Ghost Stories, Local Legends, and Lore
I sometimes crave a good ghost story. A local one is even better because I can't help but feel afraid when I know a haunted location is nearby. My Papaw, Dickey Patterson, is the best story-teller I've ever known. I have him to thank for getting me interested in haunted and chilling local history. Nearly all of the recent photos on this page were taken and edited by my friend, Lowranzy Whitt. Ownership belongs to him. Please, get permission before using these images.
Dead Children's Playground (aka Maple Hill Park) - images by Lowranzy Whitt (2004)
Looking down on the park.
The infamous swings.
Amber Chattée Saunders on the swings.
Behind the cliffs.
From the top of the cliffs. Please don't try this at home. Also, does anyone get a Stone Henge-y feeling looking at this?
Another one from the top of the cliffs.
Swings at twilight with orbs - image by Lowranzy Whitt (2004)
Elizabeth High-Brown-Routt: Hazel Green's First Serial Killer
The Black Widow of Hazel Green - http://okaylistenhere.blogspot.com/2010/10/dead-husbands-tell-no-tells.html
The Jeffries Home in Hazel Green, home of Elizabeth High-Brown-Routt (Sometimes Called the Mound Inn or Mount Pleasant) -http://www.al.com/living/index.ssf/2014/06/10_endangered_alabama_plantati.html
A sad and desecrated cemetery on the grounds nearby. A few of Elizabeth's husbands, her daughter, and her father were buried here. Many of the headstones have been pulled up and broken. The bench on the right is made from broken headstones. - image by Lowranzy Whitt (2004)
Headstones - uprooted and thrown into a pit (grave?) - image by Lowranzy Whitt (2004)
Located at the end of a tree-lined path was this circular clearing. One large, old, holly tree stood in the center. - image by Lowranzy Whitt
The Headstone of Elizabeth's father. - image by Lowranzy Whitt (2004)
For some people, nothing is sacred. Vandals have destroyed this resting place over time. - image by Lowranzy Whitt (2004)
Orb in movement by an ancient tree - image by Lowranzy Whitt (2004)
I call this one, "Please, Be a Solar Flare" (in this area where no sunlight peeks through. Also dubbed "Time to Go Home Now." A strange mist settles over a make shift Ouija board, no doubt crafted from a headstone. - image by Lowranzy Whitt (2004)
The following video is of singer/songwriter Shane Adkins, who wrote the composed "One Mile East of Hazel Green," a song about the enigmatic Mary High-Brown-Routt:
Article from The Huntsville Times - February 26, 1976
Below is my article about the Black Widow of Hazel Green.
House of Seven Hats.rtfFurther Reading:
