Spooky Stories: The Hole That Won't Stay Filled

In 1864, Methodist preacher Bill Skeeto spoke out against the Confederacy and paid a substitute to fight so he could nurse his dying wife. The town called him a deserter and a coward.On a cold November day, men he thought were friends ambushed him by the Choctawhatchee River. They hanged him from an oak tree, but Bill was so tall his toes touched the ground. So they dug a hole beneath his feet with a crutch—and watched him slowly strangle to death.Bill's final words: "If you hang me here, you will never forget this spot."For over 150 years, that hole has remained near Newton, Alabama. You can fill it with dirt, pack it down, even dump trash in it. But when you return, it's swept clean—like invisible hands keep it that way.Legend says it's Bill Skeeto's ghost, marking the spot where an innocent man died, making sure nobody forgets.