Reynolds Hall

The University of Montevallo has quite a few ghosts, but one of the most interesting is the ghost of Colonel Reynolds. He was one of the first presidents. When Julia Tutwiler helped get this institution established as a girls’ training school, Reynolds became the first president and made a go of it. He owned a store downtown, and kids had to buy whatever they needed from him.

During the Civil War, Reynolds was a colonel in the Confederate Army, and it was his job to supervise Reynolds Hall, which had become a hospital for Confederate soldiers. He learned that Sherman was about to attack the Briarfield Iron Works, which was a very valuable smelting facility for the Confederates, so he decided to go 8 miles from Briarfield and participate with the troops. Unfortunately, he left eh wounded soldiers in Reynolds unguarded, and when the Union Army came through, they massacred the wounded in Reynolds. Reynolds came back from Briarfield and was anguished over the fact that he had not died on the battlefield. He regretted not staying in Montevallo to protect the wounded men, so he never left. He said he’d never go from Reynolds Hall again.

I have been over to Reynolds on nights when maintenance people will swear that Reynolds’ portrait has been moved. They will take it down and move it back to its proper place. No one has ever been caught moving it, but it does in fact move around the building. Every now and then, a gust of wind will blow across the stage when the doors aren’t open, so it’s very easy to imagine that there’s someone else in the room. He’s a ghost who is sorry for what he did in life, and he is trying to compensate for it after death.

Last updated 07/24/01

Reynolds Hall (University of Montevallo) By Dr. Frank McCoy

Reynolds Hall
(University of Montevallo)
By Dr. Frank McCoy