Gaineswood Plantation – Demopolis
Gaineswood Plantation
This historic house is considered one of the most haunted places in Alabama. People often hear all kinds of unexplained noises on the property, from low whispers and soft singing to gunshots and screams. The source of the hauntings? Some theorize that Evelyn Carter, a nanny to the owner’s children after his wife died, haunts the place because she was buried beneath the house instead of in her family cemetery in Virginia. Others speculate that the victims of a fire aboard the steamboat, Eliza Battle, could have drifted to this nearby plantation. If you see a ghostly ship sail down the river, it’s only the Eliza Battle taking her final journey.
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The wife of Gaineswood Plantation owner Nathan Whitfield died in 1846. According to local lore, the grieving husband then hired a governess from Virginia named Evelyn Carter to help with chores and look after his children. Ms. Carter entertained the children by playing the piano and singing songs. The fun was cut short, however, when she fell sick and died that winter. Though Ms. Carter had made it clear that she wanted to be buried in her family plot, the weather was so bad there was no way to get her body back to Virginia. Mr. Whitfield placed her body in a pine casket and sealed it under the house until it could be shipped back home.
Today, visitors to Gaineswood report the melodic tinkling of the piano, despite the fact that the piano in the home is horribly out of tune and missing many keys. They also report hearing disembodied voices, ghostly singing, and the rustling of skirts, even in empty rooms.