Dead Children's Playground, Huntsville, Alabama

Feb 15

Before the Playground

This playground located in Huntsville, Alabama, at first sight, appears to be an exact copy of any other playground you might find in any other state but the view, may be a little different than what children may be accustomed to.

This park is located right across the Maple Hill Cemetery and the children who play here at night may very well be the spirits of a local serial killer's victims.

Maple Hill Cemetery is the oldest and largest cemetery in Alabama, founded in 1822 by Leroy Pope it originally spanned just 2 acres of land. Today it spans over 100 acres and is the gravesite of many, including several hundred civil war soldiers.

Between the years 1945 and 1955, the outer banks were home to a limestone quarry. With the extraction of the limestone, large pits were created becoming cavities for hidden secrets.

Local legend has it that during the 1960s a string of child abductions terrorized the city of Huntsville. With no ransom requests for any of the children, many believed the perpetrator was not just abducting but also killing the children.

Eventually, these beliefs were proven correct when the skull of a child was found in the quarries. Further, into the investigation, more skeletal remains were found along with corpses of other recently missing children.

After the revelation of the bodies, the abductions stopped but the identity of the killer or anyone else involved was never revealed or confirmed.

It should be noted, that although many articles reference this local legend, I could not find any primary sources, such as a newspaper article to confirm this legend.

By 1985 the land where the quarry existed had been donated to the city. Plans were then put into place and executed to build Maple Hill’s Park in that area. The exact area where legend has it the children’s bodies were found.

The Ghosts of the Playground

Almost immediately after it was built the locals began to hear sounds coming from the playground at night. They eventually became acquainted with ghostly visitors to the park from the hours of 10 pm and 3 am.

So acquainted, they have nicknamed the park “Dead Children’s Playground” and in 2007, when expanding the cemetery, the city removed the park causing an uproar among its citizens.

The park was returned to its rightful place with new equipment to the joy of many children, both alive and dead. Many report the sounds of children’s voices giggling throughout the night. Swings moving on their own with patches of dirt being kicked up as if someone had jumped off the swing.

Pictures taken by visitors and ghost hunters show orbs and mists around the height of children. Some even seem illuminated all around areas of the playground specifically on the moving swings and going down the slides.

Others have reported the sounds of mothers calling out to children and, eerily enough standing above the park, some have reported seeing the ghostly figure of a man staring down at the playground.