Monroe County's George Singleton gladly stayed behind the times

Singleton examines artifact shaped like human head.

(For decades, local historian and paranormal investigator George “Buster” Singleton published a weekly newspaper column called “Somewhere in Time.” The feature story below, which was titled “Singleton gladly stays behind the times,” was written by Jim Plott and was originally published in the Dec. 2, 1982 edition of The Monroe Journal in Monroeville, Ala.)

George Singleton won’t complain if you call him a man behind the times. In fact, he’s likely to agree and tell you that he’s “about a hundred years” behind.

Singleton loves history. Much like the early settler, he blazes behind the well-trodden names and dates, where he find the real intrinsic value of the past.

“I’m not against all the modern conveniences, but I believe the real value of our lives can only be found in tracing back our ancestors and researching those early people who had to live off the land,” Singleton says.

And so you’re likely to find Singleton in his spare time walking along the banks of the Alabama River among the remains of an early Indian village or a now-forgotten settlement, picking up bits and pieces of the past.

Singleton, a 54-year-old warrant officer with the Monroeville National Guard unit, doesn’t quite remember when the lure of history entangled him, but he surmises that the first etchings may have begun when he was a child in Marengo County.

He recalls cool summer-night porch-sittings and winter nights by the fireplace when his grandmother would talk about the family background.

“We weren’t necessarily wealthy,” Singleton says, “But we were proud people. Our grandparents just naturally thought our past was important.”

Singleton’s passion for history followed him through the Korean War, and shortly afterward he joined the National Guard. In 1961, by fate or fortune, he was transferred to Monroe County, known for its colorful history.

North Monroe hills

“I’m glad I came here,” Singleton says. “There are some very fine people here, and I like the hilly area in the north part of the county. It’s some place just to get away to.”

Singleton, the author of a Monroe Journal column that has run recently under the title “Somewhere In Time,” and of a lengthy series of articles about Monroe County in Alabama Life magazine, says he has walked around practically every known historic site in the county, and some that are unknown.

“Mainly, I just love to get outdoors by myself and wander along a wooded hilltop,” he says. “At times, I even go to my old homeplace in Sweet Water and camp there a few days.”

But Singleton is worried about Monroe County losing much of its rich heritage – something that, he says, must be restored.

“So much is growing up and being forgotten,” he says. “Take, for instance, Claiborne, which was the focal point for practically every settler coming into this area. It’s being forgotten, and it’s one of the most historical spots in the state.

“I hate to say it, but we probably know more about the Belgian Congo than we know about Monroe County.”

Singleton, who hopes to restore some of the county’s past with a book someday, also believes that a search into the background of the nation may provide answers to modern problems.

“Americans have got to pull together through a united effort. They’ve got to be willing to help each other like our ancestors did, and they’ve got to realize that some of the problems we face now are the result of the nation getting older,” he says.

Singleton, comparing the country to an aging man, says natural resources are being exhausted and suggests it’s time to return to some old ways.

‘The only solution’

“We need to conserve, get back to the simple things, utilize what we’ve got, and get back in harmony with nature. That is the only solution I see.”

For Singleton, the future may be a written book, with the past as the table of contents.

“We as American people don’t know where we’re going until we find where we’ve been. It’s as plain and simple as that,” he says.

If that’s the case, Singleton knows where he’s going.

(Singleton, the author of the 1991 book “Of Foxfire and Phantom Soldiers,” passed away at the age of 79 on July 19, 2007. A longtime resident of Monroeville, he was born to Vincent William Singleton and Frances Cornelia Faile Singleton, during a late-night thunderstorm, on Dec. 14, 1927 in Marengo County, graduated from Sweet Water High School in 1946, served as a U.S. Marine paratrooper in the Korean War, worked as a riverboat deckhand, lived for a time among Apache Indians, was bitten at least twice by venomous snakes, moved to Monroe County on June 28, 1964 and served as the administrator of the Monroeville National Guard unit from June 28, 1964 to Dec. 14, 1987. He was promoted from the enlisted ranks to warrant officer in May 1972. For years, Singleton’s columns, titled “Monroe County history – Did you know?” and “Somewhere in Time” appeared in The Monroe Journal, and he wrote a lengthy series of articles about Monroe County that appeared in Alabama Life magazine. It’s believed that his first column appeared in the March 25, 1971 edition of The Monroe Journal. He also helped organize the Monroe County Museum and Historical Society and was also a past president of that organization. He is buried in Pineville Cemetery in Monroeville. The column above and all of Singleton’s other columns are available to the public through the microfilm records at the Monroe County Public Library in Monroeville. Singleton’s columns are presented here each week for research and scholarship purposes and as part of an effort to keep his work and memory alive.)

George Singleton tells of the ghostly woman at Bradley Ridge

George Buster Singleton

(For decades, local historian and paranormal investigator George “Buster” Singleton published a weekly newspaper column called “Somewhere in Time.” The column below, which was titled “Ghost of Bradley Ridge still visits,” was originally published in the Dec. 3, 1998 edition of The Monroe Journal in Monroeville, Ala.)

About three weeks ago, I received a telephone call from a lady requesting that I write again a story I had written about 15 years ago. The story was about the ghost of a lady I had seen in the area of Bradley Ridge, near a small stream. Looking through my past articles, I discovered that I had come in contact with the ghost lady in the long dress three times. Since it had been several years since I had seen her, I decided to ride to Bradley Ridge and perhaps, if I was lucky, or unlucky as some would believe, our paths might cross again by the small creek.

As I have written on several occasions, Monroe County has several “ghost stories” or stories of the “supernatural” that I have investigated since my arrival in 1964. These stories are due to the age of the county and the many settlements that could be found here. If one studies the early history of this county, one will find that many of these old settlements date back to the middle 1700s.

I was first told about this strange event by two dear friends whom I got to know and respect shortly after my arrival. Raymond Fountain and Tom Snider, both elderly gentlemen, and both now deceased, had a great knowledge of the early happenings throughout the county. When the two found out that I was interested in strange events, both spent many hours guiding me around, showing me the area and relaying these events to me. Each, in their travels around the area, had seen firsthand, most of these stories, or knew someone who had witnessed the event.

So, a few days back I decided to return to the area where I had seen the ghost lady in the long white dress. I was glad that hunting season had not opened and my chance of coming in contact with a hunter was almost zero. Taking the narrow back trail, I slowly headed my motorcycle through the wooded area, around the steep curves and crooked declines. As I slowly made my way down toward the small streams, I wondered if I would witness the same event that I had seen on three other occasions.

As I rounded the sharp curve in the narrow trail, just before reaching the first small creek I looked where I had first experienced contact with the ghost lady in the long white dress. I glanced off to my right along the small stream. Low and behold, there stood what appeared to be a young woman. She was dressed in an ankle-length white dress. As before, the sighting almost blew my mind.

It took a minute for this to register. On two other occasions, I had called out asking if she needed help, this time I remained silent. Almost as a replay from previous times, I lost sight of her for a moment. Looking down the pathway to the bend in the small creek, I saw her walking toward the stream and the deep woods.

By this time Shadows from the tall timber had shaded the area and it was beginning to grow dark. I got off my motorcycle and began to slowly walk down the patch where I had just seen her. As I had on the other occasions, I began to look for tracks. I felt sure that I wasn’t going to find any, but for some reason I searched the path anyway. Searching for twisted leaves and broken twigs, searching for any evidence of her passing, to no avail.

Then, I discovered a large spider web stretched across the path. I knew that no one could have come this way without disturbing the spider web. I had seen the ghost lady in the long white dress once again.

As on the three other occasions, I began to feel that I was being watched. I felt the hair on the back of my neck begin to tingle. There in the deep shade of the heavy timbers, I realized that I wasn’t as excited as I had been during the other sightings. It was almost like seeing an old acquaintance again. I found myself relaxed and normal, when on times before, I was frightened out of my wits.

Looking again down the narrow path, I saw nothing. Turning, I walked the 50 or so yards back up the dim path to my motorcycle. Turning the motorcycle around before starting the engine, I looked one last time down the dim path. There she stood, motionless, in the deep shadows, looking toward me as if about to speak. Not realizing what I was doing, I raised my hand to wave. I received no response. Then, before my eyes, the ghost lady in white disappeared. I saw her no more.

As I made my way toward the highway, I promised myself that before too long I would return. Perhaps I would bring someone with me. Then, if the young lady in white was seen again, I would have a reliable witness. At least one person would know that I wasn’t crazy. The poet Longfellow said it best:

“This is the place, stand still my steed. And let me review the scene. And summoned from the shadowy past the forms that once have been.”

(Singleton, the author of the 1991 book “Of Foxfire and Phantom Soldiers,” passed away at the age of 79 on July 19, 2007. A longtime resident of Monroeville, he was born to Vincent William Singleton and Frances Cornelia Faile Singleton, during a late-night thunderstorm, on Dec. 14, 1927 in Marengo County, graduated from Sweet Water High School in 1946, served as a U.S. Marine paratrooper in the Korean War, worked as a riverboat deckhand, lived for a time among Apache Indians, was bitten at least twice by venomous snakes, moved to Monroe County on June 28, 1964 and served as the administrator of the Monroeville National Guard unit from June 28, 1964 to Dec. 14, 1987. He was promoted from the enlisted ranks to warrant officer in May 1972. For years, Singleton’s columns, titled “Monroe County history – Did you know?” and “Somewhere in Time” appeared in The Monroe Journal, and he wrote a lengthy series of articles about Monroe County that appeared in Alabama Life magazine. It’s believed that his first column appeared in the March 25, 1971 edition of The Monroe Journal. He also helped organize the Monroe County Museum and Historical Society and was also a past president of that organization. He is buried in Pineville Cemetery in Monroeville. The column above and all of Singleton’s other columns are available to the public through the microfilm records at the Monroe County Public Library in Monroeville. Singleton’s columns are presented here each week for research and scholarship purposes and as part of an effort to keep his work and memory alive.)

1997 storytelling event in Demopolis featuring Singleton was cancelled

George Buster Singleton

(For decades, local historian and paranormal investigator George “Buster” Singleton published a weekly newspaper column called “Somewhere in Time.” The news story below, which was titled “Storytelling canceled: George Singleton told his stories not welcomed,” was written by Monroe Journal Staff Writer Greg Walker and was originally published in the Nov. 6, 1997 edition of The Monroe Journal in Monroeville, Ala.)

A local storyteller and frequent columnist for The Monroe Journal was taken off a Halloween fundraiser event scheduled last week in Demopolis after a ministerial association complained his stories were not consistent with the teachings of Christianity.

George Singleton was scheduled to speak at Gaineswood Mansion Oct. 29 during the mansion’s Halloween festival. Singleton and two other men were slated to speak different nights on topics ranging from reincarnation to actual ghosts.

But a group of pastors in Demopolis approached mansion curator Matt Hartzell and indicated they were not happy with the proposed speaker’s topics. Only one man was scheduled for Halloween night.

“They didn’t single me out or anything,” Singleton said. “I think there were two or three preachers who started talking like it was devil worshiping or something.”

“I was just trying to help them out,” he said.

Hartzell said the whole situation has been blown out of proportion and, as far as he is concerned, it has been resolved.

In a prepared statement, Hartzell tried to explain the reason for Singleton’s cancellation.

“The presentations of Paul Housel on Oct. 27 and George ‘Buster’ Singleton Oct. 29 were canceled in response to legitimate concerns voiced by the local religious community regarding the content of the presentations,” the release said.

“Clergymen and members of their congregations indicated to Gaineswood curator Matt Hartzell that they considered the proposed events inappropriate and contrary to the beliefs of Christianity.”

Hartzell said he thought the weekend’s activities would be fun, educational and entertaining, but the religious community saw things a different way.

Hartzell said, however, he was not pressured or threatened in any way by the association.

“When the religious community approached me with their concerns, I realized it was necessary to address them,” Hartzell said.

Hartzell said he and Singleton had not discussed exactly what he would be talking about at the fundraiser and were planning to discuss the agenda further.

“It was my impression he was going to tell ghost stories,” Hartzell said.

Hartzell said the event was planned to raise some funds for the historic mansion, but mostly to promote activities and perhaps attract volunteers to the Southern home.

(Singleton, the author of the 1991 book “Of Foxfire and Phantom Soldiers,” passed away at the age of 79 on July 19, 2007. A longtime resident of Monroeville, he was born to Vincent William Singleton and Frances Cornelia Faile Singleton, during a late-night thunderstorm, on Dec. 14, 1927 in Marengo County, graduated from Sweet Water High School in 1946, served as a U.S. Marine paratrooper in the Korean War, worked as a riverboat deckhand, lived for a time among Apache Indians, was bitten at least twice by venomous snakes, moved to Monroe County on June 28, 1964 and served as the administrator of the Monroeville National Guard unit from June 28, 1964 to Dec. 14, 1987. He was promoted from the enlisted ranks to warrant officer in May 1972. For years, Singleton’s columns, titled “Monroe County history – Did you know?” and “Somewhere in Time” appeared in The Monroe Journal, and he wrote a lengthy series of articles about Monroe County that appeared in Alabama Life magazine. It’s believed that his first column appeared in the March 25, 1971 edition of The Monroe Journal. He also helped organize the Monroe County Museum and Historical Society and was also a past president of that organization. He is buried in Pineville Cemetery in Monroeville. The column above and all of Singleton’s other columns are available to the public through the microfilm records at the Monroe County Public Library in Monroeville. Singleton’s columns are presented here each week for research and scholarship purposes and as part of an effort to keep his work and memory alive.)