Many flags flew over the city of Pensacola Fl, that is why the nickname, City of Five Flags was started, the Spanish flag was one of these. During their rule, a Spanish expedition was sent out along the shores of Escambia Bay, a soldier named Juan decided one morning to hunt deer to add to their food supply. Not being familiar with this part of the world he quickly became lost, however not soon after dark he was found by the daughter of a local Indian chief. Napeese, the Indian maiden, took him home with her, the following morning the Indians escorted the young soldier back to his group. Juan had become infatuated with Napeese and wanted to marry her, but naturally her father objected. The two lovers continued to meet and their love grew deeper each day. The young soldier built a small pine cabin for their home. One day while the couple was embracing each other in their home Napeese's father burst into the cabin and shot, killing both of the lovers at the same time. The legend that has been handed down for generations is that the couple's spirit remains at the spot where they lost their lives and a stump that continues to remain green stands in the stop, showing an undying love for each other.
Juan Alverado, The Armored Ghost
A young Spanish soldier named Juan Alverado had been stationed in Havanna, Cubawhen he was transferred to Pensacola, Fl. He said his good byes to his friends and kissed his sweetheart. Late one afternoon Juan decided to explore his new surroundings, he and a friend decided to go up the Escambia River, that pours out into Escambia Bay. They knew not to go alone, so they were guided by several friendly Indians, so they thought. Far up the river the Indian guides turned on the two soldiers killing Juan's friend, and mortally wounding Juan. Able to escape from the murdering group Juan hid in a hollow cypress tree trunk. After all danger had passed Juan was to weak to crawl out of his hiding place and soon died, and the tree grew around the remains. For years settlers reported, about once a year, seeing an armored ghost wandering around about sunset and then suddenly disappear. In about 1929 logging and sawmills were a chief source of income for this part of the country, during one such logging trip a large cypress tree was cut, when it fell to the ground it split open and inside the tree was a skeleton wearing a suite of armor. The soldier was buried in a Pensacola cemetery and the ghost has not been seen again.
Skunkape, a Southern Bigfoot
Fishing, hunting, trapping, and logging were ways a man could feed his family and many times earn a living in the rural south, not so many years ago, these days are not much different, fishing and logging still remain as part of the economy and hunting is a large sporting event yearly. Many stories were told while sitting around a campfire of the dangers that the swamp held, one such story started once again around the early months of 1978, the story about the skunkape. The story goes that the creature was ape-like that stood about eight feet tall, he walked upright and his long arms hung to his knees, it is said that many saw him in the northern parts of Escambia County Florida and south Alabama along the Conecuh River swamps, but especially in and around East Brewton, Alabama, when vegetation was down during the winter season. It was covered with hair and smelled like decaying garbage and swampline, this is why it was called "Skunkape". It's high pitch woman-like scream would last for a long time, no wonder it frightened so many hearing it. There are still many that do not believe in this creature, especially the ones that don't spend a great deal of time hunting and fishing that location, they say there is not enough vegetation to sustain such a large creature and why hasn't he left any foot prints? I can tell you from experience of hunting in those woods, there are still sloughs, and creek beds so deep off those river beds that man can not reach far enough into them to know what lives in them, vegetation is plentiful off the beaten trails and the ground is so soft, wet, and densely covered with decaying leaves and branches, no footprints would last long enough to be found. But for those of us that go deep enough in the swamps and listens to the wind there is no doubt that the skunkape is real. So Beware! Next time your dog starts to get anxious and refusing to leave the safety of your side while your hunting, I suggest you turn and leave quickly before your doubts are proven wrong.
The Romano Street Phantom
Sarah was the daughter of Don Irving Wharton, who was quite well off financially and they both lived on Romano Street in Pensacola, Fl. Sarah wore a diamond that grew great attention at night as it shined brilliantly in the moonlight. Don Wharton and his beautiful daughter was attacked one dark evening by a band of pirates. Don Wharton was murdered by their captures and then Sarah was taken hostage. Full of passion the brutal pirate captain tried to put his arms around the lovely Sarah and tried to kiss her, only she struck out at him. Sarah's sparkling diamond ring tore out one of the pirate's eyes and injured the other. The pirate, being in great pain, became furious with Sarah, he swung his cutlass at her and severed the beautiful woman's head from her body. They say on moonlit nights Sarah comes back to walk down Romano Street near the water. You'll recognize her, if you see her, a tall graceful girl, and on her hand a brilliant diamond sparkling in the moonlight. But if your still not sure if that is Sarah check to see if her head is attached, if not, well you can safely assume then it is really Sarah.
There is a cemetery in Santa Rosa County Florida that has a legend attached to it. People that know the cemetery say if you jump up on the brick wall that surrounds the cemetery perimeter and slowly walk around it after the third time around someone or something will push you off. You might find a web site on my scary and unusual links about this cemetery.
St. Michael's Cemetery
There is an old legend around the oldest cemetery in Pensacola, Florida. I have heard all of my life. The story goes as this.... When I was a child there was no locked gates on the fence surrounding the cemetery and people use to drive through the middle of the cemetery as a short cut downtown. The legend says people driving through will find a small little girl walking down the lane. Many of these people will offer to take the little girl home only as soon as they drive out the back gate the little girl will disappear. It is also been known to have a light that moves in the cemetery with no one attached to it, this light has been seen by many out of the windows of the once used City Jail building.
For historical facts on this cemetery look at my scary and unusual links.
Escamba County Jail
The jail is built on top of part of the old potters field county cemetery, that once sat behind the old Escambia General Hospital. The legend says that the wing of the jail that sits on top of the old cemetery is haunted. Most deaths such as suicides use to occur in the wing that sat on top of the old cemetery.
Escambia County Road Prison
The prison has been rumored for years as having been haunted by an old Sergeant that died on the job there many years ago. There has been nights when the lights on the locked prison vans would start blinking and the horns would start blinking. The old Sergeant has also been witnessed by several of the officers over many years while watching the hallway monitors.
The year was 1887. It was exactly 112 years ago this very night when old Captain Barrinenaut and a small group of trappers set out to find the animal or creature that had killed over 60 chickens, 25 goats, 2 milk cows and a large bull in their small village of Molini, Florida.
They started tracking the creature early that morning after it tried to break through the bolted door to Captain Barrinenaut's smoke house where he had six large smoked hogs hanging. The group of men followed the partial prints deep into the woods.
As the creature approached the swamp it's tracks could be seen clearer in the dried mud. The tracks no longer appeared to be from an animal, it had five toes on each foot, a foot much shorter than a mans but much wider than a grown mans. Instead of making the usual four foot prints of an animal it now made only two prints. The creature was no longer on it's all fours but it was now standing on two legs like a human walks as it made it's way across the almost dry creek bed. As the group of men climbed the embankment on the opposite side of the creek bed they could see where the creature had slipped, it has lost it's footing in the slick clay after that mornings rain shower. When the creature was falling it tried to catch hold of a cypress root but missed, it's hand came down making a nice clear imprint. Now that the clay was dry the print showed in great detail that the creatures hands were human like. It's hands were wide with short stubby fingers and claw like nails.
The men decided to mark their trail and make camp for the night. The night was clear and turning quite cold. It was no ordinary Fall night except the woods were exceptionally still and quiet, no sounds of birds, no owls not even a crick or frog making their nightly chorus of sounds. It was if all life outside of the trees and vegatation around the camp didn't exist. No one slept much in camp that night, everyone's nerves were on edge.
The next morning they found where they had left off the trail and began tracking again. Around noon the creature's prints started to over lap each other and then head back toward the village. When the men of the group realized how fast the creature must have been moving that day they started getting concerned for their families, the creature could reach the village before they could get back. The men speeded up their walk toward their homes.
Time had run out for Captain Barrinenaut and the others to reach the village before the creature. As the group of men approached their village they all sensed something had changed, something was wrong. There were no sounds of their children playing outside, no barking dogs, no carts making daily rounds through town. Not even the familiar sounds and smells of their wives cooking was in the air. Only the sound of the cold Autumn wind whistling through the tops of the pines could be heard. Each of the men scattered apart returning to their own homes to see about their own families welfare.
Captain Barrinenaut approached his side yard slowly and cautiously, there lying next to what was left of his hen house and chickens was the bloody front leg of his children's pet goat. When he turned the corner of his home he saw some of his wife's clean laundry had been ripped off the clothes line and shredded and scattered across the yard. The back door going into the cooking area of the house was ripped partly off it's hinges. Inside his home he found his wife and four children's bodies ripped apart and thrown around the room. Screams echoed through the village that afternoon, all were found dead except for one small boy found hiding in the top of a high china cabinet. The child's hair had turned white from fright and all he could do was chant from an old legend, "When a man runs wild as a wolf, so shall the blood of the innocent flow freely"
One of the trappers found several prints outside the boy's home. Each set of prints were similar but of different sizes. The men soon realized that the one creature they had been tracking had only taken them on a wild goose chase while the others fed.
The men buried their families, many left the area never to return. Only a few including Captain Barrinenaut remained in the area and hunted the family of creatures until their death.
Eventually the deaths were forgotten and the creatures were not seen of heard of again. AT LEAST UNTIL NOW.....
An unfamiliar howling not like the coyotes that ran these woods was heard and strange tracks were once again found around many of the farms where some of the livestock was being found mutilated and dead. But what frightened me the most was the prints found under my kitchen window one evening when I walked outside to call my pet dog inside for the night. Only my dog was not found. All I can do now keep locked inside my home and sit, listen quietly and pray that I will be able to stay alive until my husband and the other men of our small little town comes back from tracking the strange prints of an unknown creature to us ,that carried them toward the swamp.
THE END
By Alice Knutson
New 2013 Story
"THIS HERE SPOT"
Right here on this here spot over 75 years ago a small little girl went missing. Legend has it she drowned in the fish pond that now sits in my very front yard.
People in these parts say if you go outside and sit very quietly by the pond on a bright full moon night you will eventually hear the sounds of the little girl screaming for help as she thrashed around in the water before drowning. I’ve tried to hear her several times since I built this here cabin, but I ain’t never heard anyone screaming. But I will tell you what’s been seen, that just ain’t right. Nope! It just ain’t right I tell you! It just ain’t normal! No sirree. It just ain’t right.
Right after we built this here cabin my Pa was here visiting one night and went to sit on the front porch before going to bed, you know to have his self a chaw of tobacco. He came in about an hour later looking all pale and green faced. I asked him what was wrong that he looked like he swallowed his chaw. He said he had done just that. I asked him why did he do such a fool thing as that, he was gonna give his self a belly ache. Pa said he didn’t mean to, but he couldn’t help it after what he saw. I took Pa by the arm and made him sit at the supper table and tell me what happened. This is what he said……..
Pa said he was sitting on the porch with his feet propped up on the railing of the porch. He had just opened a new pouch of chewing tobacco and had put a nice wad in his jaw. Along about the tenth spit in the flower bed he saw a shadow come around the other end of the cabin. He thought one of us had gone out the back door and circled around the cabin. He called out, “Hey, you coming to sit with me?”. Only no one answered him. He thought maybe the moon was just joking with him casting shadows through the trees. He sat back in his rocker, but felt a little uneasy still. About the fifth or sixth time he leaned over to spit. He noticed a foggy mist came from the middle of the pond and slowly went to the right. It crossed the trail coming into the property, then circled back around toward the end of the cabin where the shadow came from. He slowly eased out of his rocker and crossed the porch and leaned over the end railing, but he couldn’t see the mist anymore. So he slowly went back to his rocker and sat back down, but kept his eyes open towards the opposite side of the cabin. About the time he had convinced his self that he was just seeing shadows from the trees and not seeing any haints he said from the left side of the yard he noticed what looked like a small little girl in a print dress or nightgown running. He said it looked like she was dragging a baby doll on the ground beside her. She was holding the doll by one leg. Pa said she stopped and turned to look behind her. She then started backing up and then turned and started running again. Pa jumped up and started to run to her, but then he saw a large man running toward her caring what looked like a large knife. He could see it shining in the moon light. He said the next minute the man swung the knife down and struck the little girl in the back making her fall. The man reached down picked up the little girl and threw her body into the pond. Afterwards the man reached down picked up the doll and sort of sniffed at it. Then the man turned and looked right into Pa’s eyes. Pa said the man’s face changed into the face of a monster with bright red eyes. Pa said he tried to yell for help, but he realized he was choking on the chaw he had swallowed. By the time he could speak the man was gone. Never had I ever seen my Pa so scared as when he told us that story.
The next day we all searched around the pond but found no sign of anyone being down there. No prints, no mud stirred up, the grass wasn‘t even disturbed.
My husband and Pa decided to walk behind the cabin and in the woods to see if anyone had disturbed anything. On their way back home my Pa stepped into what he thought was a rabbit hole. When he pulled his foot out a piece of material was stuck to his boot strap. He pulled at the material only to find it was a piece of dress that was on an old porcelain doll, just like the one he saw the little girl dragging the night before down by the pond.
About two weeks later I was talking to some ladies at the church social about what Pa had seen and one of the older ladies asked me to follow her, she had something she wanted me to see. In the back of the church where some of the ladies had started collecting pictures of some of the original members of the church she pulled out an old photo album. She showed me a picture of a small little girl in a print dress holding a porcelain doll in front of a Christmas tree. The doll was wearing the same print dress the girl was wearing. She said the girl was her Grandmother’s baby sister that came up missing during a church picnic. She said the child had never been found. But there had been talk that some believed the old man that lived down by the rail road tracks had something to do with her missing.
When I asked her what ever happened to the old man. I asked if they ever found out what had happened to the little girl. She told me a few weeks after her Great Aunt came up missing the old man’s body had been found without his head. The old man’s shack had been burned down, his body was inside. The sheriff said it couldn’t have been an accident cause the old man’s head was found a few days later stuck on a stick looking out toward our pond.
I asked if they ever found out who had killed the old man she said there had been rumors that he had been found doing things to one of the local girls one afternoon not far from where our cabin now sits. Some people believe her Daddy and uncles took care of the old man in their own way.
We don’t sit on the porch at night any longer, and as far as I know no one has eaten any more fish out of our pond.
The year was 1887. It was exactly 112 years ago this very night when old Captain Barrinenaut and a small group of trappers set out to find the animal or creature that had killed over 60 chickens, 25 goats, 2 milk cows and a large bull in their small village of Molini, Florida. 