Alabama seems to be a veritable hotbed of paranormal activity, with tales of long-dead spirits, demons, and mischievous entities. From old plantations and mansions to battleships and haunted cemeteries, the Yellowhammer State has something for everyone.
Below, you’ll find an extensive collection of all things haunted and the stories and reports that make them the most haunted places in Alabama.
1. King-Criswell-Garrett Home, Monroe County
King-Criswell-Garrett Home in Monroe County was built in the late 1850s by William ‘Dock’ King, the nephew of the only US Vice President to hail from Alabama!
When the Civil War broke out, the plans for the grand mansion were scaled back a great deal, but it is still said to have the broadest facade of an Alabama plantation home.
The paranormal TV series ‘The Dead Files’ once featured the home on the show. About 100 years after it was built, it was purchased by former state legislator Eugene Garrett and moved to its current location in Uriah. It is privately owned, but one former owner claims an evil entity was attacking her, and she feared for her life.
2. USS Alabama BB-60, Mobile
The USS Alabama BB-60 sits in its final resting place in Mobile, Alabama, and it’s alleged to serve as a home to a variety of ghostly entities.
The 680-foot-long ship is a military attraction that sees many visitors every year, and many of these visitors have reported paranormal activity and unexplained events.
The vast majority of the activity is attributed to the deaths of two men during the construction of the mighty ship.
The vessel was completed in 1942 and served for three years without any fatalities from enemy fire. However, ironically there were numerous deaths caused by friendly fire.
One of the guns’ safety features that should have prevented turrets from firing upon each other is said to have failed, causing the deaths of 8 men!
Visitors to the USS Alabama have reported hearing footsteps coming towards them when nobody is there, and there have been apparitions spotted in the officers’ quarters and the cook’s galley.
Those on board late at night have described hearing popping and tapping noises in the bulkheads, and solid steel hatches have also been known to slam shut on their own.
Visitors say that they often feel as though they are being watched. Women, in particular, feel uneasy with one lady having her earrings tugged as she passed the sleeping quarters.
Read more about the Haunted USS Alabama in Mobile, Alabama
3. Boyington Oak, Mobile
When you think of haunted places, the ones that are likely to spring to mind are abandoned hospitals, prisons, and the like. It’s unlikely you would think of a tree! However, no list of haunted hotspots around Alabama would be complete without mentioning The Boyington Oak in Mobile!
This Southern live oak is said to have grown from Charles Boyington’s grave in a potter’s field close to the Church Street Graveyard.
The story goes that when Boyington was tried and then subsequently executed for murdering his friend Nathaniel Frost in 1835, he stated that when they buried him, a tree would spring forth from his grave as proof of his innocence! It did just that! There are claims that Boyington’s spirit can be seen from time to time sitting under his tree.
4. Old Cahawba, Orrville
The ghost town of Old Cahawba consists of just a handful of properties – two buildings, a couple of cemeteries, and dozens of ghost stories! Although once the capital of Alabama, most of the homes and businesses had been dismantled by 1876, and in 1989 the town was unincorporated.
Today it is maintained as a historical site. In terms of the resident spooks, visitors and staff have reported disembodied voices and the sounds of children laughing.
5. Bear Creek Swamp, Prattville
Swamps are usually pretty creepy at the best of times, but Bear Creek Swamp is even more so, given many weird stories that have been going around about it! Among the various spooky tales are sightings of phantom cars, strange orbs of lights, and a 4-foot tall apparition that appears in front of vehicles.
Bear Creek Swamp is also said to be haunted by the ghost of a mother in search of her lost child. There is even an urban legend that she will attack you if you say ‘We have your baby’ three times! Few people relish the thought of driving through the area after dark.
6. Fort Morgan, Baldwin County
Fort Morgan is rife with tales of ghosts and strange occurrences. One of the most haunted spots is probably the old barracks. This could be blamed on the fact that in the early 1900s, a prisoner hung himself in the barracks.
It is suggested that the hanged man can be heard crying out late at night. There is also a female spirit wandering around the Fort in search of justice after she was dragged into the Fort in the latter part of the 19th century and beaten to death by unknown male attackers that have never been caught.
7. Sweetwater Mansion, Florence
Sweetwater Mansion was designed by war veteran General John Brahan who owned over 4000 acres of land in Alabama. It was named after the nearby creek and was first occupied by the General’s son-in-law. Robert Patton. Over the years, the mansion’s basement has served as a Civil War hospital and as a county jail.
There are also rumors that at one time, someone who lived there used one of the upper rooms to practice dark magic.
As you might expect, based on some of the history, Sweetwater Mansion is considered among the most haunted places in Alabama. There are lots of tales of paranormal activity linked to the mansion.
There have been many different apparitions reported on the grounds, and one of the caretakers claims to have seen a casket containing the body of a Confederate soldier in one of the downstairs rooms, only for it to disappear!
This would make a great deal of sense since General Patton’s funeral was held in the home, and his body would have been laid out in its coffin for viewing.
There is also a room in the property where female visitors are regularly locked inside! One former caretaker, Ms. Emmet Lettie Region, was so scared after being locked in there that she lived in just two rooms for the rest of the time she worked there.
Another strange thing about Sweetwater Mansion is the mysterious ‘secret room.’ This small room with no door can only be accessed via a small interior window. It has been suggested that two sons of a former owner were buried under the floor of this secret room!
Read more about the Haunted Sweetwater Mansion in Florence, Alabama
8. Sloss Furnaces, Birmingham
If you are a fan of the paranormal, then it is likely that you have already heard of Sloss Furnaces in Birmingham, Alabama. There is so much activity here that the local police force is frequently called to deal with unexplained events. Sometimes they are relatively minor, but they can include physical harm at other times.
The activity seems to peak during September and October, which leads many to suggest that reports are just Halloween hoaxes. However, others insist that the activity is authentic and that Sloss Furnaces has creepy stuff happening all year round.
The most well-known ghost linked to Sloss Furnaces is probably James ‘Slag’ Wormwood, a former foreman at the furnaces who died there in 1906 when he fell in a pool of molten iron ore. Ever since his fellow workers complained about seeing and feeling his presence.
In 1926 a night watchman was injured when an unseen force pushed him from behind, and a voice shouted at him to get back to work! In 1947, three supervisors were found knocked out on the boiler room floor! All three reported being approached by an angry man with horrific burns who demanded that they return to work.
In 1971, another night watchman encountered what he describes as a half-man half-demon who attempted to push him up the stairs. Samuel Blumenthal, the night watchmen in question, refused to go upstairs, which prompted the entity to begin beating him. When Samuel was examined later, he was found to have severe burns where the blows had fallen.
While James ‘Slag’ Wormwood is the most prominent ghost at Sloss Furnaces, ruling the building with the same iron fist that he did in life, he is by no means the only ghost here. An estimated 47 men lost their lives, and hundreds more were severely injured.
The working conditions here were horrific, and Wormwood would not allow his workers breaks or time off. There is some debate about whether this slave-driving tyrant did slip and fall or if disgruntled workers – either living or dead – pushed him!
Read more about the Haunted Sloss Furnaces in Birmingham, Alabama