By T. Jensen Lacey

With Halloween just around the corner, you can be sure that the ghosting season is upon us. Here are a few scary sites that you can find just off Scenic 98, or not too far from it.

CONFEDERATE REST CEMETERY—just east of the Grand Hotel lies the burial ground for soldiers who died in nearby Civil War battles (the Grand Hotel served as a makeshift hospital back then). Some people say that, in the middle of the night when the moon is full, the ghost of a jet-black stallion, still wearing an empty saddle, restlessly strolls among the tombstones, looking for his rider who died in battle. Confederate Rest Cemetery

USS BATTLESHIP ALABAMA—near Mobile, the “Mighty A” is afloat, a testament to those who bravely fought for their country during World War II. Some docents have said that at times, especially when the wind is high, you can hear the screams of ghostly soldiers, who died in conflicts at sea. USS Alabama  Battleship Memorial Park

HOLMES MEDICAL MUSEUM—at the corner of Highway 59 and McKenzie Street (Highway 98) in Foley, what was Baldwin County’s first hospital is open for tours. Besides seeing what medical care was like in the mid-1900s, some visitors have reported hearing babies cry and ghostly people’s voices, speaking in muffled tones. Holmes Medical Museum

THE GIFT HORSE RESTAURANT—also in Foley, this restaurant used to be a USO Club during World War II. It is said that during a USO dance, a young soldier met a girl named Pearl who was to become the love of his brief life. Proposing to her before his deployment, he gave her a pearl necklace as a symbol of his love. “Their” song became what was popular then as “String of Pearls” by Glenn Miller. 

The soldier never returned, and after she died, the ghost of Pearl was reported to be seen sitting at the Foley Railroad Depot, appearing to be waiting for her lover. Some employees at the Gift Horse Restaurant have said that the tune, “String of Pearls,” sometimes begins to play all on its own. Visitors have said they have spotted the dual ghosts of a young couple dancing, floating just above the floorboards of the restaurant. The Gift Horse Restaurant and Antiques

DAUPHIN ISLAND—Dauphin Island has enough ghost stories to fill a book! Two of these include the tale of a young jilted lover, who took her own life when her fiancée did not make his appearance for their beach wedding. Some say you can still hear her crying, late in the night, on that beach.

Another story is that of a spirit who appears and disappears to customers and employees of the Lighthouse Bakery. This spirit is said to look like a mature woman dressed in Victorian-era garb. When people speak to her, she disappears! The Lighthouse BakeryAre these just myths that have been perpetuated over time, or could any of them possibly be true?

Are these just myths that have been perpetuated over time, or could any of them possibly be true?