Ghostly Alabama - Part 1

Alabama has a rich history of haunted places and ghostly appearances and most every community has their “supernatural” place. Over the upcoming months I’ll be taking a look at some of the more publicized ones and some that have gained little attention.

Albertville - Albertville Public Library - The library, located at 200 Jackson Street, has several stories including the most popular of workers hearing the elevator going up and down by itself and hearing water running in the bathroom and no one in there.

The basic ghost story relates how the library was built over a house that was torn down in the early 1900's and spirits of the people who lived there are mad about their house being destroyed so they haunt the library.

Most of the “hauntings” are said to happen early in the morning when the first person comes to work and is alone.

Writer/research Lewis Powell IV wrote in his blog Dec. 16, 2013 in a story “Shushing rumors – Albertville Public Library” that “In 2010, Albertville was devastated by an EF3 tornado which damaged the library. I can find no word if the spirit remained after repairs.”

A number of researchers including Powell even doubt the ghost stories about the library. Powell says the story may have originated when a local television station ran a story about local Halloween activities and some of the employees joked about books falling off shelves being ghost activity.

Apparently from that interview, the story had a way of growing and in 2006 the local newspaper The Sand Mountain Reporter used an online story listing haunted locations in north Alabama.

The same paper had a similar story in 2007. In 2008 the site was listed among haunted libraries in an Encyclopedia Britannica blog and author Jessica Penot mentioned the library in her book Haunted North Alabama published in 2010.

Anniston – Dr Keel & Associates Health Care - Located at 4100 McClellan Blvd this site is the location of two tragedies – the brutal beating and murder of a woman in the late 1960s and the murder of several employees in 2002.

In the late 1960s a gas station was located on the site and a woman was brutally beaten, raped and murdered there.

Then in 2002 a video rental store was located on the site. The store was robbed and employees were killed.

Dr. Keel and Associates Healthcare is now located on the site and there are reports that if you walk to the right side of the building you can sometimes feel a strange cold wind.

Anniston - Stringfellow Memorial Hospital - The founder of the hospital, located at 301 E 18th St, was Mary Stringfellow and she enjoyed playing organs. Legend says that nurses working the third shift have, at times, heard the organ being played in the hospital chapel.

There is a second haunting story of a man who supposedly committed suicide in one of the rooms by shooting himself in the head with a shotgun. Patients have said on numerous occasions that they can see the body of a headless man with blood on the wall in the corner of that room.

Anniston - The Victoria (Now Hotel Finial) - Located at 1604 Quintard Ave, The Victoria was once a beautiful mansion which has now been converted into a restaurant/hotel.

There are reports of the piano being played and footsteps being heard in the main part of the building. There have also been reports of glasses, hanging in the bar, clinking and the ghostly image of a woman has been seen standing on the upstairs landing.

It is now ranked as one of the 14 most haunted hotels in the state.