The Haunted South: Where Ghosts Still Roam

THE SURRENCY GHOST

rrlieSurrency (jliost A railroad ran special trains for people to watch these strange happenings ofthe supernatural It is doubtful whether one person in a thousand driving down Highway 82 through Jessup, Georgia, knows that they are close to the site of one of the strangest supernatural occurrences on record. Terrifying events took place at the plantation of Millard Surrency despite his reluctance at first to discuss them. From 1872 to 1877, thousands of people visited "Surrency," including scientists bent on explaining away the events and reporters sent from their newspapers to investigate. A railroad even ran special trains for people to watch such predictably regular exhibitions of the supernatural. One summer afternoon in June of 1872, Mrs. Surrency sat quietly sewing in her bedroom. The beautiful mahogany headboard of the four poster bed gleamed in the light of the sunshine which streamed through the window. Her husband, Millard, was pleased with the stand of cotton on the plantation. 61 The children were enjoying the swimming, dancing and exchange of visits, all part of the pleasures of summer. Mrs. Surrency could not have been happier . As she sewed a feeling of contentment pervaded her and she didn't notice a noise behind her. It came again and she looked around the room but saw nothing. The third time she realized that it came from the washstand behind her which was near the head of the bed. She stopped her work and gazed at it curiously. To her amazement, the pitcher in the washstand bowl at first almost imperceptibly, then with greater agitation, began to rock back and forth. Gradually enough momentum was generated so that it actually inscribed an arc over the side of the bowl and landed upright beside it on the washstand. Mrs. Surrency was now sure that one of her boys must have tied a string to the pitcher and be playing a trick upon her. She examined the pitcher, but there was no sign of any string. Ann Surrency was calm of temperament and her first reaction was more that of puzzlement than fear. She had just turned toward the door, wondering where the boys were, when a loud crash came from behind her. Turning she saw the floor in front of the washstand covered with fragments of china and glass. The bowl lay in a thousand fragments at her feet. Pieces of the matching china soap dish were there, too. Even the hand-painted glasses at the back of the stand were now nothing but sharp, silvery slivers along the debris scattered upon the dark floor. While Mrs. Surrencystood in astonishment gazing at the remains of her once lovely toilet set, she happened to look over at the washstand just as the pitcherbegan to rise slowly into the air. As iftilted by 62 some invisible hand, it remained poised while the water it contained was poured slowly out upon the rug. Then with a kind of savage flourish it was lifted high and flung to the floor. Mrs. Surrency ran from the room. The first person she met was her sixteen-year old daughter, Clementine, and son, Millard, Jr., who had come into the large center hall. They were calling her 63 to settle an argument as to who was to ride their father's handsome new stallion, Sea Horse, first. Both hushed quickly when they saw the expression on their mother's face. She told them what had happened and during the conversation their father came in from his morning tour of the plantation. After some discussion everyone tended to think that the entire incident was probably the result ofan earthquake tremor. So they dismissed it from their minds. The next day as the family were together for their mid-day meal, a door which opened on the long gallery at the side of the house closed with a loud bang. The entire family jumped at the unexpected noise, then agreed that it must have been the wind. "Perhaps we are going to have a summer storm," said Mr. Surrency, folding his napkin. As he did so the Surrencys heard the same heavy door creak open and close with such a violent crash that it almost shook the house. Young Millard pointed speechless at two of the dining room windows. The two windows which had been raised were now edging downward simultaneously. They struckthe sills and began to go back up faster until...