13 Alabama Ghosts and Jeffrey
Encyclopedia
13 Alabama Ghosts and Jeffrey is a book first published in 1969
by folklorist
Kathryn Tucker Windham
and Margaret Gillis Figh. The book contains thirteen ghost stories
from the U.S. state of Alabama
. The book was the first in a series of seven Jeffrey books, most featuring ghost stories from a Southern state
. Jeffrey in the book's title refers to a ghost
that allegedly haunts Windham's home.
that Windham attributed to a spirit she dubbed "Jeffrey." At first, the family heard footsteps in rooms that would later be found empty. A supposed photograph of Jeffrey, included in the book, was taken inside the home. On the night the picture was made, some young people visiting the house decided to play with a Ouija board
, trying to contact Jeffrey. When they developed the photos taken that night, a shadowy vaguely human-like shape was seen beside a girl in the photograph. Soon after it was taken Windham contacted Figh, who was a noted collector of ghost stories, to ask about Jeffrey. Out of that meeting, the idea of 13 Alabama Ghosts and Jeffrey was born.
In the preface to the book, Windham says that although there are many ghost stories in Alabama, she wanted to choose stories for her book that had "entertained many generations" and were "a treasured part of Southern folklore." Windham sought stories from which she could describe not only the ghost, but also the community and lifestyles of the people who first reported the haunting. In fact, this has been a noted feature of Windham's writing; she spends as much time describing the people and places around the ghost stories as she does the ghost itself.
in the state who say the book promotes beliefs incompatible with Christianity. In fact, Windham has said that she has received letters from people telling her she is doomed to hell for writing the Jeffrey books.
In an interview with The Birmingham News
, Windham responded to these claims, saying "If I'm going to hell — and I can't deny that, because it's not for me to judge — it won't be for telling ghost stories; I have far greater shortcomings than that."
1969 in literature
The year 1969 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* The first Booker Prize is awarded.* "Penelope Ashe", author of the bestselling novel Naked Came the Stranger, is found to be several people who each took a turn writing a chapter of what they described as "junk" in...
by folklorist
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
Kathryn Tucker Windham
Kathryn Tucker Windham
Kathryn Tucker Windham was an American storyteller, author, photographer, and journalist. She was born in Selma, Alabama and grew up in nearby Thomasville....
and Margaret Gillis Figh. The book contains thirteen ghost stories
Ghost story
A ghost story may be any piece of fiction, or drama, or an account of an experience, that includes a ghost, or simply takes as a premise the possibility of ghosts or characters' belief in them. Colloquially, the term can refer to any kind of scary story. In a narrower sense, the ghost story has...
from the U.S. state of Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
. The book was the first in a series of seven Jeffrey books, most featuring ghost stories from a Southern state
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
. Jeffrey in the book's title refers to a ghost
Ghost
In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
that allegedly haunts Windham's home.
Origins of the book and Jeffrey
The foreword of the book describes how Windham came to be interested in ghost stories. It began with ghostly incidents in the Windham family home in SelmaSelma, Alabama
Selma is a city in and the county seat of Dallas County, Alabama, United States, located on the banks of the Alabama River. The population was 20,512 at the 2000 census....
that Windham attributed to a spirit she dubbed "Jeffrey." At first, the family heard footsteps in rooms that would later be found empty. A supposed photograph of Jeffrey, included in the book, was taken inside the home. On the night the picture was made, some young people visiting the house decided to play with a Ouija board
Ouija
The Ouija board also known as a spirit/fire key board or talking board, is a flat board marked with the letters of the alphabet, the numbers 0-9, the words "yes", "no", "hello" and "goodbye", and other symbols and words are sometimes also added to help personalize the board...
, trying to contact Jeffrey. When they developed the photos taken that night, a shadowy vaguely human-like shape was seen beside a girl in the photograph. Soon after it was taken Windham contacted Figh, who was a noted collector of ghost stories, to ask about Jeffrey. Out of that meeting, the idea of 13 Alabama Ghosts and Jeffrey was born.
In the preface to the book, Windham says that although there are many ghost stories in Alabama, she wanted to choose stories for her book that had "entertained many generations" and were "a treasured part of Southern folklore." Windham sought stories from which she could describe not only the ghost, but also the community and lifestyles of the people who first reported the haunting. In fact, this has been a noted feature of Windham's writing; she spends as much time describing the people and places around the ghost stories as she does the ghost itself.
Stories included
- The Ghost of the Angry ArchitectRocky Hill CastleRocky Hill Castle, also known simply as Rocky Hill, was a historic plantation and plantation house between Town Creek and Courtland, Alabama, United States. Once famed in Alabama for its architecture, it was an unusual mixing of neoclassical and picturesque aesthetics in one plantation complex...
- Death Lights in the TowerDr. John R. Drish HouseThe Dr. John R. Drish House, also known simply as the Drish House, is a historic plantation house in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States. It is considered by state preservationists to be one of the most unique mixes of the Greek Revival and Italianate styles in Alabama...
- The Faithful Vigil at Carlisle HallKenworthy HallKenworthy Hall, also known as the Carlisle-Martin House and Carlisle Hall, is located on the north side of Alabama Highway 14, two miles west of the Marion courthouse square. It was built from 1858 to 1860 and is one of the best preserved examples of Richard Upjohn's distinctive asymmetrical...
- The Specter in the Maze at CahabaCahaba, AlabamaCahaba, also spelled Cahawba, was the first permanent state capital of Alabama from 1820 to 1825. It is now a ghost town and state historic site. The site is located in Dallas County, southwest of Selma.-Capital:...
- The Phantom Steamboat of the TombigbeeEliza BattleThe Eliza Battle was a Tombigbee River steamboat that ran a route between Columbus, Mississippi and Mobile, Alabama during the 1850s. She was destroyed in a fire on the river near modern Pennington, Alabama on March 1, 1858...
- The Unquiet Ghost at GaineswoodGaineswoodGaineswood is a plantation house in Demopolis, Alabama, United States. The house was completed on the eve of the American Civil War after a construction period of almost twenty years. It is the grandest plantation house ever built in Marengo County and is one of the most significant remaining...
- The Face in the CourthousePickens County CourthouseThe Pickens County Courthouse in Carrollton, Alabama is a courthouse in west-central Alabama. It is famous for a ghostly image that can be seen in one of its windows, claimed to be the face of Henry Wells, who allegedly was falsely accused of burning down the town's previous courthouse and was...
Window - Mobile'sMobile, AlabamaMobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
Pipe-Smoking Captain - The Return of the Ruined BankerSturdivant HallSturdivant Hall, also known as the Watts-Parkman-Gillman Home, is a historic Greek Revival mansion and house museum in Selma, Alabama, United States. Completed in 1856, it was designed by Thomas Helm Lee for Colonel Edward T. Watts. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on...
- The Hole That Will Not Stay FilledBill SketoeWilliam "Bill" Sketoe, Sr. was a Methodist minister from the south Alabama town of Newton, whose lynching there on December 3, 1864 gave birth to one of Alabama's best known ghost stories...
- Huntingdon College'sHuntingdon CollegeHuntingdon College, founded in 1854, is a coeducational liberal arts college in Montgomery, Alabama, United States. Related to the United Methodist Church, the college's central hallmarks are faith, wisdom, and service. The college is known for providing a solid academic experience based on good...
Red Lady - The Crying Spirit at the Well
- The Dancing Ghost of Grancer HarrisonGrancer HarrisonWilliam "Grancer" Harrison , aka The Dancing Ghost of Grancer Harrison, is the subject of several ghost stories about his alleged spirit seen dancing at his grave-site near Kinston, Alabama. The story was featured in the book 13 Alabama Ghosts and Jeffrey...
Controversy
Despite being very popular in Alabama, the book has attracted a small amount of controversy from some ChristiansChristianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
in the state who say the book promotes beliefs incompatible with Christianity. In fact, Windham has said that she has received letters from people telling her she is doomed to hell for writing the Jeffrey books.
In an interview with The Birmingham News
The Birmingham News
The Birmingham News is the principal daily newspaper for Birmingham, Alabama, United States, and the largest newspaper in Alabama. The paper is owned by Advance Publications...
, Windham responded to these claims, saying "If I'm going to hell — and I can't deny that, because it's not for me to judge — it won't be for telling ghost stories; I have far greater shortcomings than that."