Tuscaloosa's Drish House Focus Of Paranormal Investigation, Ghost Tour

TUSCALOOSA, AL — Few Tuscaloosa ghost stories have survived into the present day like the historic Drish House, which was transformed Saturday night for tours and a real-life ghost hunt by Southern Ghost Girls Conduct Paranormal Investigation.

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Those conducting the tours and investigation were clad in Victorian Era gowns and suits, with professional ghost hunters seen discretely installing different specialized equipment around the house.

Lesley Ann Hyde, owner and Founder of the Southern Ghost Girls Tours & Paranormal Investigation, was one of the many dressed in attire from the period and expressed her excitement for the opportunity. While numerous groups have conducted past paranormal investigations at the Drish House, Saturday marked the first time for the Southern Ghost Girls.

Specializing in paranormal investigations in the southern United States, particularly Alabama, the Southern Ghost Girls incorporate advanced science, sophisticated equipment and keen investigative skills to gather empirical evidence of the paranormal.

"It's been many years that we have wanted to do an investigation here and we're finally getting to do it," she told Patch Saturday before the investigation commenced. "This is the first time, so we're super excited. We're ready to see what evidence we get and what spirits may still roam these rooms."

Located in the middle of a traffic circle on 17th Street, the Drish House has been many things during its existence, ranging from a stately plantation home to a garage and mechanic shop. It was also one of the original 13 stories mentioned in Kathryn Tucker Windham's 1969 classic "13 Alabama Ghosts and Jeffrey."

Built in the 1830s by Dr. John Drish, the ghostly stories find their genesis in the planter and slave owner's untimely death by falling drunk from home's once ornate staircase. His young, grief-stricken wife supposedly kept vigil with candles in the main tower following his funeral.

Over the years, countless stories have been passed down telling of flickering lights seen at the top of the tower, with some famously mistaking the lights for fire.

Saturday's tour quickly sold out, but Hyde said tickets are already on sale for the next event at the Drish House on Oct. 8, which will be part of the Southern Ghost Girls' Paranormalpalooza Tour.

Click here to learn more about the Southern Ghost Girls Tours & Paranormal Investigation.

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