Spirits of the Sinyard House - Hawkinsville, Georgia

In the small Georgia town of Hawkinsville, located halfway between Atlanta and Savannah, there is a home that for a while seemed most ordinary.  That is until work some work was done on it and extensive changes were made.  The changes in the house seemed to awaken something... spirits who dwelled within.

Spirits from the post Civil War era haunt the Sinyard House in Hawkinsville, Georgia - Image courtesy of Photostock freedigitalphotos.net

After the Sinyard home was remodeled, strange things started to happen with in the home.  A huge amount of poltergeist activity accompanied by sightings of the paranormal kind.  It is believed that this poltergeist has moved things around, pulled items out of kitchen cabinets and slammed the doors shut.  Folks have been taking showers and the curtain would suddenly open by an unseen hand. Also the sounds of a child playing upstairs, laughing and giggling has been heard by some witnesses who claim that no child was present in the home. Poltergeist activities have been long thought to be caused by the spirits of dead children, the life taken away from them in their youth, so they like to play in the afterlife.

Other things happen in the house that would suggest that this poltergeist is not alone.  Heavy footsteps have been heard going up the stairs when no one was there.  Clothing left in rumpled piles have been found neatly folded and placed in a stack on the foot of the bed.  Occasionally the smell of perfume can be detected with in certain areas of the house.  A kind not worn by any occupant.  There has been instances where a woman's voice has been heard singing upstairs as if singing a lullaby to a child.  And on a rare occasion the actually full bodied apparition of an unrecognized woman has been seen in the windows of the upper floors by people passing by.

The ghostly image of a woman has been seen in the upper floors of The Sinyard House in Hawkinsville, Georgia - Image courtesy of thephotoholic freedigitalphotos.net

After the owners did some research on the property, it was discovered that sometime shortly after the Civil War, a live-in maid stayed in the household and she had a child.  The reason that is known is because records indicated that one day the woman and her child were found dead.  The life needlessly taken away from them.

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Haunted Hole of Choctawhatchee River Bridge - Newton, Alabama

Back in the mid 1860s during the time of the Civil War, a minister named William Sketoe was caught up in a scandal that would unjustly cost him his life.  Ever since that time he has made his presence known as he has come back to haunt those who wronged him in a most unusual way.

The original Choctawhatchee River Bridge - Newton, Alabama which is thought to be haunted by the ghost of Bill Sketoe

In 1864, the Reverend William "Bill" Sketoe was accused of being a traitor to the Confederate States of America.  Although he was innocent of these accusations, a mob of Southern vigilantes in their anger, decided to take matters into their own hands.  They strung Bill up on a tree by the Choctawhatchee River near Newton, Alabama.  However, the tree branch was too weak and the weight of Bill's body allowed his toes to touch the ground.  It would seem that Bill was saved from death...  temporarily. The Confederate mob then began to dig a hole around Sketoe's feet so he would not touch the ground.  As he was slowly strangled to death, he vowed to haunt his persecutors.

From that day on, at the spot where Bill Sketoe met his end, the hole that was dug to ensure his death remains in a spot next the the Choctawhatchee River Bridge.  Many times the hole has been filled in, only to be found empty later on.  In one particular incident, the Alabama Highway department filled the hole in and the very next day the hole remained, unfilled.

The original Choctawhatchee River Bridge near Newton, Alabama as seen from the new bridge.

Located near Fort Rucker Army base northwest of Newton, Alabama, a new bridge has been built next to the original Choctawhatchee River Bridge.  It is said that the hole is right next to it.  So it would seem that the Reverend made good on his promise as the ghost of Bill Sketoe continues to haunt the spot where he was murdered.

The Green Eyed Phantom of Chickamauga - Chickamauga, Georgia

Long before the Civil War ever came about the Cherokee Indians labeled the small creek that winds its way towards the Tennessee border and what is now Chattanooga, the Chickamauga or "River of Death". It is possible they named it that because it is the area where they were first hit with the small pox epidemic that wiped out many Cherokee. Hence the name "River of Death". It became exactly that in September of 1863 when Confederate and Union forces collided in the area just north of the creek.  The battle would produce over 32,500 casualties, including nearly 4,000 dead lying on the battlefield and West Chickamauga Creek after the two day engagement was over.  Many of the dead lay on the battlefield for months until they were hastily buried where they had fallen. Graves are all over the park and some are still accidentally unearthed to this day.

Artist rendition of The Battle of Chickamauga

People who have visited the park say that a strange fog rolls into the park in the evenings when there is no other fog in any other area.  Although there are many ghosts that haunt Chickamauga Battlefield, the most famous apparition or "creature" as some call it, because it is not entirely human looking.  They say a spectre can be seen with glowing green or greenish orange eyes, waist long hair, and fangs can be seen roaming through the fog. The most common place for the creature to be spotted is Snodgrass Hill.  They say that if you get close enough it will stare you down until you leave.

Chickamauga Battlefield

There are some who believe this spectre is a confederate soldier who killed his brother, a Union soldier.  He then in turn, was killed at the battlefield.  Now he roams the battlefield in eternal misery.  Perhaps twisted and transformed into a beast by the personal horrors of the war he experienced.