Siloam Springs, Arkansas - Historic City on the Oklahoma Border

First settled in around 1835, the modern city of Siloam Springs gained life as an important trading post located just inside the line dividing Arkansas from the Cherokee Nation of what is now Oklahoma.

During the Civil War, the area was devastated by passing armies. Blunt's Division of the Union Army of the Frontier spent much of 1862 camped just north of Siloam Springs and his foraging parties ravaged the area as they searched for food, forage and other supplies. Blunt intentionally destroyed private homes belong to secessionist families across the area and drove the inhabitants away from their lands and farms. Two significant battles - Old Fort Wayne and Prairie Grove - were fought nearby in 1862.

After the war, the area slowly rebounded and in 1879 notice was taken of the numerous mineral springs in the vicinity. The city of Siloam Springs was incorporated in 1881 as visitors swarmed the area in the belief that "taking the waters" of mineral springs could heal them from numerous illnesses and ailments. Within one year of its incorporation, 3,000 people lived in Siloam Springs and the city did a brisk business as a health resort.

A major flood destroyed much of the downtown area in 1892, all but ending the city's days as a health resort. The railroad soon arrived, however, and the community rebounded as an important trading center for the agricultural districts along the border. Siloam Springs today is a charming city with a beautiful downtown area that preserves some of the more than two dozen natural springs in the area. It is also the home of John Brown University and is located just across the border from Oklahoma's famed Natural Falls State Park, setting for the popular movie, "Where the Red Fern Grows."

To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/siloamsprings.

Battle of Chickamauga - Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia

On September 19-20, 1863, Confederate and Union armies collided in northern Georgia in one of the most violent battles in American history. By the time it was over, the Battle of Chickamauga had cost the two armies more than 34,000 men killed, wounded or missing in action.

The site of the massive engagement is now preserved as part of the Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park, which is located in and around Chattanooga, Tennessee. The Chickamauga Battlefield is the largest unit of the park and is located just south of Chattanooga at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia.

The battle developed when the Confederate Army of Tennessee, commanded by General Braxton Bragg, moved to intercept the Union Army of the Cumberland, led by General William S. Rosecrans. The two armies had waved a campaign of maneuver for several months as Rosecrans advanced on Bragg with an army of 60,000 men. The Confederate general had a much smaller force of 43,000, but held his army intact and withdrew down through Tennessee to North Georgia.

The tide of the campaign turned, however, when General James Longstreets Corps from the Army of Northern Virginia arrived in Georgia to reinforce Bragg. Now at the head of an army similar in size to that of Rosecrans, the Confederate general turned on the Federal army along the west bank of Chickamauga Creek.

The battle began on the morning of September 19, 1863, and for two days the two armies mauled each other on a battlefield that was heavily wooded in place. One the first day, Bragg pushed back the Union lines for more than one mile. Then, on the second day, he started a hammering attack on the Federal left flank that forced Rosecrans to begin shifting troops in that direction. In doing so, the Federals accidentally opened a gap in their lines. When Longstreet's Division attacked, Confederate soldiers led by General John Bell Hood stormed through the gap and pierced the Union lines. The Federal army crumbled and the Confederates won one of the most complete tactical victories of the war.

To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/chickamauga.

Shiloh Indian Mounds - Pittsburg Landing, Tennessee

The ground on which the Battle of Shiloh was fought was actually of great importance hundreds of years before that Civil War engagement.

Archaeologists believe that a section of the battlefield, overlooking the Tennessee River, was once the central town of a powerful Native American chiefdom that vanished an estimated 800 years ago. Because the Shiloh land was preserved as part of one of the country's first national military parks, the Shiloh Indian Mounds have also been protected from plowing, erosion, looting and other threats. As a result, it is one of the best preserved Mississippian era Native American sites in the country.

All but one of the mounds, which have been designated a National Historic Landmark, are pyramidal in form, with flat tops on which structures of various types once stood. The other mound, oval in shape, was used as a burial site for high status individuals. The entire site was surrounded by a strong palisade made of upright poles plastered with clay.

Surrounding the mounds, the villages of the town were built of "wattle and daub" construction, meaning basically that their walls were made by weaving smaller branches through stronger upright posts and then plastering the whole with clay. When the town was abandoned 800 years ago, the houses gradually collapsed, but the rings left by the falling walls can still be seen today. Shiloh is one of the few places where above ground traces of prehistoric Native American structures are visible.

To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/shiloh4.

Battle of Shiloh - Shiloh, Tennessee

In April of 1862, Confederate and Union forces mauled each other for two days around a small log church that gave the battle its name - Shiloh.

The Battle of Shiloh was so violent and deadly that it send shock waves across both North and South. The massive battle in the woods of Tennessee left more than 23,000 men and boys dead, wounded or missing. It forever changed the face of war and began to make clear the horrendous cost in blood that the nation would pay before the conflict was decided.

Shiloh today is one of the most pristine Civil War battlefields in the nation. Preserved as Shiloh National Military Park, the battlefield is still in fields and woods just as it was in 1862. Cannon and monuments dot the landscape and visitors can see such places as the Hornet's Nest, where more than 60 Confederate cannon destroyed a Union force of 6,000 men; Bloody Pond, where soldiers of both sides bathed their wounds and turned the water red with blood, and Pittsburg Landing, the objective point of the Confederate army.

To learn more, please visit our new series of pages on the Battle of Shiloh by clicking www.exploresouthernhistory.com/shiloh1. Be sure to check out the additional links at the bottom of the page.

Battle of Jenkins' Ferry - Sheridan, Arkansas

The Red River Campaign of 1864 was one of the most disastrous Union efforts of the entire Civil War.

The campaign as planned called for two Union armies to converge on the strategic city of Shreveport, Louisiana. The first, led by General Nathaniel Banks, advanced up the Red River to Alexandria, Louisiana, and was closing in on Shreveport when it was thrashed at the Battle of Mansfield by the much smaller Confederate army of General Richard Taylor. The defeat so unnerved Banks that he soon was in full retreat back for the Mississippi River, with Taylor nipping at his heels.

The second army, led by General Frederick Steele, marched from the Arkansas cities of Little Rock and Fort Smith and headed southwest for Shreveport. Confederate resistance stiffened as these forces joined and advanced, but supply shortages forced Steele into the fortified city of Camden in southern Arkansas. The Cofnfederates then won major victories at Poison Spring and Marks' Mills as Steele struggled to find provisions for his hungry army.

Finally deciding that he could do no more, Steele turned his army back for Little Rock. Confederate forces did their best to slow him until their reinforcements could come up. On the afternoon of April 29, 1864, they caught him as he was trying to move his wagon train across a pontoon bridge at Jenkins' Ferry on the Saline River.

The Battle of Jenkins' Ferry opened in earnest the next morning at dawn as Confederate troops surged forward into the river swamps of the Saline to attack the Union army. The Federal soldiers took up positions behind hastily constructed breastworks and beat back repeated Southern attacks. Unfortunately for the Confederates, their assaults were poorly coordinated and they were unable to prevail even after catching Steele's army in an exposed position.

The weather was extremely rainy during the hours leading up to the battle and the men of both sides fought in water that was from a few inches to a few feet deep. The conditions were among the most miserable of any battle of the war. It was the last significant encounter of the Arkansas phase of the Red River Campaign.

To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/jenkinsferry1.

Historic Pensacola Village - Pensacola, Florida

The Historic Pensacola Village is a unique large scale exhibit of historic sites, structures and museums in downtown Pensacola, Florida. It provides visitors the opportunity to walk back in time through numerous eras of Gulf Coast history.

The structures preserved in the village and open for guided tour include homes dating back to the Colonial era. The LaValle House, for example, is a French Creole home that was built in 1805 when Florida was still a Spanish colony. Inside, visitors can see how Pensacola residents lived during that era.

Nearby stands the Julee Cottage, the home of a free black woman named Julee Panton during the years before slavery was abolished. It is one of the few places in America where visitors can learn about the lives of free African Americans during the slave years.

Other highlights of the village include Old Christ Church, built in 1832 and used as a stables by Union soldiers during the Civil War; the 1871 Dorr House and the Folk Victorian style Lear-Rocheblave House. Pensacola's Colonial Archaeological Trail also passes through the historic village, providing exhibits and other information on ruins dating from the colonial era that have been uncovered by archaeologists in the downtown era.

To lear more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/pensacola2.

New Fayetteville Section Now Online

A new section exploring the history, historic sites and natural wonders in and around the beautiful Northwest Arkansas city of Fayetteville is now online.

To visit, please click www.exploresouthernhistory.com/fayetteville.

Consistently ranked as one of the top ten places in America to live and work, Fayetteville is a charming and progressive city located on a plateau surrounded by the beautiful Ozark mountains. Founded in 1828 and incorporated in 1836, it is the home of the University of Arkansas and sits in one of the most historic regions of the South.

During the Civil War, major engagements were fought within 30 miles of Fayetteville. The Battle of Pea Ridge, to the north, was one of the largest encounters of the war to that point when it took place on March 7-8, 1862. It was followed on December 7th of that same year by the Battle of Prairie Grove. Both battlefields are now beautifully preserved park areas within easy access of the city.

Other historic sites in and around the city include the site of the Battle of Fayetteville, numerous historic homes and structures, the Confederate and National cemeteries, Devil's Den State Park and the Cane Hill battlefield.

To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/fayetteville.

Arkansas Trail of Holiday Lights

One of the most unique free attractions of the Christmas season is the statewide Trail of Holiday Lights promoted by the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism.

The state has put together a directory of the best lighting displays across the state, broken down by region, to help residents and visitors enjoy some of the prettiest scenes of the season. From the towns of the Delta to beautiful mountain settings in the Ouachitas and Ozarks, the driving tour is great family fun.

The photos seen here are of one of the stops on the trail, the courthouse and town square of Paris, Arkansas. Located almost in the shadow of Mt. Magazine, the tallest mountain in the state, Paris is a beautiful and historic community that has turned its central square into a winter wonderland of more than 100,000 lights.

You can read more about the Paris lights and follow a link to the official site of the Arkansas trail of Holiday Lights by clicking www.exploresouthernhistory.com/parislights.

DeSoto State Park - Fort Payne, Alabama

If you are looking for something a little different to do with the family over Christmas vacation, you might be surprised to discover how wonderful of a place Alabama's DeSoto State Park can be during the winter.

This is the time of the year that the park's numerous small (and one huge) waterfalls are often at their best. The spectacular sight of crystal clear water tumbling over rocks and through the ravines and canyons of the park adds sight and sound during the season after the fall leaves are gone.

In addition, the park features miles of hiking trails, a very good restaurant, chalets, cabins and a hotel/lodge. The white lights of the lodge office combine with the beautiful green and red of wild holly to create a nice touch of holiday cheer.

In addition, DeSoto State Park offers easy access to the Little River Canyon National Preserve, a magnificent national park area just a couple of miles away. The canyon is quite picturesque during the winter, as the waterfalls flow well and the reduction in vegetation provides spectacular views.

To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/desotopark1 and to see photos of the park in winter, be sure to visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/desotowinter.

Confederate Battery on Jekyll Island, Georgia

A major and beautiful resort area on Georgia's Atlantic Coast, Jekyll Island is steeped in the history of America.

Guale Indians once occupied the island, followed in turn by the Spanish, English, Americans and Confederates. Now noted for its spectacular beaches, stunning marsh views and magnificent historic district, Jekyll Island was once a strategic point for the Confederate military as it tried to defend Brunswick harbor from Union attack.

Southern troops built earthwork batteries faced in part with iron taken from railroad lines and placed heavy cannon on the island. The batteries were occupied into 1862 when General Robert E. Lee, then assigned to oversee the defense of Georgia, decided that his limited forces and artillery were too dispersed. He recommended the evacuation of the batteries on Jekyll Island and the guns were moved to Savannah.

The remains of the Confederate batteries are one of the most overlooked historic sites on Jekyll Island. Although the earthworks themselves are located adjacent to the runways of the island's airport and are not open to the public, they can be viewed from a small picnic area on River View next to the airport.

To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/jekyllbatteries.

Pearl Harbor Day - December 7, 1941

It was 68 years ago today that Japanese aircraft and submarines carried out an unprovoked attack on the United States Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. In the words of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, it was "a date which will live in infamy."

Beginning that Sunday morning, three waves of Japanese aircraft as well as a small group of submarines attacked both military and civilian targets in Hawaii. It was an attack carried out without warning and without a declaration of war by the Empire of Japan. By the time the fighting was over, 2,345 U.S. servicemen and women and 57 civilians had been killed. Another 1,282 were wounded.

It was the attack that mobilized the Greatest Generation - men, women and children - to stand up for their country and win a war that preserved freedom for the citizens of our own country and many other countries fore 68 years (and counting). I have had the honor, in my life, of knowing several Pearl Harbor survivors and I remember them today with great respect.

There are many places across the South where you can learn more about World War II and the men and women who fought it. Almost every community in our region has either a World War II memorial or the graves of World War II veterans in its cemeteries. Here are a few that might be of interest:

• Battleship U.S.S. Alabama - Mobile, Alabama


• Fort Pickens, Gulf Islands National Seashore - Pensacola, Florida


• National Naval Aviation Musem - Pensacola, Florida


• F.D.R.'s Little White House - Warm Springs, Georgia


• Fort Gibson National Cemetery - Fort Gibson, Oklahoma


• Fort Moultrie - Sullivan's Island, South Carolina

Hot Springs National Park - Hot Springs, Arkansas

If the cold weather that swept across the South this week has you dreaming about warmer places, there is a place in Arkansas where the steam rises from the mountain sides 365 days a year.

Hot Springs National Park, located in the heart of downtown Hot Springs, Arkansas, preserves the famed "hot springs of the Ouachita." The stunning historic site is considered by many to be America's first national park, and with just reason. The U.S. Government set aside thousands of acres surrounding the springs in 1830 to prevent their exploitation by private developers and preserve them as a national resource.

Long before the action was taken, however, the hot springs had gained fame. They are mentioned in documents relating to the Hernando de Soto expedition of the 1540s and by the 1700s were frequented by early French explorers and fur trappers. President Thomas Jefferson sent an expedition to find the springs in 1804 and by the 1820s visitors from across the United States were already making the trek into the Arkansas mountains to soak in the mysterious waters that many still believe hold healing powers.

By the time of the Civil War, Hot Springs had become a major resort area. Soldiers marching past during the Red River Campaign described a community evacuated due to war. In the years following the War Between the States, the resort rebounded quickly and even attracted the likes of Frank and Jesse James, who vacationed - and committed at least a couple of robberies - in the area.

They were not the only unsavory types who made their way to Hot Springs. The community became known for its gambling and nightlife during the 1920s and 1930s and attracted the likes of Al Capone before Governor Winthrop Rockefeller finally shut down the gambling and cleaned up Hot Springs in 1967. Since then it has developed as a marvelous family resort and treasured historic site.

Steaming water flows down the mountain year round and visitors can even enjoy a soak in slightly cooled water from the springs in a restored historic bathhouse and at several other spas in Hot Springs. As a result, the city is popular year-round. Garvan Gardens in Hot Springs also boasts one of the finest Christmas lighting displays in the South.

To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/hotspringsindex.

Old Baldy Lighthouse - Bald Island, North Carolina

Built in 1817, historic Old Baldy Lighthouse has stood watch over North Carolina's famed Cape Fear region for more than 190 years.

The waters surrounding Bald Head Island are among the most historic in the South. It was here that the "gentleman pirate" Stede Bonnett finally met his match and the notorious Blackbeard once cruised the hidden inlets of the Cape Fear River.

Because the stretch of coast was so treacherous in the days before modern navigational systems, the U.S. Government selected Bald Head Island at the mouth of the Cape Fear to become the site of an important lighthouse. The original structure was endangered by erosion less than ten years after it was completed, so the tower was taken down and the materials used in 1817 to build the Old Baldy Lighthouse that stands today.

There is no way to know how many storms, hurricanes and gales the lighthouse has weathered over the years. It also weathered the storm of the Civil War. The Confederates built Fort Holmes on Bald Head Island as one of a system of forts that helped keep the Cape Fear open to blockade runners until nearly the end of the war.

Old Baldy Lighthouse today is a fascinating historic site that draws visitors from around the world to Bald Head Island. To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/oldbaldy.

Claybank Church - Ozark, Alabama

One of the most unique historic sites in the South is located just off U.S. Highway 231 in Ozark, Alabama.

Built in 1852, historic Claybank Church is one of the last standing antebellum log churches in Alabama. Its hand hewn log walls remain remarkably preserved and the interior of the structure has been restored to give visitors a chance to walk into the past and see the environment in which our ancestors worshipped.

Although it was not originally affiliated with a denomination, the Claybank Church eventually became a Methodist congregation. It survived the destruction of the guerrilla war that took place in South Alabama from 1863-1865 during the final years of the Civil War and remained in use until a new sanctuary was built for the congregation during the 20th century.

In addition to the church itself, this remarkable historic site includes the old Claybank Cemetery, where the resting places of many of South Alabama's early pioneers can be seen. Both Confederate and Union soldiers from the Civil War are buried there.

To learn more about Claybank Church, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/claybankchurch.

Pensacola Lighthouse - Pensacola, Florida

Rising 160 feet above the waters of Pensacola Bay, the beautiful old Pensacola Lighthouse has been a Florida landmark since 1859.

Built under the supervision of John Newton, who later became a major general in the service of the Union during the Civil War (he commanded the "Iron Brigade" at Gettysburg after the death of General John Reynolds), the lighthouse has a long and colorful history.

Seized by Confederate forces just two years after it was finished, the light was darkened and its lense removed to prevent Union ships offshore from using it to assist in navigation. Southern troops constructed an artillery battery at the base of the tower and it figured prominently in the massive bombardment that took place at Pensacola in November of 1861. Union gunners across the bay at Fort Pickens targeted the tower and it withstood the shock of at least six direct hits by heavy cannonballs.

After the Confederates evacuated Pensacola in early 1862, the lighthouse was repaired and its lens was replaced. It remains in operation today, although it was automated some years ago.

Numerous stories surround the historic structure, including local tradition that it is haunted by several ghosts. In fact, the tower was featured this week on the popular SyFy Channel program "Ghost Hunters."

To learn more about the historic Pensacola Lighthouse and to see additional photographs, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/pensacolalighthouse.

Bill Sketoe's Ghost: Alabama's "Hole that will Not Stay Filled"

Although the story has been known in the "Wiregrass Region" of South Alabama much longer, it developed a national fascination after it appeared as a chapter in noted writer Kathryn Tucker Windham's popular book, 13 Alabama Ghosts and Jeffrey. She called it the tale of the "hole that will not stay filled."

It is the story of Bill Sketoe. Or rather, the story of his ghost.

Although Mrs. Windham, using the information available to her at that time, wrote that Sketoe was a native of Spain, he actually was born in South Carolina in 1818. His father, however, was from Spain. Along with many other members of his family, he migrated down to Dale County, Alabama, during the years before the Civil War.

The exact details of the events leading up to his hanging are murky. Sketoe's family maintains that he was a Methodist minister and Confederate soldier who had hired a substitute to fill his place in the ranks of the Southern army while he came home to care for his sick wife. As the story goes, he was on his way back home from a visit to the county seat of Newton when he was taken prisoner, accused of being either a deserter or enemy of the South, and hanged by members of Captain Joseph Breare's cavalry company.

Taken to the river bank opposite Newton and placed in the back of a buggy or wagon, he had a noose placed around his neck with the other end attached to the limb of a post oak tree. Sketoe, however, was a tall man and when the whip was cracked on the backs of the horses and the buggy or wagon driven out from under him, he was able to keep himself alive because his toes touched the ground. To solve this situation, a wounded soldier in Breare's company used his crutch to dig out a hole under Sketoe's feet so he would hang and die.

For more than 100 years, for reasons that no one could explain, the hole mysteriously was swept clean each night. Many thought that the swinging feet of Bill Sketoe's ghost swept away any straw, sticks or other debris that fell into the hole. Others thought that a local resident kept the hole clean as a reminder of his friend's unfortunate death.

Whatever the case, the "hole that will not stay filled" became a major part of Alabama folklore. The real facts of the story are a bit different than the legend, which is common with such tales. To learn more about the ghost of Bill Sketoe and the true story of the events surrounding his death, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/sketoe.

The White River Monster - Arkansas

One of the strangest and most enduring tales involves claims that a giant monster of some sort inhabits the White River in Arkansas.

The White River Monster first appeared in the press in 1912, when a party of timber workers spotted what they described as a giant 300 pound turtle on the bottom of the river downstream from Branson, Missouri. The claim led to considerable excitement in Branson and a party of sportsmen set out with ropes and other gear to try to capture the creature. The results of their expedition are not known.

The monster surfaced again 12 years later, near the town of Newport, Arkansas, but it was not until 1937 that it made its first huge splash. Hundreds of people flooded to the community in hopes of catching a glimpse of the monster after it was seen by Bramlett Bateman and workers on his farm in a deep eddy of the White River six miles below Newport. The local Chamber of Commerce made the most of the opportunity, spreading the news to newspapers far and wide, placing signs on highways and charging people 25 cents a head to look for the monster.

A former navy diver went into the river three times looking for the monster, joined once by a local resident who donned homemade diving gear made from an old gas tank, a rubber hose and a bicycle pump. The monster was not found.

Another major burst of publicity was generated in 1971 when sightings of the monster surged following a spell of high water.

What could it be? Theories range from a giant catfish to some kind of ocean creature that wandered off course to a prehistoric monster. Others less inclined to believe it is alive have suggested logs, masses of vegetation or a sunken boat that sometimes rises to the surface.

One thing is certain, over the last 100 years, the White River Monster has become an important part of the folklore and tradition of northeastern Arkansas. To learn more and see a possible photograph of the monster, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/whiteriver1.

The Bell Witch - Adams, Tennessee

One of the best known ghost stories in American history surrounds an old farm place near the Kentucky line northwest of Nashville, Tennessee.

The story of the Bell Witch has been loosely popularized in modern movies and literature (the movies "An American Haunting" and "The Blair Witch Project," for example). But the real story is much more interesting.

According to tradition in the Bell family, the haunting began in 1817 when strange incidents began to take place on the farm of John Bell. His family lived near the modern community of Adams, Tennessee, having settled there in 1804. As the story goes, the strange events started when Mr. Bell spotted a strange animal on the farm. It had the body of a dog and head of a rabbit, but escaped when he tried to kill it. Almost immediately, the family began to experience a series of strange and terrifying things.

As was the case with the Edgefield Ghost in South Carolina a few years later, the spirit terrorized the family with strange noises and voices and seemed to focus on John Bell and his young daughter, Betsy (Elizabeth). Unlike the Edgefield story, which was reported at the time of the events, the Bell Witch story does not seem to have appeared in print before the latter part of the 19th century, long after the alleged events.

To learn more about this unique Southern ghost story, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/bellwitch1.

The Ghost of Bellamy Bridge - Florida

One of the most interesting Southern ghost stories revolves around an old iron bridge that spans the Chipola River a few miles north of the charming small city of Marianna, Florida.

Local legend holds that the area around the bridge is haunted by the ghost of a young woman who died long before the Civil War. As the story goes, she somehow got too close to an open fire on her wedding night and her beautiful gown burst into flame. She rushed from the house in panic and was so severely burned that she died a short time later.

Since then, according to the story, her ghost has been seen around Bellamy Bridge. Often at midnight and usually in the form of a glowing figure moving through the Chipola River swamps. Her grave is nearby.

It is a fascinating story and while the facts don't stand up to much real scrutiny, the real story is even more fascinating. The Ghost of Bellamy Bridge is a strange combination of 19th century reality and fantasy involving one of that era's most famous novelists.

To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/bellamybridge. Be sure to check out the photo of the ghost and also click the "True Story of the Ghost of Bellamy Bridge" link at the bottom of the page to read the detailed account of how the ghost story came about.

Springer Opera House: Georgia's Haunted Theater

The historic Springer Opera House dominates a city block in downtown Columbus and is one of the most beautiful buildings dedicated to the arts in Georgia. It also is reputedly one of the most haunted.

The Springer is unique because it opened in the midst of the turbulent Reconstruction Era as a tribute to culture and arts in a time of great violence. Over its long and storied history it has hosted such luminaries as Oscar Wilde, Will Rogers, Edwin Booth, John Philip Sousa, Ethel Barrymore, William Jennings Bryan and Franklin Delano Roosevelt. It is a true landmark of Southern history and heritage and, if stories told around Columbus are to believe, at least one of the finest actors who performed there is still hanging around.

According to Columbus legend, the Springer Opera House is haunted by the playful ghost of noted 19th century actor Edwin Booth. Sort of the Brad Pitt or George Clooney of his day, Booth was one of America's most famous actors until a fateful day in 1865 when his brother, John Wilkes Booth, shot and killed President Abraham Lincoln.

The assassination forced the entire Booth family into self-imposed seclusion. But in the 1870s, as animosity over the assassination began to fade, Edwin Booth began an effort to salvage is career. As part of this move, he came to Columbus to perform "Hamlet" at the Springer Opera House. The performance was warmly received and did much to help Booth redeem his career.

Legend holds, though, that Edwin Booth promised to haunt the theater after his death until it staged a performance of "Hamlet" once again. Strange events began in the theater after Booth passed on from this world and continue to this day.

To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/springerghost.