Haint Misbehaving by Hailey Edwards

I live in the Deep South, in an area rich in both history and tragedy and, because of those things, it comes as no surprise the area is also rich in ghosts. There is one ghost in particular who fascinates me: the ghost of Jesse James. Now, Jesse wasn’t from around here, so his choice of haunting sites is peculiar. Unless…you believe a ghost resides where he was most content during his life.

On the banks of the Alabama River, the St. James hotel stands watch over the city of Selma, Alabama. It’s an antebellum riverfront hotel, the only one left in Selma, and was built back in 1837.

Another interesting tidbit is that Benjamin S. Tower, the first African American Congressman, owned the establishment.

Anyway, Frank and Jesse James made the hotel their headquarters for some time. After the war, the area fell into hard times and was closed for over one hundred years.

Then, sometime in the late 1990’s, it was completely renovated and reopened for business. Much to the surprise of the new owners, there were a couple of unexpected guests still in residence.

Jesse James himself is rumored to walk the halls wearing his 1880’s cowboy-best. He prowls through rooms 214, 314, and 315. I wonder what significance those numbers hold to him?  He’s also rumored to occupy a corner table at the downstairs bar.

His girlfriend, Lucinda, is also a resident spook. As is his dog.

I think the best part of this story was when a team of paranormal investigators set up a tape recorder in the Brantley Ballroom, hoping for Electronic Voice Phenomenon. They asked, “Is anyone here?” Later, when they replayed the tape, a gruff voice had replied, “Well, that’s a stupid question.”

How about y’all? Have you ever seen a ghost or been somewhere you just know is haunted? Are there any legendary spooks in your neck of the woods?

 Hailey Edwards is a memeber of Paranormal Romantics and has donated towards the grand prize. Leave a comment for an additional entry.