Fort Morgan
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Southern Blend
John Rittmann
Welcome, guys and ghouls, to another spookified “Southern Blend!” This week we will feature another historically haunted piece of our heritage, Fort Morgan.
The fort was built in 1934 after 25 years of construction by enslaved African Americans. A major reason for the delay was because of the isolated location. This isn’t Fort Morgan-suburb-of-vacationville as we know it today. Forty-six million cubic yards of brick were built by hand, paid for by the federal government to establish a stronger defense system following The War of 1812.
Throughout its existence it has been actively used during four wars: The Civil War, The Spanish-American War and both World Wars. It played a significant role in the Battle of Mobile Bay, wherein the Union held the fort siege for two weeks before capturing it.
It is also considered to be one of the most haunted places in Alabama.
Imagine wandering the old stone halls at night. Maybe you have a flashlight. The age isn’t just present visually – places like this tend to smell old. During the rainy season the halls probably smell dank and musty, like a crypt. Your mind wanders to the hands that laid the stones. They’re unhappy. Miserable. Tortured.
Now imagine the soldiers holding the fort throughout a Union siege. Nothing to do but prepare, fight, and think. The long hours and scarce supplies are frightening enough. Add in wondering what will happen when the supplies are all gone – perhaps wondering just what you’ll eat when the actual food runs out.
Old forts like this also have a place for holding prisoners. One such prisoner made use of such facilities at Fort Morgan in 1916 or 1917 until he ended his own life. To be fair, I can’t seem to find any proper sources on this, but let’s not sacrifice a good spooky story for the sake of good journalism.
There are plenty of horror stories to be told taking place within the walls of the fort that genuinely happened. The aforementioned prisoner, a mass bombing during the Civil War, and a brutal assault have all happened within these cold, heartless walls. Whether or not one believes in some of these spectral suppositions, it can’t be denied that the building’s history can be felt down to the pit of one’s stomach.
There are a wide variety of encounters reported by visitors to the fort. Many indicate feeling a sense of foreboding upon crossing the threshold to the entrance tunnel – as if they aren’t supposed to be on this hallowed ground. Screams can be heard echoing through the ancient hallways.
One couple reported seeing someone dressed in tattered Confederate rags wandering the grounds toward the seawall. Figuring it was someone trying to play a joke on them, they waved and welcomed them over. The soldier didn’t wave back. He did something much more grim – he silently climbed up to the top of the seawall, and without uttering a word, he jumped.
Close to the barracks, there are reports of more than screams to be heard. On at least one occasion, a visitor heard a strange scraping sound across the cold stone floor. The metallic clinking and scraping of a heavy chain sounded like it was being dragged across the ground, as if attached to the hopeless prisoner’s leg. The visitor searched and searched, but there was no source of the sound to be found.
War, assault, and murder are part of many places’ histories. It’s nothing new, unfortunately. There’s something to be said, though, about when we take away the veil of stories and face reality. True horror is to go and touch the same darkness that once held the tragic screams that fill the past.