“The Face in the Courthouse Window”

If there’s one thing Alabama has, it’s ghost stories and legends, but none are more known than “The Face in the Courthouse Window”. This mysterious visage in the old Pickens County Courthouse in Carrollton has become a popular tourist destination and is now the hallmark of the city of Carrollton.

The story of “The Face in the Courthouse Window” was included in Kathryn Tucker Windham’s book, “13 Alabama Ghosts and Jeffrey.” If you’ve never read this book, I’m honestly shocked. Growing up, it was a right of passage here in Alabama to know this book from front to back. So, as I said, if you haven’t read, do it ASAP.

“The Face in the Courthouse Window"—Summarized

Henry Wells, a former slave who was freed at the conclusion of the Civil War, was accused of arson when the Pickens County Courthouse burnt to the ground on November 16, 1876. As the story goes, Henry fled to the attic of the courthouse while he was escaping the mob that was out to lynch him. As they continued their search, Henry peered out the famous window. He yelled to the crowd below, “I am innocent. If you kill me, I am going to haunt you for the rest of your lives!” At that very moment, lightning struck the window and the image of Henry’s face was etched into the glass. The mob finally made their way into the courthouse and forced Henry to go outside. They then lynched him. Today, the face in the window remains as a reminder of that eventful night. It’s been washed time and time again, but it won’t go away. Henry Wells warned the people he would haunt them forever if they killed him and it’s evident that he’s keeping his word.

The Face in the Courthouse Window, as told by the author herself.

“There are some strange things that happen here, but the big thing is the face in the window upstairs in our attic. It comes from Henry Wells being arrested and from him being put up there during a time where a mob wanted to come get him,” Gordo Mayor Craig Patterson said.

Patterson is also the courthouse caretaker and says the ghost story helps with tourism, a group even made a play out of the story and used local actors to portray the story on stage.

“It is a tourist effect; we have a lot of people stop and come through to see the face in the window and they will come into our gift shop here and look at some of the items from that time period. That window has been through basically gone through 142 years of tornadoes and rainstorms and his face is still up there. So that leads people to believe there’s something supernatural behind it,” he said.

Concerned citizens entreated several “responsible men” to examine the pane. It was washed in acid and returned to the window. The face was still there.

There have not been any further reports in the newspapers about a second face. Upon looking today, there is only one face, and several articles have stated the glass pane has not only been washed with acid, but with soap, gasoline and lye, all to no avail.

Court documents of the 1870s have not been perused in research of this article, but there may yet be some clues in the tomes at the courthouse. A late newspaper article mentioned the county paid $7 for Wells’ coffin and for burial. The whereabouts of his grave is unknown.

So, is this face in the window Henry Wells? Facts say no. However, due to the legends which have come from this tragedy and the belief that people need to explain the unexplainable, the face will forever be known as that of Wells.