Over 30 spooky Monroe County locations described in Singleton book

The late George Buster Singleton wrote a popular weekly newspaper column for The Monroe Journal newspaper in Monroeville for decades. Readers looked forward to his “Somewhere in Time” column each week, and he was best known for his columns about local folklore, ghost stories and the supernatural. In 1991, Singleton published a 224-page book called “Of Foxfire and Phantom Soldiers,” which contained some of his best work and was illustrated by Jeff Frye.

I’ve owned a copy of this book for years and recently re-read it to make a list of the many Monroe County locations that he wrote about. I managed to find over 30 Monroe County locations in the book, and below you’ll find a list of those places with a few words about each one. If you’re interested in reading more about any of these places, I strongly encourage you to read “Of Foxfire and Phantom Soldiers.” Without further ado, here’s the list:

- Alabama River (Page 21, 117, 137, 151): Singleton didn’t include any specific ghost stories about the river in his book, but he did make passing mention of its “hidden mysteries” and stories he’d been told of the “River Witch” and “River Demon.” He also discusses changes in regard to the river, including improvements to bridges and local ferries. He also talks about several overnight camping trips he spent along the river banks.

- Bailey’s Well (Page 25): Located by an ironwood tree in a field at Franklin and known as the “Well That Won’t Stay Filled.” Curbed by old, handmade bricks, no one knows who originally dug the well, which has supposedly been abandoned since the early 1800s. Numerous attempts were made to fill it with rocks, track, junk and timber logs, but all of those items disappeared without a trace, leading some people to believe that the well connects with an underground river or that its bottom is filled with quicksand.

- Bradley Ridge (Page 44, 80-87): Singleton had numerous experiences in this once “thriving community” but he doesn’t provide specific directions to this location other than to indicate that it’s off the Ridge Road north of Monroeville. The area is supposedly haunted by the ghost of an old man carrying a large sack who is always seen walking east near an old abandoned cemetery. Singleton also witnessed a phantom rooster and dog in the area, smelled cooking food, saw “several glowing balls” and heard disembodied voices, including the voices of “several small children, laughing and calling as though they were playing a game.”

- Confederate Tombstone (Page 120): Singleton does not provide specific directions to this remote grave other than to say that it’s in the “northeast portion of the county.” The tombstone, which is located by itself and outside of any known cemetery or old home place, only reads “CSA, Unknown.”

- Davis Ferry (Page 57): Singleton describes the night he spent at the base of a cliff near the ferry at the site of an old Indian camp on the east side of the Alabama River. Singleton awoke in the middle of the night to see what he called the “Night Walkers,” a number of ghosts that walked in a single-file line by his campsite. Each carried a bundle on his back and moved down the hill in a single-file line towards the river.

- Devil’s Bowl (Page 19): Singleton described this geographical oddity at Goodway as “truly one of Monroe County’s strangest sights.” This deep pool of fresh water is about 30 feet across and is located about three miles west of State Highway 21. It contains fish and vegetation, but is not fed by any visible surface streams, and Singleton wondered if it was created by an ancient meteor or if it is the core of a small, dormant volcano.

- Finchburg (Page 48): Singleton doesn’t go into much detail about the ghost stories from this community north of Monroeville other than to say that “ghost lights” can be seen there just like those in the neighboring community of Franklin.

- Flat Creek (Page 124): In the minutes before a stagecoach robbery in the 1850s, a stagecoach driver threw a small, ironbound box containing $1,000 in gold coins into this creek. After the robbery attempt, a severe thunderstorm that lasted three days and nights supposedly washed it away and prevented its recovery by its rightful owner, a merchant in Claiborne. Now known as the “Lost Gold of Claiborne,” the money has reportedly never been found.

- Franklin (Page 48, 68): “Ghost lights” have been reported in this community for years, and on May 6, 1971 Singleton saw a “mysterious ball of fire” that was “in and around the area across Flat Creek on the right of Highway 41.” Singleton saw “almost at tree-top level” a “glowing ball of reddish blue flame, floating southward at a lazy pace.” It was about 12 inches in diameter and looked like a “clear, plastic balloon with some type of light inside.”

- “Ghostly Gentleman” (Page 48, 76): Also known as “The Stranger in the Top Hat,” this apparition is said to haunt an “old, old cemetery in the northeast corner of the county” that contains the grave of Susan Henderson, who died on Halloween 1858. Singleton reported seeing this ghost in October 1985 and said that it was very tall and wears a top hat and formal coat. Singleton watched as he walked among the tombstones, examining them before stopping at the grave of Henderson.

- Gin House Bottom (Page 34): Located north of Monroeville near the intersection of the Ridge Road and State Highway 41 at the site of an old cotton gin. On moonlit nights, a headless rider can be seen riding the road along Gin House Bottom. Singleton described the phantom horse as “big” and “red.” - Holy Ground (Page 146): Located near where Limestone Creek crosses Lena Landegger Highway, which at one time was an old wagon road that ran from Claiborne to Bell’s Landing and points north. No one knows why this creek bottom is known as Holy Ground, but ghostly figures have supposedly been seen sitting around a flickering council fire and some say it may have been used as an old burial ground. Horses have been known to become unruly in the area, breaking loose and running away from their masters.

- “Huge Mound” (Page 18): Singleton does not go into great detail about this site other than to say that it’s located in the Perdue Hill area and believed to be an Indian burial mound. He wonders if its somehow connected with the “Mystery Stones of Pine Orchard” and other Native American sites in the county.

- Klepac’s Old Store (Page 139): Located near the intersection of the “old Franklin road” and the Ridge Road, and also known as the “Oak & Ash” for a giant oak and an ash tree that grew side by side and was one of the better known landmarks in the area. The trees are gone now, but were so close together that a horse could barely be rode between them. In the early 1900s, a man was hung from the oak tree.

- “The Lady in the Bonnet” (Page 73, 91): Seen multiple times by Singleton one evening off a dirt road “northeast of Monroeville” and “alongside a small stream.” She’s reportedly a young woman who wears a dark, ankle-length dress and a bonnet. He watched as she walked toward the stream and into the woods. Later, in April 1989, he says he saw her walking along a “narrow pathway in the woods north of Ridge Road.”

- “Light at the Top of the Hill” (Page 60): Singleton doesn’t provide specific details about the location other than to say that it was on a hilltop northeast of Monroeville. While there he saw a “huge ball of light moving slowly at treetop level, almost directly over the narrow road.” The light, which appeared to be 12 feet in diameter, ascended the hill and eventually disappeared over an old, abandoned home place.

- Lois Wiggins Homeplace (Page 23): Singleton doesn’t say exactly where this is located, but for years members of the Wiggins family and others reported hearing the sound of a small baby crying in the woods near the house. Family members and others searched off and on for the source of the sound for years, but never found anything. The child sounded like it was in pain and the cries grew louder the darker it got at night.

- McConnico Cemetery (Page 33): Located on Monroe County Road 1 (Mount Pleasant Road) at Perdue Hill, this cemetery is said to be where the ghosts of a dozen Civil War cavalrymen can be seen late at night. Singleton provides a detailed description of the riders and offers a number of theories about their origins. Singleton doesn’t come right out and say that he saw these ghosts himself, but it comes across that way in the book.

- Midway Cave (Page 135): Limestone cave near the Midway community in northeast Monroe County, located near the Midway Fire Tower, about 200 yards off the road. Singleton says that the cave is 50 feet across and 20 feet deep with a roof blackened by the smoke of a thousand cook fires.

- Mount Pleasant (Page 98): Site of Monroe County’s only Civil War “skirmish” and site of mass grave of 40 to 50 Confederate soldiers. The area is now supposedly haunted by the ghost of Mary Watkins, who roams the countryside with a lantern and shovel searching for the body of her husband, Cpl. Ezekiel Watkins. She’s also said to wear an old Rebel overcoat over her shoulders.

- Nancy Mountain (Page 10): Also known as “Crazy Nancy Mountain,” this place is located on the east side of the Alabama River, near the road that leads to the Davis Ferry. It’s supposedly haunted by “Aunt Nancy” or “Crazy Nancy,” a phantom woman that can be seen walking through the woods towards the river. She is said to wear a long dress and a bonnet, carries a small pail in one hand and a long walking stick in the other.

- Old Claiborne Cemetery (Page 132): Located off of U.S. Highway 84 at Claiborne, Singleton remarked that almost everyone buried there was under the age of 50 at the time of their death. Cemetery includes many yellow fever and small pox victims, including Emily N. Bagby, the wife of Alabama governor Arthur P. Bagby. She was 21 years old when she died of yellow fever during a visit to Claiborne in May 1825.

- “Phantom Organ” (Page 48): Singleton makes one brief mention of this item, which he said could be heard if you sit upon an unspecified hill. He doesn’t say anything about where this hill was located.

- “Phantom Stagecoach” (Page 47): Singleton reported seeing and hearing this “phantom stagecoach” on a “lonely road about 10 miles northeast of Monroeville” late at night. He reported seeing the stagecoach driver, his horses and a waving female passenger inside the stagecoach. It supposedly travels down a steep, curved hill and crosses an abandoned, wooden bridge before disappearing.

- Pine Orchard (Page 17): Location of “Mystery Stones,” which were 12 circular stones found near Lone Star Church. Singleton theorizes that the site was a “huge, prehistoric Indian village” and that the stones may have been part of some ancient calendar.

- William Coombs Grave (Page 13): Located at Claiborne, this grave contains the remains of Portland, Maine resident William Combs, who is also known as the “Brokenhearted Stranger.” Coombs contracted yellow fever while in Claiborne and died. The inscription on his grave reads: “Alone and in sorrow, dark hours roll by; forsaken and friendless, why should I not die. The turf will lie lightly, above this lone spot, where the brokenhearted stranger, lies alone and forgot.”

- Unmarked Grave (Page 95): Located off a dirt road off the Ridge Road, north of Monroeville. It’s covered by a thin concrete slab, beside a cedar tree. While there, Singleton got the feeling he was being watched and was approached by something unseen. As he mounted his motorcycle to leave, he turned back to discover that a “large urn” had been placed on the grave.

Other locations that Singleton makes passing mention of included the Town of Beatrice (Page 124), Bell’s Landing (124) and Claiborne (Page 123).

In the end, as you can see, details in Singleton’s book are vague about some of these locations, so if you know any more about any of the places mentioned above, please let me know. Also, let me know if you know any more ghost stories from the area in addition to those mentioned above. Feel free to share them in the comments section below or e-mail them to me.