With her Jeffrey, Kathryn Tucker Windham added to the legacy of Southern ghostlore

In her book Jeffrey’s Latest 13 (1982), Windham tells the story of Robert Musgrove, a railroad engineer who was killed when his engine collided with another train between Memphis and Amory in 1904. When he was buried at the Musgrove Chapel Cemetery, his fiancée knelt by his grave and whispered, “I’ll never leave you.” In 1962, the image of a young women in a kneeling posture appeared on Musgrove’s tombstone. The image remains on the tombstone as a testament to the lasting power of romantic love. Family has always been important to Southerners. In some ghost tales, those bonds of love that keep us together transcend death itself. An antebellum mansion in West Pint, Miss., is haunted by the ghost of a little girl who died in the house during the Civil War. Her spirit refuses to leave the only home she ever knew. The impression of a small body has been found on the bed in her bedroom. One of the owners of the house heard a sad little voice call out for her mother. A good example is the ghost of Stephen Cleveland, whose 5-year-old son, Walter, died in 1861 while his father rode off to war. Cleveland was unable to ride the boy on horseback around the wrap-around-porch of their home in Suggsville. To this day, the sound of phantom hoof beats can be heard pounding on the porch. Stephen Cleveland, people say, is trying to fulfill his promise to his dead son. Ghost stories also preserve those dark, shameful episodes in history that many Southerners would prefer to forget. Many of these tales involve outsiders who became victims of intolerance. Pilot Knob Cemetery in Marion, Ky., is haunted by the ghost of a 5-year-old girl who was burned at the stake along with her mother, an accused witch. The ghost of the little girl has been seen pacing back and forth across her grave. She also makes faces at visitors. Windham’s best-known ghost story is the saga of Henry Wells, a black man who was unjustly accused of burning down the Pickens County Courthouse in Carrollton on Nov. 16, 1876. One stormy night in 1878, Henry was staring out of the garret window of the newly constructed courthouse where he was being held for safe-keeping. He became nervous when he saw a crowd forming on the lawn below. As lightning flashed across the sky, Henry proclaimed, “If you hang me, I will be with you always.” The lynch mob ignored Henry’s words and hanged him from a pecan tree in front of the courthouse.

Southern Spirit Guide: A Piece of Marietta's History – The Root ...

The internet has made mounds of information available for mining. Among these mounds of information are content sites like Examiner.com, Associated Content and Suite101. Sometimes denigrated as “content farms,” these sites provide a platform for writers on all levels and can also provide some financial income as well. Certainly these sites may be mined for information on haunted places and they can produce junk but also occasional gems, like this article from Rhetta Akamatsu. Haunted Marietta , has provided a well-researched and informative article on The Root House Museum. Built around 1845, this middle class residence has been moved twice in the name of progress and has finally been preserved by the Cobb Landmarks and Historical Society some two blocks away from its original location. The house is now open as a house museum with costumed docents guiding visitors through the home filled with period furnishings and gardens planted with plants appropriate to the period. The house was the home to William Root, the town’s first druggist and a merchant. While residing here, Root was a founder of St. James Episcopal Church and served as its Sunday School Superintendant for many years. He also served as the county coroner for two terms. His family did experience a loss in the house, one of his sons died at a young age which was sadly a common occurrence at the time. According to Akamatsu there has been paranormal activity experienced in the main bedroom of the house. Some have claimed to see the spirit of a woman, quite possibly that of Mrs. Root. Both the article and the book report that Mrs. Root’s spirit has been seen by passersby peering from the bedrooms windows. The book goes on to explain that the room contains an antique rope bed that is sometimes appears to have been slept in when the house is opened in the mornings. The bed, it is noted, is tightened every night before the house is closed. Sleep well, Mrs. Root!

I just love that! Oh my gosh! Our house used to be on the historic tour and I loved putting on a hoop skirt and greeting folks. As a kid, I was ashamed of living in a big old antebellum mansion and all the creepy antiques, flocked wallpaper and artifacts in display cases, the multi-tiered Waterford crystal chandeliers, and ornate fireplaces. My friends lived in modern 70s split-level homes with chrome furnishings and bean bag chairs. I felt like one of the Munsters. In retrospect, I'm so thankful I grew up that way. I would love to tour this place. It sounds divine.

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