Prattville, Alabama

Downtown Montgomery Skyline

Prattville is a city in Autauga and Elmore counties in the State of Alabama. Pictured is the Downtown Prattville courtesy of Robivy64. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

Heritage Park

Heritage Park and the area surrounding it are closely linked with the history of Prattsville. Across the Alabama River from Heritage Park is the old Pratt Cotton Gin factory, and it is this building which is said to be the basis of the story of the Lady in Black.

As can be expected, accidents and deaths occured here before stringent laws were brought in to protect workers, many of whom were children. In one such case, a 10 year old boy named Willie Youngblood fell to his death in an elevator shaft at a building on this site. It is claimed that the ghost is that of his mother, still mourning the loss of her son. Unable to deal with the tragedy, she threw herself into the waters beside the Mill a year after his death.

The Lady in Black has been described as "sad and solemn", wearing a pitch-black dress. Her apparition has been sighted both in the buildings as well as on the river. Other reports state that a young boy has also been sighted.

According to the author Faith Serafin, paranormal groups have obtained video footage of the apparition as well as EVP recordings.

Pictured left is the Daniel Pratt Gin Manufacturing Company on Autauga Creek courtesy of Chris Pruitt.

Pratt Cotton Gin Factory, 131 Bridge Street, Prattville, AL 36067, USA.

www.prattvilleal.gov

For further information, please read Haunted Montgomery, Alabama by Faith Serafin.