Published by Haunted America
A Division of The History Press
Charleston, SC 29403
www.historypress.net
Copyright 2015 by Harriet Brill Outlaw
All rights reserved
Cover images: Front photo by author. Back photo by Penny H. Taylor.
Opposite: The home of the author.
Photos by Penny H. Taylor unless otherwise noted.
First published 2015
e-book edition 2015
ISBN 978.1.62585.403.2
Library of Congress Control Number: 2015941005
print edition ISBN 978.1.62619.874.6
Notice: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. It is offered without guarantee on the part of the author or The History Press. The author and The History Press disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever without prior written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This book is dedicated to Benulee, my home, which has a spirit of its owna legacy that anchors everything in place.
Come, sit on my porch and lets tell stories.
CONTENTS
FOREWORD
A crop of stories is ready for harvest from storytelling seeds planted across the southern region of America and beyond by Alabamas nationally known storyteller and author Kathryn Tucker Windham. Windhams soulful voice and captivating stories touched, and continue to touch, the hearts and minds of listeners and readers of all ages. Alabamas One Big Front Porch, Thirteen Alabama Ghosts and Jeffrey and other works written by Kathryn Tucker Windham have inspired listeners and readers to become tellers and writers, too. Harriet Outlaw was inspired. Haunted Baldwin County, Alabama is Outlaws tribute to Kathryn Tucker Windhams legacy to storytelling.
Thank you most for fanning the flame of storytellingGenerations to come will thank you.
Kathryn Tucker Windham
February 23, 2010
DEBORAH RANKINS TUNSTALL
Kathryn Tucker Windham Library and Museum
Alabama Southern Community College
and
the Alabama Folklife Association Board of Directors
PREFACE
Do I believe in ghosts? Join the crowd in asking me that question. Ill answer that with another question: Do you?
I certainly believe that feelings and energies can be transported through space and time. I grew up hearing wonderful stories told at night on our front porch in the glory days before television, the Internet and video gameswhen the human voice created the bonds between friends, family and, especially, the past. My love for stories, true and sometimes enhanced, led me to a lifetime of treasuring folklore. I am a storyteller and make no apology for the tale-telling flavor of these episodes. They relate the stories I have been told for more than fifty years, and I believe each one of them. I know that something does not have to be proven true to be believed. Some truths just cant be proven. So, yes, I do believe. I believe that the haint blue paint on the ceilings of southern porches deters evil from coming into the house. I believe that the wind whistling through the mouths of the blue bottles on the bottle tree in the yard warns all unhappiness to stay away. And, yes, I believe that sounds and sights from the past can be detected by those here in this plane who look and listen.
I believe that those sights and sounds experienced here in this world that we call hauntings are not only unfinished dreams of those spirits not free to pass over but also those that are free to come and gothose who felt such joy in this life that they had heaven on earth and are still experiencing this earthly place as a part of their paradise. And I believe in the communion of saints.
I am not interested in imaginary horror stories or unexplained sounds or apparitions. I want to know the why, who and how of the real story. Or at least the real story that I believethose stories that the old folks still tell on the front porch. When you get down to it, a persons belief trumps the truth every time. I believe there is always a story behind the haunting. I know that the blue paint and the bottle tree assure me that only those stories are allowed on our porch. So come sit on my porch, and lets tell those stories.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
When a project like this begins, the author has no idea what will emerge when word gets around that experiences are being collected. I have been delighted to find so many people willing to share their stories and resources. There is no way I can name every person who has helped me, but there are a few who have just been amazing. First, my dear friend and colleague Penny Taylor and her husband, Ken Balme, have spent countless hours traveling the county, interviewing and photographing those nooks and crannies in all corners. Special thanks to Sherri, Barbara and Karen, who have taught me so much about seeking out the paranormal. I have deep respect for those serious investigators and do not claim to be as knowledgeable as many of them are.
Donnie Barrett of the Fairhope City Museum is a walking encyclopedia and knows everybody who knows anything! Author Joan Crowder, as seen in her book Tell It to an Old Hollow Log, is an incredible local authority who is most willing to share. Grand Hotel specialists Susan Stein and Bob Glennon have been most supportive, and I greatly appreciate the contributions made by Robert Normand, the son of the great bandleader Jack Normand. Fort Mims advocate Claudia Slaughter and the Morris family welcomed us to the northern realms of the county and more than willingly shared their experiences with us. The Baldwin County Historical Commission deserves recognition for the work it does preserving local historical sites, especially the Swift-Coles Historic Home in Bon Secour. Thanks go to the commission and Historic Home Director Sandra Forsman. Gulf Shores Park ranger Dave Baumhauer helped us find the real Catman Trail, and Mike Bailey opened my eyes to sights unseen at Fort Morgan. Rob Woodruff snapped a wonderful photo of a Frenchman in the DOlive Cemetery, and Elizabeth Parker, author of Haunted Mobile, manages a fabulous blog where loads of stories are posted. The Foley Railroad Museum and the Foley Library are amazing repositories of all things Baldwin, and thanks go to Directors Bonnie Donaldson, John Jackson and Jeannette Bornholdt, who have such a clear vision of preservation. A special note of appreciation also goes to all of those resources who wish to remain anonymous. Thank you.
Everyone who attempts to write the tales of hauntings in Alabama pays tribute to Kathryn Tucker Windham, who inspired and encouraged me. I appreciate the foreword by Deborah Rankins Tunstall, who performs an outstanding service as director of the Kathryn Tucker Windham Museum in Monroeville, Alabama. And of course, I must tell my husband how deeply I love him and appreciate his willingness to be a part of this and all of my other crazy schemes. He declares that if there are any mistakes in this work, I say he is to blame. What do you think?
