Tuscaloosa Paranormal Research Group investigates 'Most Famous Courthouse in America'

Members of the Tuscaloosa Paranormal Research Group.

Investigators with the Tuscaloosa Paranormal Research Group spent the night in the Old Monroe County Courthouse this past weekend to see if they could capture evidence of the supernatural in the “Most Famous Courthouse in America."

According to lead investigator David Higdon, the group used a wide variety of ghost-hunting equipment to investigate the building for several hours before going to sleep in the main courtroom around 3 a.m. on Sunday. Other investigators involved in the investigation included Heather Boothe, Ashley Kirkland, Jonathan Kirkland, Craig Rackley and Abby Rayburn.

Using highly-sensitive audio recorders, the group captured the sound of footsteps on the building's ground floor when no one was in the area, Higdon said. They also captured the sound of a disembodied woman's voice around 1 a.m. in the main courtroom upstairs, Higdon said. He noted that the group is still busy reviewing other audio and video footage from their courthouse trip to see if their equipment captured anything else out of the ordinary.

Higdon said that he and the group were very impressed with the museum and with the way it has been maintained. He also thanked the museum's board of directors for giving the group permission to investigate the building.

“It was a great honor to have been inside a building that has so many stories to tell,” Higdon said.

Higdon, along with co-author Brett Talley, is the author of the 2013 book, “Haunted Alabama Black Belt.” This book contains an entire chapter on supposedly haunted locations in Monroe County. Those locations include the Old Courthouse, Rikard's Mill near Beatrice and others.