Ghost stories surround Monroe County's all-but-forgotten Narrow Gap community near Uriah

My wanderings last Friday morning took me down into the southern part of the county. At Uriah, I cut south on State Highway 59 and eventually turned west onto the Tower Road, which takes you past one of the county’s few remaining fire towers. Not far from the old fire tower, I turned onto the George Williams Road, a dirt road that carries you down into one of the county’s lesser-known communities, Narrow Gap.

A little more than a mile down this road, I pulled over and got out of my truck. Those of you who have been to “downtown” Narrow Gap before will know that this spot in the road is mostly surrounded by wide open fields with a scattering of homes and farm buildings visible in the far distance. A trio of horses eyed me from behind a nearby barbwire fence as I stepped into a patch of tall, dry grass at the roadside.

Inside this fenced-off area of high grass, if you know where to look, you’ll find half a dozen headstones that make up the old Qualls Cemetery. I spent a few minutes there reading the faint inscriptions on these old graves, the oldest of which dates back to 1907. Before leaving, I knelt by the grave of Randolph Reed and stripped away the brittle stalks of grass obscuring his headstone.

Reed is one of South Monroe County’s most interesting veterans. During the War Between the States, he served in the 21^st Infantry Regiment and had many adventures during that storied conflict. But those are tales for another day.

From there, I walked back to the edge of the road and took a good look around. All was quiet, and I seemed to be the only person for miles around. It was then that I began to remember some of the old ghost stories that I’d heard about the Narrow Gap community.

It’s said that about 150 yards from the cemetery there was once a large oak that marked the homestead of Andrew Jackson Qualls, who died in 1846. This large tree was about seven feet in diameter, and witnesses claimed to see strange balls of light around this tree. Witnesses said that this strange ball of light would climb the tree’s trunk and was supposedly so bright that it would illuminate the entire treetop.

After a short time, the light would descend the tree, make its way to the road and travel towards the cemetery. After twisting its way among the headstones, the mysterious light would eventually disappear, witnesses said. This ball of light was seen by many old-timers in the community, but no one could explain what it was.

Witnesses also claim to have seen a ghostly woman wearing a long dress and bonnet, walking between the old homestead and the cemetery. Some witnesses say that they tried to talk to his woman, but she just disappeared. She is always seen walking towards the cemetery, and some believe that she was the wife of Andrew Jackson Qualls.

In the end, let me hear from you if you know anything more about the history of the old Narrow Gap community. I’m especially interested in hearing an old ghost stories, local legends and Indian lore from this part of the county. If you know of anything along these lines, please let me know.