A Curious Stain at the Bottom of the Stairs

There is a mansion on Highway 14 about two miles west of Marion, Alabama known as Carlisle Hall. The house is rather unusual; a combination of Romanesque arches with a Japanese temple-type hanging copper roof and a Moorish balcony rail, all combined in a Gothic design.

Edwin Carlisle, a prosperous cotton merchant, had the plans drawn up in 1857 and the mansion was built between 1858 and 1859 on his 440 acre plantation. He and his family moved into the house in 1860. After he died in 1873, the house was sold several times to new owners, all of whom only stayed a short time. In the early 1900’s the last owners simply abandoned it and left the area.

Soon afterward, local residents began talking about a blue lantern light that could be seen through the windows of the bedroom originally occupied by Edwin Carlisle. There were also rumors of ghostly footsteps being heard coming down the stairs and what sounded like the swish of petticoats. People thought it must have been Carlisle’s daughter who, toward the end of the Civil War, had fallen in love with a Yankee colonel, one of the Northern occupation troops stationed in the area after the Confederate troops had been driven out. Any time he came calling, the young Miss Carlisle would rush down the stairs to greet him in the parlor. Evidently, she continued to do so long after the war and the lives of the lovers were over.

In the late 1930’s, the home was purchased by a retired naval officer named A. S. Hill. He began to repair the structure, but he never got to spend even one night there as before the work was completed, America entered World War II and Mr. Hill came out of retirement and went off to fight. Sadly, his ship was sunk by an enemy submarine and he didn’t return.

Mr. W. E. Belcher purchased the home next, but he spent all his time traveling and the house fell further into disrepair. Vandals broke in and stole furniture, paintings, books, and anything else of value. They shattered all 56 windows and several leaded Venetian glass masterpieces above the staircase. They ripped the banister apart and chopped into pieces the 6 marble fireplace mantels. They even dug up trees on the property and uprooted plantings in the formerly beautiful flower beds.

When Mr. Belcher returned from one of his trips overseas and saw the condition of the house, he hired a family to live in it. They were to protect the property and to make repairs as they could while the house was up for sale. Within two weeks though, the caretaker family’s only child, a toddler, was killed when he fell down the stairs splitting his little head open and leaving a bloody stain on the floor where he landed.  After the child was buried, they left after telling a few people about seeing old Mr. Carlisle walking the upstairs hallway at night and seeing his daughter gliding down the same staircase that had killed their beloved son.

After that tragedy, the house was abandoned until the 1950’s when it was rescued by a teacher, Kay Klassen, who bought it just before it was condemned by the authorities and torn down.  She and her parents spent 7 years in restoration and modernization work, including sanding and repairing the wooden floors. During this time, they searched all over the South for period furnishings, mantels, and chandeliers to replace those that had been destroyed. When they were finished, everyone agreed they had managed to bring the old place back to its glory days.

Ms. Klassen said she never saw Mr. Carlisle, his daughter or any unexplained lights. The only thing that couldn’t be explained was a section of the flooring that had a nasty stain. She would wash and sand it until the stain was gone, but within several days, it would return. She finally had to cut the section out and replace the wood. Today, if you look really close, you can see where the replacement is located – at the foot of the stairs right where a dying baby’s cries had been heard years and years ago.

Ghostly Blue Lamp

Carlisle Hall

There is a home in Perry County, Alabama known as Carlisle Hall. A fine mansion of a home built in 1858 on a 440 acre parcel of land, it was constructed in a unique Gothic design with Romanesque arches, a Japanese temple-style hanging roof made of copper and a Moorish-type balcony rail. It was designed by a well-to-do cotton farmer and merchant named Edwin Kenworthy Carlisle who lived in the house with his family until he died in 1873. 

After Edwin died, his family moved away and the house sold. Over the years, a number of people owned the house, but none stayed for long and rumors of ghostly doings began to circulate. Reputable witnesses told of seeing through the windows a pale blue lantern light floating around the bedroom previously occupied by Mr. Carlisle. Families who bought and lived in the house told of hearing footsteps coming down the stairs accompanied by what sounded like petticoats swishing and of mysterious cold spots on and around the stairs. Everyone thought it must be Edwin's beautiful daughter who fell in love with a Union Colonel she met when he was stationed in the area after the Yankees had driven out the Confederate forces during the Civil War. Her father did not approve of the relationship, but with the war going on, could do little about it. Every time the Yankee Colonel would come calling on the young Ms. Carlisle, she would put on a fine dress and rush down the stairs to meet him in the parlor. After the war, the Colonel left without her, but apparently she continued to rush down the ornate stairs long after the young lovers had parted this life years later.

In the late 1930's, the house was purchased by A. S. Hill right after he retired from the navy. He continued to live in a nearby apartment while repairing and modernizing the house. Before the repairs were completed and Mr. Hill moved in however, World War II broke out. The patriotic Mr. Hill went back into the navy and sailed off to fight on a warship in the Pacific ocean. Unfortunately, he didn't make it back.

The house sat empty until the late 1940's when it was purchased by a wealthy bachelor, Mr. W. E. Belcher. Mr. Belcher spent most of his time traveling and the house once again fell into disrepair. Squatters and vandals broke in and stole all of the furniture, paintings, books, and even the curtains. They broke all 56 windows, punched holes in the walls and broke the marble fireplace mantels. They even trampled and destroyed all of the flowers and plants in the formerly beautiful flower beds and gardens and uprooted trees for fires in the winter.

After one of his extended trip overseas, when Mr. Belcher returned home and saw the horrible condition of the house, he hired a family to live on the property and to begin repairs in order to sell it. Only three weeks after moving in, the caretaker's only child, a little 1-year-old boy, was killed when he fell down the stairs. A bloody stain was left on the floor at the foot of the stairs where his little body came to rest. Less than a month after the accident, the caretaker family left after telling of seeing the misty apparition of old Mr. Carlisle roaming around the upstairs hallway and then walking through the closed door of the room he used to sleep in. They also told of seeing a beautiful young woman dressed in a beautiful 1800's style dress who on most nights would glide down the stairs seemingly without touching the steps; the same stairs which killed their son.

After that, nobody was willing to buy the Carlisle Mansion, even at a drastically reduced price, so it sat abandoned until the late 1950's when a teacher, Ms. Kay Klassen, purchased the crumbling house just before it was condemned by the authorities and torn down. With her parents help, she spent over 7 years repairing and modernizing the home to bring it back to its previous splendor. As part of the repair work, they sanded and repaired every inch of the wood floors.

At some point before Ms. Klassen purchased the property, evidently both Edwin Carlisle and his daughter found their way to the other side as Ms. Klassen stated she has never seen Mr. Carlisle or his daughter or any mysterious blue lights. There was one thing that bothered her and couldn't be explained though. She found one particular section of the floor which had a curious nasty stain. She scrubbed it and sanded it until the stain was gone, but within 2 days, the stain reappeared. This was repeated numerous times over the course of several months with the stain always reappearing. She finally had to cut out the stained section and replace it with new boards. Today, if you take one of the guided tours of this restored mansion, look closely and you can see where the replacement section is located - at the foot of the stairs, at the exact spot where a dying baby's little body came to rest and he breathed his last breath all those years ago.