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.)