Spooky Tuscaloosa

Thanks to a conversation I had with Shweta , I found out about the Gorgas Library ghost….. So here’s some info about ghosts in Tuscaloosa.Of particular interest are University of Alabama ghosts…hmm wonder if I’m going to walk late night in the quad , now??!??Anyway I don’t go to Gorgas library much :)


Around Campus..

Legend has it that, once upon a time in a house on Thomas Street, a man axed his daughter to death and buried her in the walls. Her name was LaDonna. Chi Phi Fraternity later moved into the house; doors mysteriously slammed shut, chairs moved, and members encountered apparitions. LaDonna followed the Chi Phis to their second house, which is now the Student Publications building, and later to their house on New Row.
According to popular belief, LaDonna has plenty of haunting company.

The Quad -
Located between the armed forces & library buildings, it’s said to be haunted by the ghosts of four civil war union soldiers who were killed here. It’s believed that they still haunt the area.

The guard shack next to Amelia Gorgas library is haunted by a man who hanged himself there.

Mrs. Amelia Gayle Gorgas is said to haunt the library which bears her name. Dr. Jerry Oldshue, The University Historian, said that the elevators can be locked so that they don't stop at the fourth floor, which houses W. S. Hoole Special Collections. He says that there is a solitary elevator that comes and goes as it pleases. The door opens, and there's no one in it. Then it closes and moves on its way. Dr. Oldshue believes that it isAmelia Gayle coming to check on things, make sure everything is in order.

Her husband, General Josiah Gorgas, can sometimes be heard walking up the stairs of the Gorgas house, his sword banging against the wall. The Chief of Confederate Ordinance during the Civil War, Gorgas also served as president of the university in 1878 and died in the home named after him.

The University's oldest ghost inhabits the Observatory, which was built in the 1840's. A nineteenth-century professor whose house stood near the Observatory was seen sitting on the Observatory steps the day after his death.

Around town….

The Old Bryce Mental Institution and Hospital -
The ghost of mental patients that were tortured, beaten, and killed in the institution are still said to be roaming the halls. Considering the history of this facility, it would be more surprising if it wasn't haunted. There have been reports of strange noises being heard, cold spots & telephones ringing, and writings on the walls. This building was abandoned in the mid-60's after being used for more than 100 yrs.

Drish Mansion - The Drish Mansion is an old plantation home now in the midst of Tuscaloosa. It was built by Dr. John Drish for his wife Sarah. When Dr. Drish died, Sarah burned candles while he lay in state. After the ceremony, Sarah locked away the candles and asked that they be burned at her funeral. As Sarah’s health declined, she became somewhat obsessed with the candle burning. Then after her death, her friends and family were too busy to look for the candles, and Sarah was buried without the ceremony. Shortly after, the tower where the Sarah burned the candles for her husband, caught fire. But as fire crews arrived, the fire was gone. There was no evidence of burned wood, not even a wisp of smoke. The ghostly fire happened a few times more and people began wondering who was starting the ghostly fires. Then one night after one of the fires mysteriously vanished, the ghost of Sarah Drish appeared.

Maxwell Crossing - Confederate soldiers still roam there.

Old Public Library on Greensboro Ave –“ Presence felt in round room on left side of building as if watching over you and protecting you. Upstairs leading to top turret, black evil presence felt as if trying to make one fall down the stairs, felt sensation of something against (narrators) back and the feeling that whatever was up there wanted to do (narrator) harm. Another presence felt in main room at window, sensation of someone looking out and waiting. In lower basement level there were tunnels where soldiers hid during Civil War, presences can be felt there as well.”
Stillman College - Hay Hall - In Hay Hall on the 2nd floor on the left side there have been reports of one of rooms being haunted by the a girl who use to live there. Also you can hear voices and loud sounds coming from the 3rd floor of this hall…..it kind of strange that the noises are there cause nobody has gone on the 3rd floor in years.

Compiled from the internet
http://www.psychosylum.info/content-64.html
http://www.geocities.com/parapsyse_agrs/
whats_haunted_t_list.html
http://www.juiceenewsdaily.com