On a hot summer evening, I found myself standing outside the historic Lowry House in Huntsville, Alabama, ready for a ghost investigation. I wasn’t alone; my friend Lee and his daughter were along for the journey. Leading our exploration were the Southern Ghost Girls, a group known for their expertise in paranormal investigations. I’m curious and open-minded, but I remain skeptical about the supernatural. Despite my doubts, I’m excited about the investigation and hopeful we’ll experience something truly extraordinary. But first, who are the Southern Ghost Girls?
The Southern Ghost Girls are a team of paranormal investigators who blend history with the supernatural. Based in the South, they explore haunted locations, delving into the stories and legends surrounding them. They use a combination of historical research, ghost-hunting equipment, and a dash of Southern charm to uncover the secrets of the past. The group aims to educate and entertain, sharing their findings through public investigations and events. Their unique approach makes them a trusted name in the world of ghost hunting, drawing in both skeptics and believers alike. With their guidance, we are ready to uncover the mysteries of the Lowry House.
The Lowry House, built in the 1850s by John Tate Lowry, is a prominent historic home in Huntsville, Alabama. John Lowry, a prosperous businessman, designed the house with tall columns and a symmetrical façade, reflecting classical influences. During the Civil War, Union officers requisitioned the house, and local legends suggest it may have been part of the Underground Railroad, though these stories are difficult to verify.
After the war, the Lowry family continued to reside in the house, which remained a social and cultural hub in Huntsville. However, by the mid-20th century, the house had fallen into disrepair due to changing hands and urban development pressures. Recognizing its historical significance, local preservationists undertook a comprehensive restoration in the 1990s, placing it on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Lowry House is also renowned for its ghostly legends and paranormal activity, making it a popular destination for ghost hunters and paranormal enthusiasts. Visitors and staff have reported numerous eerie experiences, including strange noises, items flying through the air, and sightings of apparitions. A frequently reported sighting is that of a woman in period clothing, often called the “Lady in White,” believed to be Anne Lowry, who allegedly died in the house during the Civil War. With all these claims in mind, this investigation promises to be quite intriguing.
At this evening’s event, over 50 people joined the investigation at the Lowry House. Lesley Ann Hyde, the leader of the Southern Ghost Girls, gave us an overview of our investigation. She explained that we would divide into groups, each rotating through four rooms in the Lowry House. The investigation would involve asking questions to spirits and using various equipment to get responses. Standard equipment in each room included K2 meters, motion detectors, and REM pods. Additionally, each room would have a unique method of communicating with the spirits.
The first room we entered was the Louie Tippett room. This room connects to a hidden area known as the Railroad Room, believed to have been part of the Underground Railroad. In the Tippett room, we used a spirit box, a device that rapidly scans radio frequencies to create white noise. Spirits are thought to manipulate this noise to form words and communicate.
Given the reports of activity in the Railroad Room, our lead investigator placed the spirit box there. While two people sat in the Railroad Room calling out responses they heard, the rest of the group remained in the Tippett room asking questions. These questions covered a wide range of topics, including: Are you a man or a woman? Did you live in this house? Are you here from the Underground Railroad? How many of you are here? Based on the responses, many believed that multiple spirits of slaves were present. An unusual event occurred when the motion detector in the Railroad Room went off, and the spirit box responded with a series of disjointed words: “leaving,” “us,” “Wednesday,” and “basement.” The motion detector continued triggering for almost eight minutes. Could this have been an indication of spirits moving past the sensor on their way to the basement?
Next, we moved to the Jayne Lowry room, where we used the Human Pendulum technique. In this method, participants form a circle, and one person stands in the center, acting as the “pendulum.” The group asks questions, and the person in the center sways in response, supposedly guided by spiritual energy or entities. This technique is used to communicate with spirits and gather yes-or-no answers.
One person in our group volunteered to be the pendulum, and I volunteered to stand ready to catch the person if they fell. The questioning began after determining which motion meant yes and which meant no. Within minutes, we believed we were communicating with Anne Lowry. Legend has it that during the Civil War, Anne Lowry was killed on the porch of the house by Union soldiers on her wedding day. Standing behind the pendulum person, I could see her swaying in response to the questions. Could it have been the spirit of Anne Lowry causing her to sway to communicate with us?
The next room we entered was the Governor’s Room, where one of the Southern Ghost Girls crew acted as a medium. A medium claims to communicate with spirits or entities from the afterlife, serving as a bridge between the living and the deceased. They use their psychic abilities to convey messages and insights from the spirit world.
Three members of our group sat at a table with the medium. She began by reaching out to a male and female spirit who seemed related, possibly siblings. However, these spirits didn’t appear connected to the house or anyone in our group. The medium then attempted to contact spirits related to people in the room. She identified a brother and a father who had passed away and seemed connected to some people present. Although intriguing, we didn’t experience as much activity as in the other rooms. It left me curious about what we might encounter next.
The final room of the night was the John Lowry Room. Here, we used dowsing rods to answer yes-no questions. The lead investigator asked, “If there is someone here who would like to communicate, can you cross the rods for us?” Two of our group tried to make contact, but the spirits weren’t cooperating. The lead believed the energy had shifted from the earlier sessions and that the spirits were hesitant to talk.
With no luck using the dowsing rods, we tried the human pendulum again, and I volunteered to be a catcher. As the lead investigator asked if a child was present, the REM Pod in the corner started making noise. A REM Pod detects electromagnetic (EM) fields, emitting its own EM field and lighting up or making sounds when something disturbs it, indicating potential spirit activity. After several questions, the lead investigator believed the spirit had changed to an adult female. When asked if she had red hair, the REM Pod triggered. When asked to stop, it went silent. The lead then sensed that a different “dominant” spirit had arrived and stopped the session. Were we communicating with multiple spirits? Was the REM Pod being triggered by these spirits? The experiences in the John Lowry Room left me with more questions than answers.
As the night came to a close, I reflected on my experiences from the investigation at the historic Lowry House. Each room offered unique encounters, from the curious responses of the Railroad Room’s spirit box to the Human Pendulum’s swaying answers in the Jayne Lowry Room. The Governor’s Room provided a fascinating session with the medium, even if the spirits seemed more reserved. Finally, the shifting energy and REM Pod activity in the John Lowry Room left me pondering the mysteries of the spirits. Was I convinced of the existence of ghosts? No, the evidence wasn’t compelling enough to make me a believer. However, I had more questions than answers and a deeper curiosity about the unseen world. How about you? Are you a skeptic or a believer? Whatever you are, you should check it out for yourself. The Southern Ghost Girls will return to the Lowry House later in July.
Curious about paranormal investigations? The Southern Ghost Girls blend historical research with ghost-hunting techniques to uncover mysteries. For details on their events and investigations, visit Southern Ghost Girls.
Explore the rich history of the Lowry House in the Lincoln Mill area of Huntsville, Alabama. For tour schedules and more information, visit the Lowry House website.