Just about every old building in the Deep South seems to have a ghost story or two attached to it

Wilcox Female Institute in Camden, Ala.

One of the most unique, iconic and beautiful antebellum buildings in all of Wilcox County is the Wilcox Female Institute on Broad Street in Camden.

This building, which currently serves as the headquarters for the Wilcox Historical Society, received major attention earlier this month when it was prominently featured in the summer issue of Alabama Heritage magazine. In an article titled “Alabama’s Female Academies: Educating Young Women Before and After the Civil War” by University of Alabama history professor Sharony Green, readers learned that the Wilcox Female Institute was “one of the more successful schools in Alabama. Opened in 1850, the school survived the Civil War and closed in 1910.”

Not long after this article came out, I paid a visit to the Wilcox Female Institute and took a brief stroll around the grounds. It was a hot, but quiet, afternoon and aside from the occasional passing car, it felt like I was the only person around for miles. I knew in my mind that this old building had weathered many hot summers and would no doubt weather many, many more to come.

My attention was naturally drawn to the historical marker on the front lawn and even though I’d read it many times before, I walked over and gave it another look. According to that marker, the Wilcox Female Institute was incorporated in 1850 by James A. Tait, L.W. Mason, Joseph George and “associates.” The school’s original trustees were Col. J.C. Jones, Joseph George, Maj. M.M. Bonham, D.W. Sterrett, Col. C.C. Sellers, Dr. M. Reid, J.W. Bridges, Dr. Robert Ervin and Maj. F.K. Beck. L.B. Johnson was the school’s first principal, and the property was deeded to the State of Alabama in 1908.

The hot sun beat down hard as I took all of this in. I instinctively sought the narrow shade of the front porch, where my eyes were drawn to the plaque beside the front entrance that lets visitors know that the property had been placed on the National Register of Historic Places due to its historical significance. How many hundreds of students had passed through the halls of this building during its heyday as a school? How many people had stood right where I was standing?

As I stood there enjoying the relative cool of the porch, my dim reflection looked back at me from the small windows set in a narrow panel beside the front door. I cupped my hands to the window, squinted and looked inside. Nothing stirred within the confines of the entryway. The spookiness of it all settled over me, and a chill ran down my spine despite the heat of the day.

It was then that I began to wonder if there were any ghost stories or other unusual tales about this building. Just about every old building in our part of the world seems to have a ghost story or two attached to it, and I’m sure that the Wilcox Female Institute is no exception. Every old building has seen its share of good times and bad, and I was left to wonder about what sort of unusual events this building has seen over the years.

In the end, if anyone in the reading audience knows any ghost stories or unusual tales about this building, please let me hear from you. No doubt more than a few readers attended school in the building, worked in the building and have attended functions there. Of that number, some may have experienced something out of the ordinary, and I’d appreciate the opportunity to document those tales for future generations.