The Evergreen Courant's 2020 list of 'Spookiest Places in Conecuh County'

Old Carter Hospital in Repton.

Halloween is this coming Saturday, and in the spirit of that creepy holiday, I give you today my annual list of the “Top 10 Spookiest Places in Conecuh County, Alabama.”

I compiled this list after discussing the subject with a number of the county’s lifelong residents and individuals well versed in the county’s long history. I was surprised by a number of their suggestions and even learned a little bit about a few places that I’d never heard of.

Without further ado, here’s the list:

1. Booger Bottom: Located on County Road 5, between Burnt Corn and Pine Orchard, old-time residents say that an entity named “Harry Bill” lives in these woods and will nab travelers who linger too long in this area. Others have seen unexplained “balls of fire” in trees in this area, and others have seen unexplained white creatures dash across the road there in the middle of the night. Some also claim to have seen a mysterious stranger with a white dog walking up and down the road in this area.

2. Church’s Chicken: Located on West Front Street in Evergreen, this is one of Evergreen’s best places to stop for fried chicken. However, some former employees say the restaurant’s haunted and what many readers may not know is that the restaurant was built on top of the spot once occupied by a large, two-story house that served for many, many years as Evergreen’s only funeral home. The house, which saw an untold number of funerals, was torn down decades ago to make way for the restaurant building.

3. The Evergreen Courant Office: Located in one of the oldest buildings in downtown Evergreen, unexplained noises can be heard during the day and after hours. Long time employees at The Courant jokingly say that the noises are just former employees who don’t know that they’ve passed their final “deadline.”

4. Evergreen-Conecuh County Public Library: Staff members at the library have had a number of unusual experiences in the building, which is located on Cemetery Avenue in Evergreen. Unusual occurrences at the building include unexplained temperature drops, thumping noises and the sound of someone coming up the stairs when no one is there. Staff members have also found lights on that should have been off and books “turned topsy-turvy” or misplaced on shelves as well as items on the floor, even though things had been in their proper place when they closed the building the day before. Other library workers claim to have seen a ghost outside on the library grounds. They describe this ghost as a young girl, wearing what looks like turn-of-the-century clothing and riding breeches, standing next to a phantom horse. The girl has her arm draped around the horse’s neck, witnesses said.

5. First Evergreen Cemetery: Small cemetery located in Evergreen, just off Main Street, adjacent to old Evergreen High School property. Contains some of the city’s earliest graves, including three unusual-looking unmarked vaults made with handmade bricks.

6. Gallows Hollow: Located north of Lyeffion near the intersection of the CCC Trail and the Sepulga River, it’s where outlaw brothers Irvin and Stephen Ward were hung for the murder of Allen Page on Nov. 18, 1859. After the hanging, the old gallows were not removed following the execution and it stood for many decades as a reminder of the tragic murder at Fork Sepulga. The location of that murder and hanging, where the old gallows stood, was known thereafter as “Gallows Hollow.”

7. Interstate 65: This 40-mile stretch of the interstate between Evergreen and Greenville was designated “The Haunted Highway” in the book, “Haunted Places: The National Directory” by Dennis William Hauck. Book claims that this section of highway is haunted by the spirits of displaced Creek Indians and has resulted in an “accident rate that is well above average.”

8. King’s Crossing: This railroad crossing, located at the intersection of West Front Street and Belleville Street in downtown Evergreen, has been the site of countless accidents and deaths during the past century. At one time considered the most dangerous railroad crossing in Alabama and one of the most deadly in America, Evergreen Mayor Pete Wolff told The Mobile Press-Register that the crossing was “almost like a ghost crossing. It just invites people to run into trains, and not only do they pull in front of them, they even run into them from the side sometimes. We’ve had people that walked on the tracks and been run over. Sometimes a train will come and you can’t hear it. There’s just something weird about it.”

9. Old Carter Hospital: Located on Burnt Corn Street in Repton, this was once the only hospital for a hundred miles in every direction. Closed in the mid-1950s, when Monroe County Hospital opened in Monroeville, this structure has seen more than its fair share of pain, sickness and death.

10. Old L&N Train Depot: Located in downtown Evergreen and listed in the National Register of Historic Places, this building is over 100 years old. Thousands of people passed through this train station during its heyday, and former employees have shared tales about hearing unexplained noises in the building at all times of the day and night.

Before I wrap this thing up, I want to make clear that more than a few of these places are more than likely located on private property, so if you get the idea to visit any of these places (especially at night) you’d better get permission first or run the risk of trespassing. Also, if you plan to visit any of these places, especially cemeteries, respect your surroundings.

In the end, I’d like to hear from you if you know a good local ghost story or have information about a spooky location in Conecuh County.