The Bottom Line
"When Spirits Walk" is a long overdue book about the legendary ghost stories of North Alabama. It is well researched, as far as you can research a ghost, and well documented by Huntsville author and historian, Jacquelyn Procter Gray. For a little extra spice, Ms. Gray has tossed in stories of some better known ghosts in our country's history.
Pros
- Great Background Stories of Regional Ghosts
- Documented & Researched - Not Just Folk Stories
- Seventeen Ghost Stories
Cons
- Leaves the Reader Wanting Even More Stories!
Description
- The Ghost of Sally Carter
Unlucky in Love--The Ghost of Hazel Green - The Bell Witch
The Ghost of Brown's Ferry Road - The Era of Violence
Restless Spirits of the Donnell House - The Confederate General
The Ghost of Dallas Mill - The Mysterious Death of an American Legend
Lincoln's Ghost - The Haunted Train Depot
The Haunted Lodge - The Ghost of Smyrna
Massacre at Ft. Mims - The Ghosts of the Alamo
- Aaron Burr's Angry Spirit
- The Sloss Furnace
Guide Review - Book: "When Spirits Walk"
I've been waiting for a book like "When Spirits Walk." Jacquelyn Procter Gray has taken historical accounts of famous people and interesting places and added the folklore and "after" stories as well. No matter how long you've lived in Huntsville, eventually you hear about the young Sally Carter who haunts Cedarhurst, the widow of Hazel Green who left six dead husbands in her wake, the ghosts of the old Dallas Mill factory, the haunted Huntsville Depot, and the strange happenings at the Masonic Lodge on the corner of Williams and Lincoln Streets. Ms. Gray does the research and tells the background stories and separates fact from fiction.
You can also read about the Brown's Ferry Road Murder with the trial being moved to Huntsville and about the ghost of the Donnell House in Athens. As a little bonus, Ms. Gray also includes some more famous and nationally known ghost stories and ties these stories in with any Huntsville or Alabama connection that existed.
This is a quick and easy read with plenty of intrigue and little-known facts. Ms. Gray has done an exceptional job in writing and researching her invisible subject.
"When Spirits Walk" by Jacquelyn Procter Gray is available at Historic Huntsville Depot, 320 Church Street, 535-6028. Cost: $15.95; 172 pages.
