The haunted Cedarhurst Mansion + one of Huntsville's most famous ghosts

Maple Hill Cemetery, ghost, angel — An angel atop a headstone at Maple Hill Cemetery. (Audrey Johnson / Hville Blast)

Huntsville has more haunting places than Dead Children’s Playground and more ghosts than Mary Chambers Bibb. The 200 year-old Cedarhurst Mansion, also known as “The Sally Carter House,” is home to another haunting Huntsville ghost story.

Cedarhurst Mansion’s ghost story

maple hill cemetery — At first, Sally was buried on the estate. (Audrey Johnson / Hville Blast)

Cedarhurst Mansion, located inside the Cedarhurst subdivision on Drake Ave., was built in 1823 by the Ewing family. Mary Ewing’s sister Sally Carter, not yet 16 years old, visited in 1837. An unexpected illness killed the girl, and legend says she still haunts the estate.

Almost 100 years later, a boy from Dothan visited the mansion–and slept in Sally’s room–on a stormy night. He dreamt that Sally appeared and asked him to fix her fallen tombstone. When he told his family, they laughed him out of the room. But upon further inspection the next morning, her gravestone had toppled over during the storm from that night.

Moving graves + her empty casket

Ghost story fanatics visited Sally’s grave often and even vandalized it once. In 1982, it was decided that Sally, her sister and her sister’s three children would be moved to Maple Hill Cemetery to continue their eternal rest.

When her grave was excavated, legend says Sally’s casket was empty. Those who stay at Cedarhurst still say they can hear her footsteps wandering the halls.