photo by FILE / ASHLEY VANSANT

Members of the Gulf State Paranormal Society investigate the University of Montevallo's King House, which according to legend is haunted by the spirit of Edmund King.

School spirits

By Amy Jones (Contact) | Shelby County Reporter

Published Tuesday, October 28, 2008

MONTEVALLO — The University of Montevallo is the perfect breeding ground for ghost stories. On this historical campus, where plenty have lived and a few have died, ghosts are an integral part of the school's identity, said research librarian Carey Heatherly.

"I think it brings a certain charm and is very representative of the campus culture. It's very unique," he said.

Heatherly, who has done research into the history of UM's ghost stories, said some of the UM ghost stories are rooted in historical fact, while some are complete myths.

For example, every student has heard the story of Condie Cunningham, whose body died in 1908 but whose spirit lives on in Main Hall. Historical records from that year back up the story of how Condie died, while the story of Captain Reynolds, the man who never left Reynolds Hall, is a myth with no historical data to back it up.

Junior Dallas Hanbury said the tales create a sense of excitement on campus - especially around Halloween.

"I think there's something in the imagination," he said. "People who say they don't believe in ghosts are the ones who talk about them the most."

MAIN HALL

Condie Cunningham was a resident of Main Hall in 1908. One night, she and some friends were cooking in her room when it came time for curfew. In their hurry to put out the flame, Condie's gown caught fire. Panicked, she ran, but the oxygen in the air only accelerated the flames. By the time her friends were able to stop her, she was severely burned. Two days later, she died of her wounds. Soon after, residents began to hear faint calls for help that had no origin, and a few students even saw a girl on fire running through the halls. The best evidence of the ghost's existence, though, rests with a wooden door from the residence hall. In the grain pattern of this door, onlookers can make out the image of a girl with flames about her head. The door is still kept at UM.

KING HOUSE

Edmund King, who built King House in the 1820s, was a wealthy man who kept a fruit orchard outside the house. It's said he died from injuries sustained in the orchard, either by a branch falling on his head or by falling out of a peach tree. It's also said that orchard bore more than just fruit - supposedly, Edmund buried his fortune in gold in the orchard so that Union soldiers wouldn't find it. Now, Edmund's ghostly life seems to revolve around that gold. His spirit has been known to appear in the upstairs windows of King House, where he seems to be counting his money. At other times, his ghost is sighted where the orchard used to be, walking about with a shovel and a lantern, ever in quest of his earthly treasure.

REYNOLDS HALL

Captain Henry Clay Reynolds, the university's first president, was in charge of Reynolds Hall, which was a Confederate hospital. He left the hospital to fight alongside Confederate troops close by, but didn't realize his absence would leave the hospital unguarded. When the Union army came through Montevallo, they supposedly massacred the wounded at Reynolds Hall. When Reynolds made it back from battle, he was filled with regret over the senseless loss of life and swore he would never leave Reynolds Hall again. Well, he didn't. The Captain's portrait has been moved numerous times, but no one ever sees anyone doing it. Doors and windows open and close by themselves, and some have even seen a strange blue aura throughout the building.

UM will hold Spooks in the Stacks at Carmichael Library at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 30. Attendees will hear all these stories and more, and might get a chance to see Condie's door.

All stories courtesy of the University of Montevallo archives.