Singleton tells of the 'mystery of the Devil's Soup Bowl' in Monroe County

'Devil's Soup Bowl' near Megargel, Alabama. 

(For decades, local historian and paranormal investigator George “Buster” Singleton published a weekly newspaper column called “Somewhere in Time.” The column below, which was titled “The mystery of the Devil’s Soup Bowl remains unsolved” was originally published in the Feb. 24, 1994 edition of The Monroe Journal in Monroeville, Ala.)

There are many things on this planet that we don’t understand. Many of these mysteries are far from this place we call home, here in Monroe County. But, even here, there are mysteries that have remained unsolved for years.

Many of us travel hundreds of miles to see and learn about these strange happenings but never stop to realize that just down the road aways a phenomena awaits, known only to but a few.

In my excursions around our county, I have come across several strange things. The Devil’s Soup Bowl ranks right at the top with the strangest. I first heard of this place of mystery shortly after my arrival in the county. As with many other things that I wanted to see, I could hardly wait for the time to present itself that I could see for myself this place of strange happenings.

After arriving at the small pool of water, I thought that perhaps the story that had been told to me had been blown out of proportion a bit. Or, as the years passed, the stories of the Soup Bowl had been added to by the local country folks, as was oftentimes the custom.

Very unusual

But, as I stood there beside this pool of mystery, I began to realize that something of a very unusual nature had happened here atop this small ridge west of Highway 21, southwest of the Megargel community.

The longer I viewed the small body of water, the more interested I became. My friend who had taken me had relayed to me many of the old stories told by the elderly people who had lived nearby and once farmed the land that surrounded the mystery pool.

One story by an elderly gentleman, now deceased, told of seeing a mystery light in and around the water during the hours of midnight. This light was only seen during the time of the month when the full moon was at its brightest.

Another story told of a bluish halo of sorts that hovered above the southern end of the small body of water. Those who had seen the mysterious halo told of its growing brighter for a few moments after the first sighting. Then, it would grow dim and fade in color as it slowly faded from view, later to be seen moving around beneath the clear waters of the small lake.

Then, there are the stories of hearing strange, bone-chilling sounds in the area during certain times of the month. Stories by the early settlers of the area seem to indicate that around this small pool of mystery, few if any sought to find out for themselves the solutions to any of the happenings. It seemed that the narrow trails that ran nearby were traveled very little during the hours when darkness had settled over the area.

Dry during drought season

The water in the mystery bowl is fresh. As you look closely, you might see a few minnows here and there in the clear waters. There have been some who supposedly have seen the small mystery pool go dry during the drought season. I have talked to only one person who tells of seeing it dry, only once.

Before the small road was closed by the installation of a locked gate, I visited this place quite a number of times. During my visits, I carried various instruments with me that might give some indication as to what lay beneath the mysterious waters of the small pool or lake.

On one occasion, I removed from my pocket a small survival compass. Upon opening the compass, it seemed as if a great magnetic force of some kind surrounded the small body of water. The compass seemed to go crazy, spinning around and around.

On the next trip to the Devil’s Soup Bowl, I carried my metal detector to see if I would get any reading of any kind within the area. The moment I turned the instrument on, it, too, began to sound as though the whole area was made of solid metal. After moving around the small body of water, I turned the metal detector off and placed it inside my vehicle.

I, then, reached in my pocket and brought out the small survival compass. I went to exactly the same place where I had stood before with the compass. Upon opening the compass, this time nothing happened. The needle pointed due north as it was supposed to do.

During three other visits, the small compass behaved the same way. Only during the times of the full moon would the compass spin. The other times, it worked as a compass should. The opposite pattern of behavior applied to the metal detector. Only during the times of dark nights, when there was no moon, would the detector give any indication of metal in the area.

There has been so much speculation among the old timers who grew up near the Devil’s Soup Bowl. Some think that there is a spirit beneath the waters of the small lake. Others think that perhaps beneath the waters is a meteorite that fell from the skies somewhere around the 1840s. Whatever the case may be, I know for sure that there is something very strange going on there around this mysterious pool of water.

I am certainly no authority about the situation, but my belief is that beneath the waters of the small lake lies a small meteorite weighing several tons, buried there deep beneath the surface of the earth. During the middle 1800s, there is evidence that several small meteorites fell within the state of Alabama. A couple of books and other materials have been written about this shower of stars that fell on Alabama. I believe this might be one of those mentioned.

Whatever the mystery of the Devil’s Soup Bowl, I would like to know. If it isn’t a fallen meteorite, then perhaps there is something of a great occurrence. Maybe in time, the mystery of the small lake will be investigated and researched to answer all questions. Then again, in our world of make believe, we may never know.

As for now, the answers wait, beneath the mysterious waters, there in the Soup Bowl of the Devil.

(Singleton, the author of the 1991 book “Of Foxfire and Phantom Soldiers,” passed away at the age of 79 on July 19, 2007. A longtime resident of Monroeville, he was born to Vincent William Singleton and Frances Cornelia Faile Singleton, during a late-night thunderstorm, on Dec. 14, 1927 in Marengo County, graduated from Sweet Water High School in 1946, served as a U.S. Marine paratrooper in the Korean War, worked as a riverboat deckhand, lived for a time among Apache Indians, moved to Monroe County on June 28, 1964 and served as the administrator of the Monroeville National Guard unit from June 28, 1964 to Dec. 14, 1987. He was promoted from the enlisted ranks to warrant officer in May 1972. For years, Singleton’s columns, titled “Monroe County history – Did you know?” and “Somewhere in Time” appeared in The Monroe Journal, and he wrote a lengthy series of articles about Monroe County that appeared in Alabama Life magazine. It’s believed that his first column appeared in the March 25, 1971 edition of The Monroe Journal. He also helped organize the Monroe County Museum and Historical Society and was also a past president of that organization. He is buried in Pineville Cemetery in Monroeville. The column above and all of Singleton’s other columns are available to the public through the microfilm records at the Monroe County Public Library in Monroeville. Singleton’s columns are presented here each week for research and scholarship purposes and as part of an effort to keep his work and memory alive.)