Does ghostly woman haunt the woods around Locke Hill in Monroe County?

Locke Hill on River Ridge Road in Monroe County.

I was out riding around late one afternoon last week and eventually found myself on State Highway 41 in the Franklin community. I eased along past the fire house, and a few miles later, on a whim, I turned right onto River Ridge Road. My travels down this red dirt road eventually took me past the River Ridge Cemetery, the Red Hills Cemetery and finally to Locke Hill.

Those familiar with this part of the county will know that Locke Hill is a highpoint between the Red Hills Cemetery and the wooden bridge over Big Flat Creek, about six miles east of Highway 41. The other day, when I reached Locke Hill, I eased off the side of the road and stepped out of my truck for a breath of fresh October air. I was all alone, and in times past, I’ve heard geese, coyotes and other animals while standing in this remote, isolated part of Monroe County.

A glance at my watch told me that sunset was near at hand. The dimming sun was sinking low towards the western horizon, and the shadows atop Locke Hill were growing longer and longer. It was in that moment that I was reminded of all the ghost stories that I’ve heard over the years about Locke Hill.

In years past, more than a few travelers and hunters claim to have seen the ghost of a woman roaming the woods around Locke Hill. She is described as tall and thin with long white hair. Some say that she wears a long sack-type dress and bonnet and is sometimes seen carrying an old-timey wooden bucket.

Those who claim to have seen this ghostly woman say that she only appears late in the evening or early in the morning. Some say she is the ghost of a woman who lived in an antebellum homestead on Locke Hill, and that she lost one son to the Civil War while her husband and infant daughter died of fever, leaving her all alone. Some say that she is seen carrying a bucket because she is walking back and forth between her old home and an old well in the nearby woods.

It’s been said that years ago, a farmer and his family were traveling down River Ridge Road in a mule-drawn wagon and when they reached Locke Hill, they saw the ghostly woman. When the woman turned to walk away, the farmer’s mules panicked and tried to run away. The farmer managed to bring the mules under control, but when he looked back, the woman had vanished.

As time went on, travelers began avoiding this area, especially late in the evening and early in the morning. Travelers also quit stopping at the well for water and as the years went by, the well became overgrown and fell in. Today, few people remain who remember where the old homeplace and well were located.

In the end, it’s hard to say how much of the above is true. With that said, it should be noted that many of these old tales have a heart of truth to them, so I wouldn’t be so quick to laugh them off. Those who have been to Locke Hill will tell you that it’s one of the most remote, mysterious and secluded locations in northern Monroe County. In other words, it might be the perfect place to see a ghost if you linger too long on a late October evening.