St. James Hotel

Jesse James along with his brother Frank was considered a notorious outlaw in the late 1800s. His criminals ways have long since ended but could his spirit still be with us? Some believe so, specifically in the St. James Hotel.

In 1837, an antebellum riverfront building erected and was called the Brantly Hotel, as it was known at the time, in Selma, Alabama. For 160 years, it was THE place for businessmen, plantation owner, soldiers, etc. During the Civil War, the Union Army, who took up residence at the hotel, kept it from burning along with the rest of Selma. After the war, Benjamin S. Tower, the first African-American Congressman, owned the property and rented out the rooms on a long-term basis. It was during this time the James Brothers made the Brantly Hotel their headquarters for a while, staying in Room 301. In 1892, the hotel ran in to financial difficulties and was forced to shut down. For over a century, the building laid dormant before going through a $6 million restoration and a name change in 1997. Or was it?

Frank and Jesse are both believed to be haunting the building. They are both seen roaming around Rooms 214, 314, and 315. Jesse also likes to occupy the left corner table in the downstairs bar. These boys are not without female companionship. Lucinda, Jesse’s alleged mistress, is also seen wandering the hotel. She is described as being tall and beautiful with black hair and smells of lavender. A portrait of her hangs on the first floor of the hotel. And what ghost family wouldn’t be complete without a pet. The spirit of a black dog, supposedly once belonging to Jesse, has been heard running and barking. Many guests often complain of the barking heard in the courtyard.

Could this famed historical figure be still present in ghost form?

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