the preserved remnants of the ghost town of Alabamas first capital city. Winter Place 32.3713, -86.31589 History: Winter Place is the name of two old conjoined homes that date back to the mid-1850s. Her spirit reportedly haunts McCandless because she had told her audience she would return. The most infamous haunted location in Alabama is The Tutwiler Hotel in downtown Birmingham. The book, "Haunted Places: The National Directory" by Dennis William Hauck claims that this section of highway is haunted by the spirits of displaced Creek Indians and has resulted in an "accident rate that is well above average." According to legend, the site is haunted by spirits of numerous people hung from the limbs of the tree in its 200- to 300-year history. Several witnesses have reported seeing the statues of Romeo and Juliet floating around The University of North Alabama's campus during a full moon. It was named for nearby Sweetwater Creek. 15 most haunted places in Decatur - herald-review.com Those people still haunt the road. The city, affectionately known as "The River City", is located in Northern Alabama on the banks of Wheeler Lake, along the Tennessee River. The only trace that remains is the nearby cemetery, which some believe was initially established as the posts burial ground. Visitors to the inn and restaurant have reported hearing disembodied footsteps and eerie noises throughout the home. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Decatur, Alabama | Ghostly World Shelby Iron Co. began operations in the 1840s. Ghost towns, especially those that have been completely abandoned, can be a bit creepy. It was destroyed by Union forces in 1865. In the 1900s, it was used as a YMCA and later as the college drama departments theater. (Source: Spyder_Monkey via Wikimedia Commons). Oct 13, 2016; Decatur has a sordid reputation and a . Legend says the spirits of the children buried in the cemetery, founded in 1822, come there to play. It is now home to the Lowndesboro Town Hall. The Grace Evans house in Cahaba, the states first capital city, in the 1930s, decades after the town was abandoned due to flooding. Belle Mont, built between 1828 and 1832, was a plantation that used slave labor. 1. Home Size. According to legend, many apparitions haunt the house. 9 Best . The only things remaining in Bellefonte today are the cemetery, the chimney of the local inn (see picture), and piles of bricks. In 1861, Prairie Bluff was at its height. Located among the graves is an open tomb missing its corpse. Others claim to have seen the apparition of a man in a top hat in the parlor. Other times, its merely because they are so haunting and raise the questions: Who would leave such beautiful places to rot? Today, the Old State Bank in Decatur is open for tours. Penn's and Big Bob's have the greatest longevity and are synonymous with Decatur. It was a stormy night and her carriage flipped, killing Burns. (Source: Don and Susie via FindaGrave.com). . The 1833 Old State Bank of Alabama in Decatur as it was getting a coat of paint in 1934 after it had been abandoned for decades. Buildings in Downtown Decatur have a long and . Some people say theyve heard a baby cry or a dog panting or growling while on the property. The oddest sighting is an apparition that appears to be half-wolf and half-man. Read more 0 Shown: The Old Shelby Hotel in Shelby County. 10. For tour information and fees, visit the ghost town's websitehere. Legend says the area is haunted by spirits of residents in the form of strange lights that float among surviving buildings. Today, the only thing remaining in the area is the Prairie Bluff Cemetery. The son of former Alabama governor, Robert Patton is said to be one of many ghosts to haunt the Sweetwater Mansion in Florence. This is part of the warehouse complex for Dallas Compress Co. in Selma, photographed in the late 1960s. (Source: Namaan Fletcher/What's Left of Birmingham). Some also like to repeat the myth that children were buried in the playground following a series of abductions in the 1960s. 15 Best Things to Do in Decatur, Alabama - VacationIdea Prattville was founded by Daniel Pratt, a manufacturer of cotton gins. For 50 years, the woman brought flowers and kneeled to pray at the foot of his 8-foot obelisk marker. She was struck by a truck and her body was later found beside the highway. 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. . 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. Matt Glasscock, who took the photo at left, and members of Steel City Urbex were invited by the owner to tour some of the closed portions of the City Federal building in downtown Birmingham. 15 most haunted places in Decatur. Typical cemetery haunting fare including orbs and reports that your car will die if you drive there on specific dates. The legend was recorded by author Kathryn Tucker Windham in 13 Alabama Ghosts and Jeffrey.. We only offer a very limited number of these tours each season and it's one not to miss! It is also known as the Colby Building. Contact this Facility Decatur Mill 2050 Market St NE Decatur, AL 35601 256-280-4761 Number of Team Members: 40+ Within 15 years, the town had 5,000 residents. Each tour gets on and off the bus during the evening and we do go inside some of Decatur's most haunted locations. Click here to see Robinson Switch Road on Google Maps. This research was done using searches of a variety of sites about local haunts. It is the largest city and county seat of Morgan County. The bank was founded in the 1850s. At least one of the buildings at Robinson's Switch has the shape of a depot and another long building appears to have been a railroad warehouse. Jemison-Van de Graaff Mansion in Tuscaloosa. His ghost has been sited several times by a lot of people. There's legend here of a ghost who does housework! 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. However, the legend tied to one of the most haunted sights in Alabama, the Drish House in Tuscaloosa, is absolutely chilling. Decatur Alabama Population If you stop on the bridge and turn off your lights, the couple will enter your car and leave behind a wet stain on your car seat. Both federal and state laws govern this activity. Some have heard footsteps from the second floor and the sound of the piano playing when no one is there. The northeast of Alabama is part of the TAG area (the region where Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia meet). Col. Christopher Claudius Pegues built a stately home on the property between Pine and Chestnut streets. Our "history tour with ghosts" reveals not only the highlights of the city's history, but also reveals the history "that no one wants you to know" -- from crime scenes, to scandals, unsolved murders, and more. (Source: Historic Drish House Facebook page), This home was built by Dr. John R. Drish in 1837. You are reading "15 Best Things to Do in Decatur, Alabama " Back to Top. It is reportedly haunted by men killed during training. Once the world's most expensive prison, from 1829 this Philadelphia facility boasted grand architecture, modern luxuries and notorious inmates including Al Capone. Deaths include several from a cholera outbreak in 1900 and one from murder. She never harmed them, other than perhaps causing some ringing in their ears. Bellefonte is a ghost town in Jackson County, Alabama and is situated near the site of the Bellefonte Nuclear Generating Station. The war ended before the plant went into operation. Many ghost hunters have visited the hotel. Winter Place is actually a complex with two huge homes; the second is that both homes are in dire need of renovation. Kelly Kazek |kkazek@al.com. Click hereto see more from Cottage Hill. Haunted Places in Decatur, Alabama According to the Chamber of Commerce website, a scarecrow apparition moves from room to room on this floor. However, in the 2010s, no one was managing the site and vandals began tearing up the facility. This church on AvenueU in Pratt City has been empty since it was struck by a tornado. The current owners of the Moody Brick claim that the old plantation is definitely not haunted. 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. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. It has several ghost legends but the tale of Abigail Burns is the most popular. The image of a Confederate soldier appeared inside, which meant it may have been the ghost of one of Patton's sons. It would go on to boast others, including the "Second Most Corrupt City in Illinois." The J.W. This photo shows the Crocheron Columns, the only things remaining from a mansion built in Cahaba in 1843 by Richard Crocheron. the interior, seen here from the doorway, is closed to the public because it is unsafe. But, after burning twice in its 186-year history, the elegant mansion is more famous in its ruinous state than it ever was as a family home. It was rebuilt and operated until 1923. Legend says Evelyn Carter, the sister of a housekeeper, died on the grounds of Gaineswood Plantation in the late 1800s. It burned in 1923, leaving only ruins. Abandoned rail shops at the Western Railway of Alabama at 701 North Perry St. in Montgomery are shown in the 1960s. The press room in Dallas Compress Co. in Selma. 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. The area is said to be haunted by the spirits of those who died in the mines. One truck driver said that he struck the bridge after a ghostly horse-drawn carriage crossed the interstate in front of him. The Haunted Decatur Tours run either 3 or 4 hours in length -- depending on the tour - and travel by bus to various locations throughout the city. The abandoned Memphis and Charleston Freight Depot in Huntsville. (Source: Rivers Langley via Wikimedia Commons). What is now a non-denominational chapel was built in 1850 as a Presbyterian church. Ive noted those of which I am aware. In 1902 the new facility was finished, featuring 33 buildings, a power station, and a general store. Amazing Abandoned Places in Alabama: Top 10 Choices In 2023 Because after an entire life of drudgery and cleaning, that's how every woman wants to spend her afterlife. As the tale goes, a couple's car drove off the bridge, plunging into the water below. Click here to see Robinson Switch Road on Google Maps. Jemison Center, former insane asylum for African Americans. She would die from her burns on Feb. 6 at the age of 17. Click hereto see more. 1 of 16 1. (Picture: The Boyaux fortification at the Blakeley battleground). 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. That makes sense, because the fort was in use during the Civil War, Spanish American War, World War I and World War II. However, that doesn't stop the tales from being told and retold. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. It survives but the third story and its Romanesque embellishments were removed. The Cedarhurst Mansion Estate was originally built in 1823 by Stephen Ewing. The abandoned P. D. Barker House at 109 Saint Anthony St. in Mobile in the 1930s. Dicksonia ruins have been used to film an opening scene in the 2003 movie"Big Fish,"was the site of a photo shoot by legendary celebrity photographerAnnie Leibovitz,who photographed actressNatalie Portmanfor the May 1999 issue of Vanity Fair magazine, and is now a sought-aftervenuefor artistic photography and weddings.