Creepy Stories and Urban Legends from Alabama

The abandoned Oakey Street Methodist Church, better known as Consolation Church, is found in Red Level, Alabama and is allegedly home to a wide array of other-worldly visitors. According to legend, the church was forced to close its doors long ago due to the loud crying, whimpering, and screaming of ghosts. Female spirits would descend upon churchgoers promising death.

The church is said to be a place where you can see hell hounds, banshees, and child ghosts. Confederate soldiers have also been reported marching near the church grounds. Ghost hunters claim to feel spirits touch them and experience random bursts of cold air, even in 100 degree weather. Some claim that, if you linger near the church too late, you'll see a phantom 1964 black Ford truck operated by a ghost driver that will chase you off the grounds. Be careful, however. If the driver catches up to you, you'll be likely to meet a terrible fate. 

The legend of Cry Baby Hollow revolves around a haunted bridge deep in the woods on Kayo Road in Hartselle, Alabama. There are a number of legends surrounding the bridge, as is common for urban legends, but the most often repeated tale is that of Cry Baby Hollow. According to the story, in the 1800s a horse drawn wagon carrying an infant was traveling across the bridge when a wheel snapped. The wagon turned over and the infant fell into the creek and drowned. Some report they hear crying near the bridge late at night. According to local lore, if you put a candy bar on the bridge and leave it, a small bite will be gone when you come back.  

The Burleson/McEntire House is a former plantation that has been standing in Decatur, Alabama for over 170 years. The house has deep roots to the Civil War. The front columns are riddled with bullet holes from various battles and the Battle of Shiloh was planned within its walls. During the war, it was sometimes used as a hospital and soldiers often died in the house. Perhaps in part due to this violent history, the house has long been rumored to be haunted. 

According to local lore, a Union soldier died from battle wounds in the Burleson/McEntire House and was buried under the floorboards for a few days until the battle had died down enough to give him a proper burial. Since then, people have reported seeing the apparition of the ghost lurking around the house. In addition to the Union soldier, people report seeing the spirit of a woman in white lurking around the grounds. 

This Alabama playground is found within the grounds of Maple Hill Cemetery, the oldest and biggest cemetery in the state. Given its location, it's no surprise it's rumored to be haunted. Guests report seeing swings move on their own and hearing children giggling. It's not uncommon for residents to take pictures in the playground only to have mysterious orbs of light show up in the photos. 

So, why is the cemetery haunted? Like all folklore, legends vary. Some prefer the simple explanation that the ghosts of children buried in the cemetery come to the grounds to play, while others spin more sinister tales. Some say there were a string of child abductions in the 1960s and the bodies of the kidnaped children were eventually discovered near the playground. 

The Alabama Paranormal Society investigated the playground in 2008. Investigators claimed they heard the voice of a small child. When they took a photo from the area where the voice was coming from, a misty figure of a woman appeared in the picture. 

Found in Birmingham, Alabama, Sloss Furnace supplied the necessary steel to build skyscrapers and automobiles across the country throughout the 1800s and early 1900s. Much local lore has sprouted up surrounding the company and its success, most notably the tale of James "Slag" Wormwood. 

Slag was the supposed foreman of the furnace during early 1900s and was known to force workers to endure brutal conditions to meet production needs. Workers often worked long hours with minimal sleep and were exposed to temperatures over 100 degrees. During Slag's reign, 47 workers died due to mishaps and accidents. The mistreatment went on until Slag lost his footing and fell to his death into a pool of melted iron. While ruled an accident, many speculated that fed up workers pushed Slag into the iron. 

Slag's spirit is rumored to linger at the furnace. Workers have reported being pushed by unseen forces and hearing an angry voice say, "Get back to work." Workers also endured mysterious burns and some even reported seeing a half-man/half-demon lurking on the grounds. 

The saga of Sally Carter is a well known legend around Huntsville, Alabama. Carter was a Huntsville resident who died in 1825 after a brief illness, just a few weeks shy of her 16th birthday. Visiting her grave at night was a common ritual for Alabama ghost hunters, and people sometimes swear they saw bones near her grave. However, when a building was constructed over Carter's grave in 1982, the family had her body excavated and moved to an undisclosed location. 

Carter allegedly first appeared as a ghost in 1919, seen by a 17 year old boy in his dreams. The boy fell asleep the night of a thunderstorm and reported Carter came to him in his dream and told him her tombstone had fallen over and she needed him to place it upright again. Sure enough, when the boy checked the graveyard the next day, Carter's marker had indeed fallen.