Real Haunted Houses: Kenworthy Hall
Kenworthy Hall, also known as the Carlisle-Martin House, Carlisle Hall and Edward Kenworthy Carlisle House, is a plantation house built between 1858 and 1860. It has a massive four-story tower, brownstone trim, windows of varibale size and shape. It was constructed for – as the name suggests – Edward Kenworthy Carlisle, as his primary family residence.
Carlisle died in 1873 and left the property to his wife, Lucinda. Lucinda primarily used the house as a summar residence and gifted it to her only surviving child, Augusta Carlisle Jones, in 1899. Lucinda died in 1912 and in 1947, Augusta sold the property. The property went through a series of owners over the next few years, and often stood vacant. Especially during the 1950s, the house suffered a great deal of vandalism. During the periods of vacancy, the local population began to tell stories of the house being haunted. One of these ghost stories was featured in Kathryn Tucker Windham’s book “13 Alabama Ghosts and Jeffrey” and involves the purported ghost of a young woman in the fourth floor tower room, who awaits the return of her lover.
In 1957, Karen Klassen of Birmingham bought the house and spent the next decade restoring it. In 1967, the Martin family bought the property and spent another three decades working on the restoration. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. Subsequently, Kenworthy Hall was declared a National Historic Landmark in 2004.
It seems as if the property is currently on sale, as the listing can be found on a real estate website. Just by looking through the pictures, you can see that it is actually a beautiful home, and in my opinion, it would make a great location for a Bed & Breakfast, or a historical house museum. New owners can perhaps include a ghost tour focusing on the legend of the ghost in the tower.
Real Haunted Houses
Previously in this series:
- Real Haunted Houses: Franklin Castle
- Real Haunted Houses: Villesca Axe Murder House
- Real Haunted Houses: The Sallie House
- Real Haunted Houses: LaLaurie House
- Real Haunted Houses: The Bell Witch Farm
- Real Haunted Houses: Ann Starrett Mansion
- Real Haunted Houses: Sturdivant Hall
- Real Haunted Houses: Whaley House
- Real Haunted Houses: House of Seven Gables
- Real Haunted Houses: Woodruff Fontaine House
- Real Haunted Houses: Cedar Grove Mansion
- Real Haunted Houses: Sauer Castle
- Real Haunted Houses: The Pink Palace
- Real Haunted Houses: House of Death
- Real Haunted Houses: Joshua Ward House
- Real Haunted Houses: The Lemp Mansion
- Real Haunted Houses: Los Feliz Murder Mansion
- Real Haunted Houses: Winchester Mystery House
- Real Haunted Houses: Bliss Mansion
- Real Haunted Houses: Croke-Patterson Mansion
- Real Haunted Houses: Thornewood Castle
- Real Haunted Houses: Drish House
- Real Haunted Houses: Old Shelby Hotel
- Real Haunted Houses: Barker’s Slave Quarters
- Real Haunted Houses: Winter Place
- Real Haunted Houses: Sweetwater Mansion
- Real Haunted Houses: Oakleigh House
- Real Haunted Houses: Bragg-Mitchell Mansion
- Real Haunted Houses: Jemison – Van De Graaff Mansion
- Real Haunted Houses: Redmont Hotel
- Real Haunted Houses: Cedarhurst Mansion
- Real Haunted Houses: Gaineswood
Enjoyed this article? Read Fractured!
When Piper discovers an old antique mirror on the attic of her new home, she has no idea what terror she unlocked.
Eerie shadows lurking in the night and estranged voices crying out for help are only the beginning. As Piper’s world comes crumbling down, she realizes everything that she believed was imaginary, might have been real all along.
Something is very wrong with that mirror. And if she doesn’t find out what, the mirror might end up killing her.
With some help of old and new friends, Piper tries to get to the bottom of the mystery. One thing is for certain: the mirror preys on the guilty. But what exactly is she guilty of?
Release Date: September 16, 2013
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