Historical marker tells of famous 'Face in the Courthouse Window'

Pickens County Courthouse in Carrollton, Ala.

This week’s featured historical marker is the “PICKENS COUNTY COURTHOUSE” marker in Carrollton, Alabama. The marker is located on the north side of the courthouse building, across from the Tuscaloosa Street-Phoenix Avenue intersection.

This marker was erected by the Alabama Historical Association in 1974. There’s text on both sides of this marker, but both sides are identical. What follows is the complete text from the marker.

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“PICKENS COUTY COURTHOUSE, Erected 1877-78, Pickens County, named for General Andrew Pickens of South Carolina, was established December 19, 1820. First County Site was Pickensville. On March 5, 1830, the government awarded 80 acres of land at Carrollton for the County Site. The first courthouse erected at Carrollton was burned on April 5, 1865, by troops of Union General John T. Croxton. A freedman, Henry Wells, was accused of burning the second on November 16, 1876. He was arrested in January 1878 and held in the garret of this building. Legend holds that as Wells peered out of the North window at a mob gathering below, lightning struck nearby, indelibly etching his image on the pane.”

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I encountered this historical marker when I swung through Carrollton a couple of weeks ago while on the way to Tuscaloosa. For years, I’d wanted to see the famous “Face in the Court House Window,” and I was also pleasantly surprised to find this marker on the courthouse lawn.

The “Face in the Courthouse Window” is was surprisingly easy to find. In fact, if you look at the north side of the building, you’ll see where a white highway sign has been affixed to the building beside the attic window with a black arrow pointing to the exact window pane that contains the ghostly image of Wells’ face. I was actually somewhat shocked to see with the unaided eye the famous ghostly image that I’ve always heard so much about. If you go there and have trouble seeing it for yourself, try using the permanent set of pay binoculars across the street from the courthouse on the northeast corner of Tuscaloosa Street and Phoenix Avenue.

If you’re interested in reading more about this famous courthouse and its well-known ghost story, be sure to check out “13 Alabama Ghosts and Jeffrey” by Kathryn Tucker Windham. I’d also direct you to another great book with information on the subject, “Haunted Alabama Black Belt” by David Higdon and Brett Talley. Published earlier this year, “Haunted Alabama Black Belt” contains details about the building you won’t find in Windham’s book.

Pickens County has a population of 19,746, and Carrollton has a population of 987. As mentioned on the marker, Pickens County takes its name from Andrew Pickens, who died in 1795. In addition to Alabama, three other states have Pickens Counties named after Andrew Pickens – Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.

In the end, visit this site next Wednesday to learn about another historical marker. I’m also taking suggestions from the reading audience, so if you know of an interesting historical marker that you’d like me to feature, let me know in the comments section below.