Kim Johnston - Haunted Talladega County

Published by Haunted America

A Division of The History Press

Charleston, SC 29403

www.historypress.net

Copyright 2015 by Kim Johnston and Shane Busby

All rights reserved

First published 2015

e-book edition 2015

ISBN 978.1.62585.150.5

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015943858

print edition ISBN 978.1.62619.621.6

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 authors or The History Press. The authors 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.

DEDICATED TO THE SPIRITS OF THE DEAD

WHO HAVE REACHED ACROSS THE VEIL

AND INSPIRED US TO TELL THEIR TALES

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First of all, we would like to thank the authors who came before us who were so passionate about the history of Talladega County that they wrote their knowledge down and shared it with the world. Without the works of such people as Randolph F. Blackford and E. Grace Jemison, much of the history of Talladega County would have surely been lost. We cant count the number of times that we were speaking with someone and one of these earlier works was quoted. It is our sincerest hope that we can stoke the embers they left behind and ignite a fire of curiosity and hunger for the history of Talladega County in new generations.

Next, we would like to thank all the friends and relatives who stood behind and encouraged us. Writing a book means numerous days spent on research trips and even more long nights of writing. This book would never have been completed if those people werent willing to sacrifice the time they would normally spend with us. They did so because they knew what this book meant to us, even if sometimes they did so begrudgingly. For that, we thank each and every one of you.

We cant acknowledge the people of Talladega County enough. This book is for you and about you, and we hope that it is something you are proud of. Everyone we met on our journey was so helpful and willing to share their knowledge. Judge Billy Atkinson is one of those people whose time and stories were invaluable to us as we worked on this book. Minister Becky Davis, a true southern lady, was one of the first people we met when kicking off this project. Her support and love of a good ghost story were much appreciated as well. Randy Caine, Mike Waldrop and Stephanie Tipton deserve much praise for bravely sharing their stories with us too. Jessica Bryant, Adrienne Adams and the Green family have all gone above and beyond in their efforts to help us document the stories of this great region. It warms our hearts to know a place with such good people still exists in this world. As our book will show you, bad things happen even in Talladega County, but the people who live there always pull together, pick themselves up and move forward. Thats why Talladega County has had such a rich past and why it will also have a rich future.

Last but not least, we would like to thank those who have gone to the other side before us. We will always make sure someone knows your story and you will never be forgotten. It wont be long before we see you again, but until then, youll always be in our thoughts.

INTRODUCTION

The land that is now Talladega County started making history long before Alabama was even a state. The Creek tribes first settled here because of its beauty and considered many parts of Talladega County to be sacred. Early settlers, no doubt, thought the same things when they first laid eyes on the rolling hills and majestic flowing waterways of Talladega County.

The beauty of the county serves well to hide the scars that have been inflicted on it through the hundreds of years that people have lived here. Today, most people have no idea of the pain and bloodshed that bore itself on the places where present-day people live, work and play. Looking at it now, most would not have an inclination to think that the present-day city of Talladega was a bustling border town serving as a last stop for settlers heading west or that the sleepy town of Childersburg was a center for illegal gambling, bootlegging and prostitution. However, sometimes the sins of people cant be covered up neatly by Mother Nature. Sometimes those sins leave cuts that time cant heal. For some, the crimes they committed have caused them to be bound to the earth as punishment. For others, the atrocities that were done to them cant be forgiven, and they remain here desperately trying to tell their story to others.

Haunted Talladega County isnt your usual book of ghost stories. Its our belief that the most interesting part of a haunting is the back story of why a location is haunted in the first place. We dug deep into the history of this county to bring you tales of everything from the Native Americans being forcibly removed from their land to wars making huge swipes of death and destruction. Each and every one of these tales of human brutality left a mark that lives on today in the form of unexplained events.

While we cant assure you that every tale we are going to share with you is a verifiable haunting, what we can assure you is that every person and place we have written about is undeniably real. Although some names have been omitted by request for anonymity, every story of a modern-day haunting was told to us by a person just like youa person of Talladega County.

We hope you enjoy reading this book as much as we enjoyed writing it, and we would encourage you to not stop there. This book is about your home; use it as a guide for exploring the mysteries of Talladega County. The overwhelming majority of the places we have written about are open to the public. For those areas that you have access to, go see for yourself whether you believe our stories. If you dont find a ghost, you may very well find your new favorite spot.

Now its time for our journey to begin. Find yourself a dark, candlelit spot and join us as we paint a picture of the shadowy side of Talladega County.

PART I

CHILDERSBURG

GLORIAS BRIDGE

It has often been said that every bridge in Alabama is haunted. While Alabama does have a rich history and with that often comes hauntings, it is unperceivable that every bridge in Alabama has a spirit making nightly appearances. However, bridges, like crossroads, seem to be a haven for tragedy and human cruelty. A few of them have more than their fair share of dark stories to tell. One of those is Glorias bridge.

Glorias bridge is located right outside Childersburg. Childersburg is one of those towns that reminds you of an unruly teenager who settles downs nicely in old age. Its well known that Phenix City was considered the sin city of the South, but in its heyday, Childersburg wasnt far behind. When the United States government announced a contract for a huge ammunition plantthe shell plant, as old-timers call itChildersburgs population jumped from five hundred to eighteen thousand in just a couple months. When all those people came, they brought their vices with them. Bootlegging ran rampant, prostitutes set up brothels in rented trailers and there was even a steamboat that harbored an illegal gambling operation tied up on the shore of the Coosa River. All of this put Childersburg on the radar of Governor Frank Dixon. Dixon ordered public safety officials to monitor Childersburg, and fortunately, thats all that needed to be done. Most of the population growth was from temporary construction workers, and when their jobs were done, they left. Without paying customers, the illicit operations left too. After the temporary labor was gone, the shell plant was staffed by permanent local workers (including co-author Shanes grandfather).