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Madison Ghost Walk relives town’s hauntings
A man wearing a “Madison Ghost Walk” T-shirt listens intently with other walkers as Jacque Reeves discusses the eerie side of Madison’s history. RECORD PHOTO/GREGG L. PARKER
MADISON – Returning after a year’s hiatus, Madison Ghost Walk will guide those who dare to hear legends and tall tales of the more macabre aspects of Madison’s history.
Local historian and author Jacque Reeves will guide the walking tour on each Saturday in October at 6 p.m. Participants will gather at Old Black Bear, 212 Main St., to start the tour that meanders through the historic district along Church Street, Buttermilk Alley and Front Street, among other walkways.
Tickets are $10 for adults, and $5 for twelve-year-olds and younger. Participants can pay by cash or check; guides cannot accept credit/debit cards. Reservations are not needed.
Describing both upstanding citizens and questionable characters, Reeves will recount stories from the Civil War era, a heinous murder and an Indian with an ominous warning. “Perhaps someone from the past will be watching you,” Reeves said.
“The ghosts tell our mediums … ‘You’ve got to tell our story,'” Reeves said.
At 112 Main St. in Madison, a grisly robbery and murder was committed in 1884. Two robbers stole $800 held in proprietor Nathan Freeman’s safe. A robber hit Freeman over the head with an ax, and then slit his throat from ear to ear, Reeves said.
“The ghost of Nathan Freeman is still in the store,” Reeves said. “He tells us, through a medium … ‘Nothing is here; you’ll have to wait for me.'”
The spirit of both Confederate and Union soldiers linger near the Madison Gazebo and Roundhouse, she said. Downtown Madison did witness two skirmishes during the war. “Our medium sees local farmers who came out with all they had, farm tools and ancient rifles, fighting for their property,” Reeves said.
Based on extensive research, Reeve’s narration includes historical facts about the founding of Madison. “John ‘Buch’ Floyd became Mayor of Madison and was responsible for having the Roundhouse built on eight-foot stilts over the water supply. His office was in the Roundhouse, (which) served as city hall and a barbershop until 1936,” she said.
“Fannie Bradford lived with her father at 21 Front St.” after her husband’s suicide. “Our medium gets a strong feeling that she was a prisoner in her father’s home,” Reeves said.
Reeves has served as president of the Huntsville-Madison County Historical Society and curator of Donnell House in Athens.
For more information, call 256-509-3940, email Jacque@HuntsvilleGhostWalk.com or visit madison.huntsvilleghostwalk.com or Facebook/MadisonGhostWalk.
