Ghost Stories & Paranormal Encounters

The Setting: The only public Liberal Arts College in Alabama, founded in 1896; The University of Montevallo. The University began as the Alabama Girls Industrial School, in 1896, which focused on high school and college educations for young ladies. In 1911, it became known as the Girls Technical Institute, then in 1919, the focus became college educations for women, and the name changed to the Alabama College for Women. Then in 1923 it became the Alabama State College for Women. These facts are important to the story, due to the tragic deaths of  more than one of these early students.

The University itself is a very lovely setting. The grounds of the campus were designed by the Olmstead Brothers, who designed New York City’s, Central Park and the Biltmore Estate in North Carolina. A natural setting with beautiful old grand trees, lush flowering plants, gently sloping hills. Many of the buildings on the campus predated the college by almost one hundred years, when the land was settled though a land grant from Andrew Jackson to Edmond King. Edmond King, brought his family to this section of Alabama from Virginia, in 1819. His tract of land bordered lands still held by the Creek Indians.

He built a fine two story home, from bricks made on site, known as “Mansion House”. The home is said to be the first in the state to have pane glass windows. It is a beautiful home that still stands today in the center of what is known as the “Quad”, which is in the center of the campus. In this home he lived with his wife, sons and daughter. The family did well and prospered on the rich earth and made a good living. His Daughter married Henry Clay Reynolds. They built a home adjacent to the King home. Their home is much more like what one may think of as an Antebellum “Southern” mansion. It is two story, constructed of brick, painted white, with Ionic columns, made of giant cypress trees, supporting a pediment style roof over the front porch. Of course, there is a balcony.The front of the home is embellished with Palladian style windows, over the long French windows and over the double front door. During the Civil War, Henry, became a Captain in the Confederate Army. So, later in my story I will refer to him as Captain Reynolds.

I would now like to note that the “King Family” Cemetery is located on the campus. I have often wondered why the family felt they had to embellish John King’s (son of Edmond) headstone with “John King hot by his Brother in a Hunting Accident”. Was it really necessary to notate that? By notating it does it mean that it was not an “accident”? Many people met their ends, by many means, in those days, especially illnesses, so why notate the “accident”?

By the time of the Civil War, an Iron Works had been developed in the town near the King Family Plantation, known as the Brierfield Ironworks. The ironworks provided high quality iron for the Confederate Army. General Sherman’s troops swept into the area to destroy the ironworks. When they completed their mission, they made a stop at the King Family Plantation, where the Reynold’s home had been turned into a hospital for sick and wounded Confederate soldiers. It is said that they massacred the Confederates as they lay in their sick beds. Many of the victims were buried in the King Family Cemetery. Their names, ranks and home states are carved into their grave stones.

As everyone knows, life in the South during “Reconstruction” was very difficult. Most of the wealthy families has lost their actual wealth,to be left with their land, if they were lucky, but with no “gold” in the bank. After the war, the Reynolds had a Boy’s school, akin to a prep-school/military school,in their home, for boys of “good” families. By the 1890s this venture had become the Girl’s school and had outgrown the Reynolds home, resulting in a large dormitory being constructed adjacent to the Reynolds home. The first section of what is now known as “Main” completed in 1896. The wings East and West were added in 1899 and 1901.

Through the course of time, other buildings have been added as the needs of the campus grew. But the central character of the 160 acre place has always stayed the same. The streets are paved with red bricks, the buildings are constructed of red bricks, the architecture reflects the Victorian and the Golden Gilded Age, with touches of Classical through the designs of the buildings from the 1890s though the 1930s. There is a red brick, gated wall that surrounds the original campus. Once you enter the walled area you are surrounded by not only the wall, but the entities that exist inside the walled area. All along the streets outside the campus are the Gingerbread trimmed Queen Anne styled Victorian homes that look so charming. If you walk a few streets over, you will be in the small town of Montevallo, that does look like something from a movie set, with old store fronts and vintage marquees.

There are a total of 28 National Historic sites in the immediate area, including the King Family home and the Reynolds home. Interestingly there is a marker in front of Main dormitory that denotes that spot as the precise and definite “center” of the State of Alabama. What about that for a magnetic attraction for unusual activity? For anyone who has read about “ley” lines as the centers for paranormal activity along certain paths on the earth this is something to consider as a powerful position.

When I was growing up, in the country outside of a small town in north central Alabama, in a time of three TV stations, reading was an important part of entertainment, for me. I enjoyed reading about many topics, mostly history and biographies, with those you will also delve into, Ghost stories. We were fortunate to have a writer from our state, who wrote the “Ghost Stories” that were well known about certain places, they are known as the “Thirteen Alabama Ghosts and Jeffery” collection. She wrote these upon finding that her home was haunted by a young boy named “Jeffery” who was her son’s imaginary friend. The stories included the “ghost” stories regarding incidents from the University of Montevallo, at the time it was the Alabama Girls Industrial School. Her stories spoke of a poor distraught girl who committed suicide by hanging herself over the fourth floor balcony in the center of Main dormitory. There was another poor girl who also did herself in by hanging herself in her room. Both of these girls haunted the dormitory by pulling pranks on girls who lived there.

In 1908, a poor girl, named Conde Cunningham, was making hot cocoa, over a hot burner in her room, with some friends, when her clothing caught on fire and she burned to death while running down the hallway. It is said that she too, haunts the dormitory, by pulling pranks, but it is also said that it is her feet you can hear running down the hallway, and that, a voice has been heard screaming “Help Me!”, but, no one is there.

There is another story of a man who was a caretaker of Main who shot himself in a room on the 4th floor, during the 1930s. The room was never used again for students to live in, it was used as a storage room. My roommate and I had to enter that room, when we decided that one desk in our room was enough. The dorm manager had to open the door with a key and let us slide our desk inside. Although it was winter and the entire building was heated with steam heat, that room was as cold as ice.

Since the expansion of the university the Reynold’s home had been turned into part of the Theater department. It was used for a rehearsal theatre and to stage smaller productions. At one time the portrait of Captain Reynolds that hung in the entry hall was replaced with a portrait of the patron of the theater department. All were amazed the next day when they entered the building to find that the portrait of Captain Reynolds was back in its position in the entry and the portrait of the patron was on the floor face down under it! Captain Reynolds has been known to be displeased with members of the theater department, and he will let them know, by causing scenery to fall, sand bags to fall from the curtains, lights to short out, etc.

On one occasion, three young men were working late at night in the theater, setting lights for an upcoming production. Two were in the light booth, and one was on the stage. “What’s happening?” “What’s wrong with you?” the two in the booth shouted to the one on the stage as they watched him seemingly jump backwards into the air, slam into a brick wall and fall onto the stage. They ran to the stage, as he was getting up, “Nothing is wrong with me!” He declared “Something picked me up and threw me against the wall!” With that they made a hasty exit from the building! I was in productions in that building and I know that I would have never wanted to be in there alone! Many people that attended the university have seen, heard or experienced unusual things. Some have seen boys on tall wheeled tri-cycles, like those from the turn of the century, riding along the brick streets. Some have seen the reflections of girls in “make-up” in the mirrors backstage in the large theater, Palmer Hall.I never “saw” anything like that; now for what I experienced.

Experiences: All Freshmen must live in Main dormitory. All Freshmen must have roommates. Okay.

I was assigned to 373 in Main, this was a large corner room, on the top floor. (only the center portion had four floors). It was a really large room at least 30×30, the ceiling was at least 18 feet tall, the windows were long windows, they were up so high off the floor though, that I had to stand on my bed to look out. And then you could not see outside except for the edge of the cornice molding of the building, the tops of some trees and the sky. So much for looking down upon the campus or the “quad”. It was good though, my two roommates were both on every “team” imaginable, all sporty, in fact, I don’t ever remember either, hardly ever being there. So it was like a private room. I had a bed, a desk, an armoire,(the place was constructed before closets so everyone had an armoire). The only shelf I had was the window sill over my bed, so I used it for some books, my clock, a small plant my Grandmother had given me, some pictures in frames. Between my room and the next room, was a bath area, with a sink, no toilet or shower, those were located adjacent to the laundry area at the other end of the hallway. Of course I had a tooth brush and the like in the sink area, my desk was where I kept my makeup and contact lens case. The contact lens case being very important because without them I am blind, no joke!

Classes began shortly after my arrival. So every morning I would get up put in contacts, dress, get whatever my first classes books were and head out. I would usually go back to my room to get the next classes books, I would notice that my contact lens case would not be where I left it, but, being a “blonde” I would just think “Well, I must have put it somewhere different, I’ll find it when I get back”. Then I would go back thinking I would be searching for it. And there it would be!Right where I left it! Then there was the door. I would go into the room, close the door, get across the room, and see that the door was opening. “Oh, well, it’s old, faulty door knob.” and close the door. I was there a little while and made a friend of a girl who was from a small town near me. She and I were both a little “Arty” and kept late hours. One night she had asked me to go out with her and her boyfriend, I had declined, I had studied late and was very tired. So, I had gone to bed. I was in a deep sleep. Back then I slept very hard, very deeply and when I was in that state nothing short of an atomic blast could awaken me. I was sleeping on my stomach and in my sleep felt a tapping on my back, tap… tap… tap… tap… “Go on, Lori” I mumbled in my sleep, my face in my pillow,arm motioning her to “Go away, let me sleep, I’ll talk with you tomorrow.”

The next morning I wake up, still sleeping on my front, I push myself up with my arms, and feel something sliding off my back, I look down into the floor and all the books from the shelf/window sill above my bed, are sliding off my back into the floor. Mind you these were paperback books. I look up, astonished, the window was closed, it would not open, so they did not blow off; my plant was there, my pictures, other small things, my clock; all were where they should have been!

hen, is when I realized, the “tap…tap…tap” had been someone pulling my books off, on to me, one book at a time! Glad I was a deep sleeper! Believe me, in no time, I was dressed and in the cafe, looking for my friend to tell about my experience. I located Jeff, I had known him for a long time, we had gone to High School together. I sat down and started telling him my story. As, I was talking, a girl sitting on the other side of me, said “Where do you live?”, “373, in Main” “Oh, my God!” she said “I lived across the hall in 372 last year! Let me tell you what happened to me!” She said that she and her roommate were sitting in the floor in the center of their large center room, studying for an Art History exam, they both watched as something thumped their toothbrushes off the little nails that held them on the wall over the sink. They just flew off the wall by themselves! Then she said that her roommate was wearing a skirt and wanted to borrow a slip. “Sure” she said, ” I have just done my laundry. It’s folded on the top in the top drawer of the armoire.” She went to get it and it was not there. She looked through everything and could not find it. Then they had to go to class. When they got back it was folded neatly on her bed! Little things like this happened all the time. Then one night…

One night everyone I was fiends with went to a show in Birmingham, my parents did not give me an entertainment budget, so, I could not go to see Elvis Costello. It was a bummer, but, I decided to make the best of it and go and hang out in the Art Department, there was always project to work on and someone interesting to talk to. It was dark by 4pm because it was November, it was cold. It was a brisk little walk from Main to the Art building. A walk past the Quad. The Quad was shadowed by leafless trees and evergreens, with rock formations, all creating shadows, even on a dark night. The brick streets and sidewalks were shadowy in places, my footsteps were the only things I could hear as I made my way to the Art building. As I was hurrying along, I felt as though I was being watched by someone. I kept thinking that it must be someone on the quad, sitting on the rocks under the shadows of trees. It made the hair on the back of my neck stand up, which was giving me that uncomfortable feeling. Not actually afraid, just uncomfortable.

When I entered the warm Art building, the uncomfortable feeling went away. I found my project and began working on it, another student was in the room with me, so we chatted away, working on our projects, for several hours. When John was ready to leave, I decided I would go, too. We left the building together, but, each headed in opposite directions. “Drat!” I thought, as I hurried along,”Whoever is out there is still there! I can feel them watching at me!” Oh, how the hair was standing up on the back of my neck!

By now I was VERY uncomfortable, but, trying to stay calm, just hurrying along, on a cold night! Like any sensible person would do. I got back to Main, went up the outside stairs into the front lobby/parlor; lots of people about, sitting, standing, chatting, girls, guys. As I entered the lobby the “feeling” went away! “Good” I thought “It was someone outside!” Then I continued up the central staircase, three floors, to my room at the end of the hall.

I opened my door. The only light was the light in the hall, except for what glowed in through the tall windows from the street lights outside, which were far below my window. I started toward my desk, to turn on the lamp, which was one that just lit the paper you were looking at. Just as I had turned on the lamp and was in the process of sitting in my chair, in mid sit motion, the door opened. Light from the fluorescents in the hallway steamed in, the door opened all the way back to the wall, “Drat!” I was thinking “Darn door!” I was just in motion to move to shut it when – it SLAMMED ITSELF SHUT! AND THE FEELING WAS IN THE ROOM WITH ME!

That’s when I KNEW IT was NOT a FEELING that IT was a very BAD THING! Whatever or Whomever was in the room with me was EVIL! I could feel it; heavy, dark, making every hair on my body stand up; all my nerves were screaming like shooting pains! I could feel it on my skin like a veil of darkness. What had been a warm room was cold. For a moment I froze. I was frightened at first, my heart was pounding! But, I decided, that I would not leave the room! I knew that if I left the room that IT would terrorize me all over the campus! So, I thought about all that I had read to do with the “unexplained”.

I decided that I would not leave the room, that I would stay. But immediately, I began to recite the “Lord’s Prayer” over and over again in my mind. I laid down on my bed, fully clothed, wearing my hard contact lenses, closed my eyes and proceeded to recite the Prayer over and over again, until, I basically, put myself into a deep meditational state. So focused I was on the prayer. I some point I went into what I think was a hypnotic state, a state of deep sleep. Later the next morning, when I awoke, I was fine. Except for the contact lenses being jammed in the top of my eyes. Nothing was disturbed in the room.

For the remainder of the time I was in that room, nothing else happened to me; my contact lens case did not move; my door stayed shut. Although shortly after that I did move into my friend Lori’s room with her, forcing her roommate, to move out. That girl did complain to the Dorm manager. But, you know, the manager did not make me move back to 373. That was because, everyone knew about the things that happened in that dormitory and on that campus. So, they were not going to make a victim out of me. I thank them for that. The next year I did go to another college. My parents thought that I was exaggerating my experience. I promise I was not. To write it now I am still amazed that it happened. Until then I thought of those stories as “stories”; legends; fables; folklore. It’s not. These things are “real”. Just not everyone is able to experience them.

I think that the “entities” know who the “sensitive’s” are and will reveal themselves to you. For Good or for Evil. For Enlightenment or for Mischief. Also I wonder why no one has gone down to Montevallo to do some readings with all of the current technology. I am sure there would be more than enough for a show.

Thank you for reading my story. I have more to share. This just happens to be the longest tale. Thanks again,

Written by Camille Love, Copyright 2009