William B. Bankhead National Forest

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There are several websites out there that state something to the effect of “Aunt Johnson would hang anyone who trespassed on her property and the rope can still be seen to this day.” Does no one ever stop to wonder precisely how a middle-aged woman would manage to hang a whole gaggle of people all by herself? Did they all just willingly put their neck in a noose and go, “Well alrighty then, you just go ahead and string me up!”. The real legend is more impressive than the bastardized version, but perhaps makes for a less eerie ghost story. During the Civil War, a formation of the Home Guard murdered her husband and oldest son, either for feeding war deserters, or because the son refused to join the army. Her husband was apparently hanged from a tree on their property and the son was shot. Legend has it that Jenny and her remaining sons vowed to hunt down and kill every member of the squad that had been involved in the death of her husband and son and succeeded in killing seven out of the eight men. Today, people claim that if you approach her property, her ghost will appear and warn you off, still angry at people who come on to her property, and blaming them for the group who killed her husband and son.

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    Geographic Information

    Address:
    1070 Hwy 33
    Double Springs, AL 35553
    United States

    Get Directions »
    GPS:
    34.224904388113885, -87.33228931328125
    County:
    Winston County, Alabama
    Nearest Towns:
    Double Springs, AL (6.7 mi.)
    Addison, AL (8.8 mi.)
    Arley, AL (12.2 mi.)
    Littleville, AL (14.0 mi.)
    Haleyville, AL (16.5 mi.)
    Lynn, AL (17.5 mi.)
    Moulton, AL (17.8 mi.)
    Natural Bridge, AL (17.9 mi.)
    Nauvoo, AL (18.6 mi.)
    Danville, AL (19.2 mi.)

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    Comments (14)

      • Ok she was a real person and went thru some horrible things a VERY strong lady from what I know .. just google it if u dont believe me and u can read of her past.she did lower the body of her dead husband whom had also been shot and called her children over put their hands in their fathers blood (even the baby.. and made an oath to rid for good each of the men involved in the husband and sons death! The first was killed beheaded and she kept his skull as a soap dish… what u search is aunt Jenny Johnson.

      • She was a real person but she did not die in her 30s. My great grandfather actually washed her feet and had contact with her when he was a boy. This story is completely out of line. She’s not a vengeful woman. She was treated like shit by the federal government just like my family and everyone else that was kicked off their own land because some dicky politician decided to slap their name and make a national forest out of my ancestors Sacred ground. It’s Warrior Mountain btw…

      • Wasn’t the headstone stolen several years back? It is an eerie place. A group of us went there back when the old house was still standing. We seen a light come in a house with no electricity. Needless to say we booked it and I’ve not been back since.

    1. Tonight I went there with my friends for what feels like the millionth time. Nothing strange has ever happened to us before, but it did tonight and I will not be going back. There are some experiences that scare you almost to death and this was one.

    2. louisa bates brooks johnson.. and yes her headstone has been stolen many time…. she infact had 10 children her 1st born died young and most dont know about that one. she out lived all but 1 of her children. she swore a blood oath when her oldest son and husband were murdered by homeguards because most likely they didnt want to join the war. all but 1 of the men died by the hand of a brooks family member the last one fled in fear…. i do not believe this family was evil and i believe aunt jenny is at rest. i did alot of research on this family. they lived in a violent time. aunt jenny was not a witch she was a healer and midwife she was half cherokee. she lived for her family.

    3. Thanksgiving Day of six years ago, I drove an old open car along the Ridge Rd and stopped at Poplar Spring Cemetery to take a photo of Aunt Jenny’s grave. I left the car running because I was concerned it might not start if I turned it off, and push-starting might be troublesome way out there in the woods alone. After taking several photos, I returned to the car and snapped one more picture, then sat down in the car and prepared to leave.

      The moment I released the clutch and depressed the gas pedal, something unseen hit me in the face, squarely in the left eye. I stopped the car and waited for the vision to return to my eye, and to investigate what it could have hit me so hard.

      There were no birds, no stones, no branches, no people, nothing in visible proximity to have caused such a painful “punch” to the face — I couldn’t make any sense of what had just happened, except that it was an invitation to get out of there, and I did.

      I stopped at the Haleyville McDonald’s to inspect my eye, as it was still stinging from the apparent inflicted rebuke, and my skin from cheek to brow was still quite red. It’s said portions of that old road have been traveled for thousands of years, and there’s been plenty of conflict along the route. I don’t know what transpired that day, but have to wonder if it wasn’t rage from long ago manifesting itself to a most convenient target.

    4. I would love to clean up the cemetery. It’s sad that people throw beer cans all over there. Plus someone has recently burned a chair by Jenny’s grave. Let her Rest In Peace. Not sure what was going on that night but I guess someone got so scared they left their flip flops there. There were bead necklaces hanging on some tombstones. Let’s clean up the cemetery and stop these kids from destroying history. Anyone else that would like to help clean up the cemetery would be great.

    5. Where is the old home place locate please? Not looking to destroy anything just love the history and would like to take my 13 yo son

    6. Jennifer Harris  |  

      I actually used to live in this old house when I was young with my grandparents from r many years. The only starnge thing that ever happens in all those years was I would go into the (we called it the backroom) the room connected to the dining room past another bedroom and I always thought my grandpa was doing it but now I nk may e not, the latch would lock when. I know st climbed out the window. But that all I ever saw.

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