Jacob Bembry, Greene Publishing, Inc.
Among the lore of Madison County folks, you will find the occasional sighting of an unknown swamp creature, or, more commonly, stories of ghosts. One such ghost, who seems to have faded into the woodwork on the panels of Madison County history, is the “Sink Hole Ghost of Cherry Lake.”
In the old forgotten days of the twentieth century, the ghost roamed the area south of the old John Sale place, running towards homes that were occupied by the George Burnett, Sr., Sam Sales, and J.I. Surles' families, and running a small distance south to the home of Oscar Horne. When one would arrive at a location about a mile before the Surles' place, as they wandered west, the road dipped into a depression apparently known as “the sink.” The ghost was alleged to have appeared just to the north of the road on the shoulder of the sink.
What makes this ghost so unique is that it was never seen; instead, it was heard, and he left tell-tale signs of his rumblings about the area.
One autumn evening, as a group of young people returned from a cane grinding in the area, they wandered into the area of the sink, where most of the stars and moonlight were shut out. The young people were busy chattering and talking among themselves. According to them, ghosts were the furthest thing from their minds, when, all of a sudden, the air was rent with a loud, eerie, unmistakable sound. The ones who heard it attested to how the silence of the night had been shattered by the sound that resembled falling gravel hitting trees and the ground with harsh impact.
“It was frightening beyond description,” came the report from the group.
Scared, the young people exited rapidly and the sound of the falling cinders was discussed for days. People returned to hunt the ghost ground and every possibility was discussed and examined. Nothing logical could be found to explain the ghost. A week later, it happened again, sending the youngsters scurrying home.
The people of the area began accepting the story of “The Sink Hole Ghost of Cherry Lake,” but others began to deny that the young people ever had such an experience. One such doubter was Willie Wilson, a Hamburg resident, who was not buying what the group was selling.
Wilson told longtime local historian, Edwin B. “Booze” Browning, Sr., whose archives the story of the ghost was found in, that he was like Thomas in the Bible, he could not believe what he did not see or experience. He was then invited to explore the area with those who told him the ghost existed.
As per Wilson's expectations, nothing happened during the visit.
“You kids just been kidding,” he told those who averred the ghost to be real.
“Come back with us next week,” they implored him.
On the second trip, Wilson walked in confidently and assured that there would be no ghost.
“You kids have just been kidding,” he chided them. He was about to begin kidding them again when the ghost made an appearance, and this time was more convincing than it had ever been.
Wilson was not a man, who shuddered in the face of fear, but he did admit that he had difficulty keeping himself from picking up one foot in front of another and fleeing the scene.
As the years have gone by, perhaps the ghost has decided to move to another location, but, who knows, he may be lurking in the shadows of Cherry Lake, waiting for a quiet evening to rattle the rafters in some poor child's mind as he unloads his cargo of cinders.