About this property
The Pickens County Courthouse in the county seat of Carrollton, Alabama is the courthouse for Pickens County, Alabama. Built in 1877–1878 as the third courthouse in the city, it is noted for a ghostly image that can be seen in one of its garret windows. This is claimed to be the face of freedman Henry Wells from 1878. According to a common version of the myth, Wells was arrested in January 1878 on suspicion of burglary and arson, and lynched by a white mob soon after his arrest. He was alleged to have burned down the second courthouse in 1876 (built to replace one destroyed in 1865 by Union forces during the Civil War). Accounts in the story do not conform to historic facts; for instance, the windows were not installed until February through March 1878, so they could not contain his image. This period was one of the continuing social and racial tensions. In 1877, the federal government ended Reconstruction and withdrew its troops from the South. White Democrats had regained control of state legislatures and passed measures to impose white supremacy. Wells was arrested in January 1878 and charged with the courthouse burning two years before. A local newspaper reported that Wells died of wounds after being shot while fleeing arrest for robbery in January 1878; he reportedly confessed to burning the courthouse before dying. A total of 15 African Americans were lynched in Pickens County, many in the courthouse square, from 1877 to 1917. This was the fifth-highest total of any county in the state. A mass lynching was committed by a white crowd who fatally shot four black men and a black woman in their cells in September 1893. They were suspects in the burning of a cotton gin owned by a white man.
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Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Everything a full report reveals about Pickens County Courthouse
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Questions about this property
When was Pickens County Courthouse listed on the National Register?
Pickens County Courthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 18, 1994.
What type of historic resource is Pickens County Courthouse?
Pickens County Courthouse is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Pickens County Courthouse?
The period of significance for Pickens County Courthouse is recorded as the civil_war era, specifically around 1877.
Can I research the history near Pickens County Courthouse?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Pickens County Courthouse will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
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Historic places, battles, and census history across Pickens County.
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An Aubrey US report for an address near Pickens County Courthouse will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.