October 16, 2006

 
LIVINGSTON, Ala.--Ready for a little Halloween fun? Then head to Livingston, Ala., Oct. 30 to discover the ghost tales of this small Sumter County town. The University of West Alabama is sponsoring a walking ghost tour led by Dr. Alan Brown, English professor and author of numerous books on Southern ghost lore. In addition, Orbservations, a ghost hunting group from Meridian, Miss., will spend the night in the reportedly haunted Julia Tutwiler Library hoping to detect supernatural activity. Morning show personalities from two Meridian radio stations will join them, broadcasting live from UWA Halloween morning.

The free ghost tour begins at the Bored Well in downtown Livingston at 9 p.m., and stops on the one-mile tour include several haunted homes and campus buildings. In the Upchurch House and Lakeview, both currently home to Livingston families, some family members report seeing full-body apparitions. These sightings are considered “the holy grail of ghost hunting,” according to Brown, whose tenth book Ghost Hunters of the South was recently released.

“UWA employees and students report seeing spirits in old-fashioned clothing in both Webb Hall, a former girls’ dormitory that now houses University administration, and Brock Hall, home to the nursing program,” Brown said. “Others claim that strange occurrences in Bibb Graves Hall cause them to believe it is haunted.”  

The Tutwiler Library, however, is of the most interest to members of the paranormal investigation organization Orbservations. The library is said to be haunted by the ghost of Miss Lucile Foust, an old maid who was principal of the University’s lab school in the 1930s. Her portrait now hangs on the second floor of the building. The strange activity began in 1995 when the portrait of another university official, Dr. Lyon, was moved to the library. The two did not get along in life, and it seems Miss Foust is trying to get revenge even in death.

Ghost stories from the Tutwiler Library include “spectral fingers gliding through the hair of librarians at the front desk, an antique wheelchair that propels itself out of the conference room in the second floor, books that fall off the shelves by themselves and cabinet doors that open and slam shut inexplicably.” The most disturbing story involves a female spirit, probably Miss Foust, who frightened a student and a security guard on separate occasions.

“The security guard saw her reflection in the glass doors of the building. She was standing behind him,” Brown said. “The guard retired from the University that year, and I believe the experience still haunts him today.”

Last year, Orbservations used tape recorders to hear electronic voice phenomenon and digital cameras to capture floating orbs in the library. Because of their past findings, the group wants to do a more thorough investigation this year.

“To hear EVP, you ask questions in a dark room while the tape recorder is running. When you play it back, you can hear a low, garbled response,” Brown explained. “Orbs are transparent balls that cannot be seen with the naked eye, but they will appear in photographs taken with a digital camera.”

Scottie Ray Boyd and Debbie Alexander, morning show personalities on Meridian’s Miss 101, and Carson Case from their sister station Q95 have agreed to spend the night in the Tutwiler Library as well. Contest winners from each station will also join the ghost hunters. The radio stations plan to broadcast live from the library Halloween morning to talk about what went on during the night. A live Web cam will even be set up to record any supernatural activity outside of the building.

“It is going to be an exciting night,” Brown said. “I am anxious to see what Orbservations discovers in the library, and after hearing all of the ghost stories, I hope that I can experience something firsthand.”

For more information about the walking ghost tour of Livingston or the Tutwiler Library investigation, contact Brown at 205-652-3521 or abrown@uwa.edu.