LEIGHTON – A Colbert County Halloween tradition returns this October as the LaGrange
Haunted Hayrides welcome visitors to the historic LaGrange College Site every Friday and
Saturday night from October 2 through October 31.
Hayrides begin at 7 p.m. at 1491 LaGrange College Road in Leighton and continue throughout
the evening. Admission is $10 per person, with children ages 5 and under admitted free.
Proceeds benefit the White Oak Volunteer Fire Department and the LaGrange Living Historical
Association.
The annual event combines Halloween fun with the history and folklore of LaGrange Mountain,
a place with a story stretching back nearly two centuries.
LaGrange College opened on the mountain in 1830 as Alabama’s first state-chartered college.
The school later relocated to Florence and eventually became the University of North Alabama.
Following the college’s departure, a military academy was established at LaGrange. During the
Civil War, the academy and much of the surrounding community were burned by Union troops
in April 1863. The community never fully recovered, but its history remains visible today
through the LaGrange College Site and nearby LaGrange Cemetery.
Over the years, the mountain’s history has also inspired its share of local folklore. Visitors have
reported unexplained sounds, sightings and other unusual experiences around the historic grounds and cemetery, helping LaGrange Mountain develop a reputation among those interested in ghost stories and the paranormal.
“People have been telling stories about strange things happening on LaGrange Mountain for
years,” said Louise Lenz with the LaGrange Living Historical Association. “There is so much
history here, and I think that is part of what makes the mountain so fascinating. The Haunted
Hayrides give people a chance to have some Halloween fun while also experiencing a place that
has been part of our community’s story for generations.”
The Haunted Hayrides build on that history and folklore with a nighttime ride through the
LaGrange College Site, complete with plenty of surprises along the way.
LaGrange Haunted Hayrides will be held every Friday and Saturday night in October beginning
at 7 p.m. at the LaGrange College Site, 1491 LaGrange College Road, Leighton. Admission is $10
per person, and children ages 5 and under are free. Proceeds benefit the White Oak Volunteer
Fire Department and LaGrange Living Historical Association, supporting local emergency
services and efforts to preserve and share the history of LaGrange Mountain.
For more information about LaGrange and upcoming events in Colbert County, visit
ColbertCountyTourism.org.
Media Release/Maryanne Floyd
Director of Communications/Colbert County Tourism
