BUILT: 1846
OPERATION TIME: 1846 to 1997
STATUS: Open as luxury condominiums
History
The Gurney Manufacturing Company (sometimes referred to as the Prattville Manufacturing Company) opened as a cotton and textile mill in 1846. During the 1890s, ten-year-old Willie Youngblood fell to his death down an elevator shaft from the third-floor spinning room where he worked. His mother haunts the mill in search of her son. Workers often witnessed her shadowy figure patrolling the rows of machines silently, never interacting with the living. During the 1920s, the distraught mother materialized to the workers in the spinning room at night. On other occasions, she was seen lingering in the first-floor living room and gliding across the pond outside. The manufacturing plant was also believed to be haunted by a dye mixer named Moe.
After over a century of business, the Gurney Manufacturing Compan closed in 1997 and the building was converted into luxury condominiums. On September 11, 2002, the two buildings housing Daniel Pratt’s textile enterprise were destroyed by a fire believed to be arson, leaving behind only the Picker House.
Sources
- Forgotten USA. “Gurney Manufacturing Company,” www.ForgottenUSA.com
- Prattville, AL. “Prattville Manufacturing Company,” www.PrattvilleAL.gov
- Strange USA. “View Location,” www.StrangeUSA.com
- Strange USA. “View Location 2,” www.StrangeUSA.com
- Unsolved Mysteries. “Gurney Manufacturing Company,” www.UnsolvedMysteries.com
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