Do ghosts roam the halls of the old hotel at McWilliams, Alabama?

Old abandoned hotel at McWilliams, Alabama. 

The McWilliams community is one of the most interesting places in all of Wilcox County. Located on State Highway 21, just north of the Monroe County line, McWilliams was named for its first postmaster, Evander T. McWilliams, in 1900. McWilliams also prides itself on being the boyhood home of country music legend Hank Williams, who lived there as a child in the 1920s.

I was out riding around the other day and found myself passing through McWilliams. Not rushed to be anywhere in particular, I decided to take a few minutes to visit the town’s most prominent landmarks. Those of you who have been to McWilliams before will know that it’s not a big place, but there is a lot to see there if you take the time.

My first stop was at the McWilliams Baptist Church on Holly Street, where you’ll find a sign out front that says it was founded in 1904. I scouted around for a few minutes, snapping a few pictures and looking for a cornerstone that might provide more information about the church’s history. Finding no such cornerstone, I hopped back in my truck and continued down Holly Street.

A little farther down this quiet street, I pulled over at the McWilliams Methodist Church, which was founded in 1903. In front of this wood-frame church, I took a few minutes to look at the old church bell that’s mounted on a brick column in the yard and noted a partial inscription on the bell’s broken yoke that indicated that this old, rusted bell was manufactured many years ago by the C.S. Bell Company of Hillsboro, Ohio. One is left to wonder just how old this bell could be as the C.S Bell Co. was founded way back in 1875.

From there, I walked up onto the church’s porch, and cupped my hands around my eyes for a quick look inside the sanctuary. A minute or so later, I took the short stroll over to the Pineview Memorial Cemetery, which is located behind the church. This small cemetery looks to contain about 50 graves and the oldest marked grave that I saw was that of Addie E. Till, who was just five months old when she passed away in August 1904.

Next, I drove around to what is arguably the most historic structure in all of McWilliams, the old McWilliams Hotel. Looking at this old building from the street, one can only wonder how many people came and went through its doors when McWilliams was a booming railroad town. I also couldn’t help but wonder if there were any old ghost stories associated with this building. Horror writer Stephen King famously said that every big hotel has a ghost, lonely guests die in hotels sometimes, hotels are superstitious places, many with no Room 13.

I shook off the chill that ran down my spine and traveled down the street that took me by the Winters Excelsior Company, which is said to be one of the oldest operating private mills in the world. Operations seemed to be running at full blast as I eased down the street, doing my best to avoid a trio of curious dogs that barked at me as I passed down the street toward Highway 21. A man getting his sack lunch out of his truck saw the dogs and just shook his head and smiled.

A minute or so later, I passed by the locked-up McWilliams Kountry Mart and then turned down the side road that leads to the historic McWilliams Cemetery, which was added to the Alabama Historic Cemetery Register in 2017. I’ve been to this old cemetery many times before and as I strolled among the headstones, I was struck by the irony that the town’s namesake, Evander T. McWilliams, isn’t even buried in McWilliams. You will find his grave in the Bethel Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church Cemetery at Oak Hill.

A glance at my watch and the rumble of my stomach reminded me that it was getting close to the lunch hour, so I got back in my truck and pointed it towards home. As I traveled down the highway, I couldn’t help but wonder about all the people who have called McWilliams home over the years. I’m sure they would have many stories to tell about their hometown and its heyday as a prominent railroad stop in Wilcox County.

In the end, let me hear from you if you have a good McWilliams story to share. I’m especially interested in any old ghost stories or local legends associated with McWilliams. Also, if you know of any old Indian village or mound sites in this area, please let me know. I think it’s important to document these tales for posterity before they become lost in the fading fogs of the past.