By Kelly Kazek
On an isolated hill in the woods of western Limestone County, a dilapidated turn-of-the-century home awaits visitors.
Legend says screams and eerie moans can be heard coming from the home late at night. They are believed to be the sounds of a family that mysteriously disappeared there decades ago, but, at this time of year, they are more likely to be the sounds of those brave enough to enter Goodsprings Haunted House, the oldest Halloween attraction in Limestone County.
Volunteers for Scare for Charity, a non-profit organization, took over as hosts of the Haunted House last year. The attraction, which opened at dark this weekend, will continue its hauntings on Oct. 6-7, 13-14, 20-21, and Oct. 27 through 31. It is listed at the sixth scariest in the state by the Web site www.hauntedhouseonline.com.
Goodsprings Haunted House is one of three local Halloween attractions raising money for charities this year. The Haunted Grove in Thatch will benefit the Oak Grove-Thatch Volunteer Fire Department and Cells of Terror in the abandoned Limestone County Jail building will benefit the Athens Police Department.
Goodsprings Haunted House
Goodsprings
Although this is only the second year it has been hosted by Scare for Charity, Goodsprings Haunted House has been in existence for about 22 years, said David Seibert, Limestone County Commission chairman and one of the originators of the house.
“It started about 22 years ago in a little house that Mike Poff owned,” Seibert said. “We did it free for the neighborhood kids. The next year, one of the walls fell off on the second floor while we were doing it and we had to move.”
The men in the community charged a quarter the next year and members of the Goodsprings Volunteer Fire Department decided to operate the haunted house as a fund-raising event.
“They charged $1 or $2 and ran 4,000 people through,” Seibert said. “A bus came from Nashville. It just took off.”
For the next several years, firefighters operated the house before offering to let members of the West Limestone High School Booster Club benefit from the fund-raiser. Firefighters continued to help set up and operate the house.
It has been operated in the current home — the third site — for 15 years. The 10-room, two story home is leased by the group using it.
When the firefighters were operated the attraction, it was known for its outrageous scares.
“It was rowdy,” Seibert said. Someone had a live snake in the home one year, and firefighter Darryl Long built “contraptions” for maximum fright potential. One mechanism allowed volunteer “ghosts” to drop from the ceiling, grab frightened visitors, and then be pulled back into the ceiling.
“We had to quit because a guy busted his teeth,” Seibert said.
Another included a cable to allow a volunteer to swing above other volunteers with chainsaws.
These days, while the house is considered one of the scariest and still has hands-on frights, the stunts are a little less dangerous, Seibert said, because of liability.
Operators of the attraction carry liability insurance, he said.
Brent Todd, one of the current operators of Goodsprings Haunted House for Scare for Charity, has been a volunteer at the house for about seven or eight years. Members of Goodsprings Volunteer Fire Department still help, he said.
“We had a really successful year last year,” Todd said. Scare for Charity distributed more than $9,000 to several local charities, including Hospice of Limestone County, and Goodsprings and West Limestone VFDs. That was the amount left after expenses, including painting the house inside and out and buying materials. Todd said expenses would be less this year, allowing Scare for Charity to distribute more funds locally.
“It’s a very scary house,” Todd said. “It’s a little bit hands-on, but they don’t get rough or anything.”
Admission is $7 per person. Drivers will detour from Alabama 99, where a bridge is being replaced. To get to Goodsprings Haunted House, take U.S. 72 West and turn right on Lucas Ferry Road. Turn right on Alabama 99 (Market Street) and go 1/2 mile then turn left on New Cut Road. Turn right on Lydia Corey Road, which will take you back to Alabama 99. Turn left and drive for 12 miles. Turn right at the flashing light on Persimmon Tree Road and go about two miles until you see the signs for the house.
For more information, visit www.goodspringshaunted house.com or call 497-3909 or 874-4893.
The Haunted Grove
Thatch
Oak Grove-Thatch Volunteer Fire Department will host the Haunted Grove for three weekends this month — Oct. 13-14, Oct. 20-21, and Oct. 27-28. Proceeds help the department buy much-needed equipment, said coordinator Jimmy Dabbs.
“Before we started doing this, we barely had enough money to pay the bills,” Dabbs said.
This year, the department will be able to purchase turnouts, the fire resistant suits firefighters wear that cost about $1,500-$2,500 each, and air packs.
Admission to the Haunted Grove is $6 per person.
The Haunted Grove in the Thatch community is an indoor and outdoor experience. Outside, visitors will walk through a grove of “dead trees.” Indoors, visitors will have a chance to pose for a portrait while lying in a casket in the “funeral parlor.” Portraits are $3 each.
From 2-4 p.m. on Oct. 27 and 28, children can visit for only $1. “We won’t have the scary stuff out there for that,” Dabbs said.
To get to the Grove, take Interstate 65 to Exit 361. Turn right on Thatch Road and cross the railroad tracks. Turn in at Fire Station No. 1. For more information, contact Dabbs at 732-3908.
Cells of terror
Athens
Some places are spooky without adding creepy characters, such as a 40-year-old jail that has been abandoned for more than a year.
The legend behind Cells of Terror, the haunted attraction being held in the old Limestone County Jail, is that prisoners were not the only ones trapped inside its walls.
As stated on its Web site, www.cellsofterror.com, “guards refused to use the rear-stair corridors after dark because of a ‘presence’ in or around the stairs. Prisoners complained of blood-curdling screams coming from within the walls just before dawn. Then there was the unexplained pounding that came from one of the ‘standing,’ cells even when the cell was empty.”
Cells of Terror will be open at 7 p.m. until 1 a.m. Oct. 13-14, Oct. 20-21,Oct. 27-28 and 30-31. Proceeds will benefit Athens Police Department.
The 20- to 30-minute tour requires visitors to climb stairs and crawl through a tunnel, so be prepared.
Concessions will be available, including pizza, hotdogs, soft drinks and water.
Visitors can also buy authentic police mug shots or commemorative T-shirts emblazoned with, “I survived the Cells of Terror.”
Admission is $10 for all ages.
To get to the old Limestone County Jail building, take U.S. 72 to Jefferson Street and turn toward downtown Athens. Go about a mile and you will see the building at the corner of Jefferson and Green streets.
