Published - October, 21, 2005 

Rebecca Ross@PensacolaNewsJournal.com
Pretend we're driving down a lonely road on a dark and stormy night. And let me tell you a story.

"See that old house over there? People say that it's haunted by the ghost of a murdered woman. I know somebody who lived next door to it, and she swore that every night at midnight, she could hear a woman crying, very softly, in that house."

Get a chill?

Just about everyone loves a ghost story, whether it's a tall tale told around the campfire or a chilling account of the supernatural that has us looking over our shoulders and scurrying to turn on the lights.

The key to a good story? An element of truth. Throw in the phrases, "This is true," or "It happened to me," and you've got yourself a real thriller.

Local storytellers have a wealth of tales to pick from because it seems you can't walk a block in some of Pensacola's historical areas without stumbling over a haint or two. With Halloween just around the corner, it's the perfect time to acquaint yourself with some of the legends and ghost stories that abound in our area.

The Pensacola Historical Society has been collecting local ghost stories for years and presents a number of them in its annual Haunted House Walking and Trolley Tours, which start tonight and continue Oct. 28-29.

Visitors can walk or ride to various places of ghostly interest, as costumed guides share chilling tales of Pensacola's past and present.

Wesley Odom knows those tales well, although it was his interest in his hometown's historical events, and not the supernatural, that got the 39-year-old Pensacola native involved with the Pensacola Historical Society.

"I've been associated with the board of directors for about three years now, but I started off as a volunteer back in 1997 or so," he said.

Odom's work with the group has included stints as a guide on the annual Haunted House Walking Tour.

"I've always been fascinated by Pensacola's history, and I can tell a good ghost story, so getting involved with the tour seemed natural," he said.

Plus, there were the side benefits, such as getting a glimpse into the unknown. Odom said he has no explanations for the supernatural occurrences he has told stories about, but that hasn't stopped him from appreciating them.

Everyone has things happen in their life that they can't explain, and some people have had experiences that get talked about and passed down through the generations," he said. "I don't know if these things are true, but they make wonderful local stories."

The society is always looking for new submissions to add to the ghostly library and tours.

"We have a treasure trove of ghost and historical stories from which to pull, so we don't offer the same stories every year," Odom said.

When investigating a possible story, the society asks five questions: Is the story a ghost or horror story? Has the story been published in a newspaper, court case, or primary source? Have other people witnessed the same or a similar event? Does the story involve a historic element that would educate listeners about Pensacola's past? Would the story positively reflect its society?

Odom said, if two or more of those questions are answered in the negative, the story is not eligible or may have to be rewritten.

"History is fascinating if you have a good instructor, and that's why we hope that as people are being entertained by these stories, that they are also learning a little bit about Pensacola's past."

PLT’s Hosea
One of the stops on the tour that reveals an especially colorful history is the Pensacola Little Theatre, said to be haunted by more than aspiring actors.

The PLT has its very own ghost, said Will Wirth, marketing and public relations director. The ghost is Hosea Poole, who was the last man hanged there back when the historic building, built in 1911, was the Escambia County Court of Records and Jail.

“I’ve never seen him, but I’ve heard all kinds of stories from co-workers and volunteers,” said Wirth, who revealed that he avoids being left alone in the building at night. “It’s kind of creepy. People have also said they’ve seen and heard the ghost of a little girl in the building, and that lights turn themselves on here late at night.”

Polly Ratchford, operations manager at the PLT, is a believer.
She’s one of the employees who has come face-to-phantom with the mischievous Hosea.

“Yes, I’ve seen him,” Ratchford said. “Once, I was sitting at my desk, which faces the door, and I heard the elevator ding, like someone was coming out. A second later, this apparition walked past. I immediately got up and looked around, and no one was there. I knew it was Hosea.”

Ratchford’s second brush took place in the theater, where she and the technical director were measuring the orchestra pit for new carpet.

“I was sitting on the steps, taking down measurements, when I looked up and saw this man up in the box seats. Every hair on my body stood straight up, because it was Hosea, no question. He looked like a prisoner would look. His face was craggy and gaunt.”

Ratchford wasn’t the only one to see the ghost that time.

“I looked at the tech director, and he looked at me, and then we both looked over, and there was Hosea, who had moved to stand at the right of the stage. We both saw him at the same time, and he was only visible for a couple of seconds,” she said. “After that, we said, ‘We’ll do this later,’ and we got out of there.”

Is Ratchford frightened to work in the building? “Oh, no,” she said. “Hosea’s not a harmful ghost. He’s playful. I’ve been startled, but never scared. Even the kids who come to our programs here love to hear about Hosea.”

Hosea has become so popular over the years that he’s a fixture in the PLT’s annual Stage Fright production. Part of this year’s “Trilogy of Terror” is “Jailhouse Shock: Hosea’s Revenge,” where visitors try to escape a haunted jail with Hosea as a “helpful guide or sinister specter.”

Believers and non-believers alike can look for Hosea during the production Wednesday through Oct. 31.

Ghostly bartender
Another stop on the haunted tour is Seville Quarter, which began with Rosie O’Grady’s Bar, built in 1967. This Government Street entertainment establishment is known more for its “Seven Rooms of Fun” than anything spectral, but according to reports, there’s one employee who never goes home.

“We’ve got Wesley,” said Susi Lyon, special events coordinator at Seville Quarter.

Like Hosea Poole, this ghost is said to be that of an actual person who met an untimely end on the premises.

“Wesley was a bartender here in the early ’90s,” Lyon said after conferring with fellow employees to get the facts straight. “It was one of his first shifts, and he went into the beer cooler off of Rosie O’Grady’s to cool off, and he died in there of a heart attack.”

Wesley’s love of Seville Quarter was so great that, apparently, he never left. The ghost has made its presence known to the staff by turning on the hand dryers in the downstairs men’s bathroom.
Lyon never has seen Wesley, but she has contended with another ghostly presence in the offices upstairs.

“I used to feel the presence of a female apparition in the hallway up here,” she said. “I saw her as being in Victorian dress, and she would do things like turn off the copy machine.”

Why is Pensacola chock-full of tales of friendly spirits, haunted lighthouses, glowing orbs and ghostly sightings? Odom thinks the area’s long history has something to do with it.

“Pensacola as we know it was established back in the mid-18th century, and its history goes back even before that. That’s a long time for people to get their imaginations out of kilter,” he said, with a chuckle.

Maybe.

Or maybe ghosts are like the rest of us. They just like it here.

This page last updated September 08, 2006

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