Last year, I brought you five haunted locations in Baldwin County.
That story turned out to be one of my most popular — and one I plan to revisit one day. But I don’t want to leave …
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Last year, I brought you five haunted locations in Baldwin County.
That story turned out to be one of my most popular — and one I plan to revisit one day. But I don’t want to leave you hanging. This year, I’m taking things statewide with five haunted destinations across Alabama, most of which you can actually visit.
Alabama’s deep roots in Southern history come with something else that lingers — spirits that refuse to leave. From haunted hotels to ghostly playgrounds, these eerie landmarks keep their legends alive, drawing curious travelers who don’t mind a chill down the spine. So cue up the Halloween playlist I curated last week, hit the haunted road, and dive into the eerie stories where Alabama’s past refuses to rest.
Established in 1818, Maple Hill Cemetery is Huntsville’s largest and oldest resting place, with more than 80,000 gravesites. According to the Sweet Home Alabama website, its long, storied history feeds countless tales of ghostly encounters — from mysterious figures drifting among tombstones to strange whispers in the night.
But the cemetery’s most infamous spot is the Dead Children’s Playground, a small park where swings have been seen moving on their own and the laughter of invisible children fills the air. Locals say these are the spirits of youngsters buried nearby, still at play long after dark.
Every year, Maple Hill hosts the Maple Hill Cemetery Stroll, a community event that celebrates the rich heritage of the Tennessee Valley and Northern Alabama — proof that even the living can find reason to gather among the dead.
Fun fact: Visiting this cemetery has been on my bucket list for years. The ghostly playground even inspired a poem titled “Dead Child’s Playground,” written more than a decade ago.
In the heart of Birmingham stands Sloss Furnaces, a towering relic of the city’s industrial age and, according to www.kaisersir.com, one of the state’s most haunted sites. After the Civil War, Sloss became the beating heart of Alabama’s iron industry — and a place of tragedy for the men who worked there.
James “Slag” Wormwood, a notoriously harsh foreman, pushed his workers to the brink during the graveyard shift, ordering dangerous shortcuts to boost production. Forty seven men died under his watch before, legend says, his fed-up crew turned on him and threw him into the molten furnace in 1906.
After his disappearance, workers began reporting eerie phenomena — being shoved by unseen hands, hearing ghostly commands to “get back to work” and even seeing a burned man prowling the site. Birmingham Police have logged more than 100 reports of unexplained activity at Sloss, and Fox’s Paranormal Team once named it among America’s scariest places.
Today, thrill seekers can experience that same fear firsthand at Sloss Fright Furnaces, where history and horror collide.
In downtown Enterprise, The Rawls Hotel welcomes guests with Southern charm — and a few supernatural residents. As described by a website titled FrightFind, one of those lingering presences may be Japeth Rawls himself, the hotel’s original owner.
Staff say he still keeps watch over his business. One employee recounted trying to hang window treatments when one fell repeatedly — until a board mysteriously struck him in the back. He took it as a sign that Mr. Rawls didn’t approve of his decorating choices.
Guests and staff alike also report the laughter and footsteps of unseen children echoing through the second and third floors. Doors open and close by themselves, reminding visitors that the Rawls’ most loyal guests may have checked in long ago — and never left.
Built in 1837 by Dr. John R. Drish on a 450-acre plantation, the stately Drish House has witnessed more than its share of Southern Gothic drama. According to StyleBlueprint.com, Drish’s love of drink and gambling led to his demise in 1867 when he fell down the stairs while intoxicated.
His widow, Sarah, became obsessed with her husband’s elaborate funeral, saving the candles used during the service to be burned again at her own. But when she died in 1884, the candles were nowhere to be found. Legend says her furious spirit set fire to the house in a desperate attempt to light them herself.
The house gained literary fame in Kathryn Tucker Windham’s “Thirteen Alabama Ghosts and Jeffrey” and remains a local landmark. Today, it hosts weddings and receptions — for the living, at least.
Sweetwater Mansion, also known as the Gov. Robert Patton House, may be one of Alabama’s most mysterious estates. According to U.S. Ghost Adventures' website, the grand home was designed by Gen. John Brahan, a War of 1812 veteran, and completed by his son-in-law, Robert M. Patton, in 1835.
The house’s history is as haunted as it is historic. Its basement once served as a Civil War hospital and later as a county jail. Hidden within that basement is the infamous “mystery room,” a sealed chamber visible only through an exterior window. No one knows what lies within — or why it was built.
Caretakers and visitors have reported chilling experiences: doors locking on their own, objects flying across rooms and the sound of unseen children giggling. One caretaker even claimed to see a phantom casket appear before her eyes, holding the body of a Confederate soldier believed to be one of Patton’s sons.
The mansion, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976, continues to attract ghost hunters and history lovers alike. Whether it’s the spirit of young Billy Patton playing tricks or echoes from its days as a field hospital, Sweetwater Mansion’s secrets are far from resting in peace.
From the whispering oaks of Huntsville to the fiery furnaces of Birmingham, Alabama’s haunted landmarks prove that history never truly dies — it just finds new ways to make itself known.
Planning to hit the haunted road soon? Let me know if you visit any of these locations — or stumble upon other spots where lingering spirits still roam. I’d love to see your photos and hear the stories of what you experienced.
Information sourced from alabama.travel, www.kaisersir.com, frightfind.com, styleblueprint.com and usghostadventures.com.
