The Ghost Story Writer of Alabama
The story of Kathryn Tucker Windham
THE GHOST STORY WRITER OF ALABAMA
My research on this ghost story writer clearly shows she was most loved for her storytelling abilities of ghost stories. There is a link included in this bio to her author’s page where you too can enjoy her ghost stories.
In Thomasville, Alabama you will find the Kathryn Tucker Windham Museum. Located on the campus of Alabama Southern Community College. An author, photographer and journalist, the museum highlights the childhood of Kathryn Windham and the subsequent successes of her inspiring career. They dedicated the museum in June of 2003 in honor of her 85th birthday. The museum showcases her personal papers and manuscripts.
The museum also includes a sculpture of Katheryn Windham created by artist Charlie Lucas.
She not only wrote and photographed stories of Alabama but she was a famed guest speaker at area festivals and on radio programs. She would eventually host a weekly series on local radio and was a contributor to NPR on occasion.
Writing was a childhood love beginning at age 12 when she began writing movie reviews for her hometown newspaper and took photographs around and about the rural area of Thomasville, Alabama of which she lived.
Born on June 2, 1918, Kathryn attended Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Alabama and upon graduating landed a job which made her the first female police reporter on a metropolitan newspaper at The Montgomery Advertiser. She soon married a fellow journalist and veteran of WWII in 1945 and they went on to have three children, settling in Selma, Alabama.
Kathryn was awarded the University of Alabama’s Society of Fine Arts’ Alabama Arts Award in 1990.
She was given the National Storytelling Association’s Circle of Excellence Award and Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996. Harper Lee, author of “To Kill a Mockingbird” nominated Kathryn for the Alabama Academy of Honor award. Kathryn won in 2003. In 2004 Norton Dill directed a documentary entitled “Kathryn: The Story of a Teller”.
Her first published book was a cookbook called “Treasured Alabama Recipes”. She also authored the highly successful fictional book “13 Alabama Ghosts and Jeffrey”, just one of several ghost story books she was known for. During her career she would author more than 20 books. She also dabbled in theater when she wrote a play about prison reformer Julia Tutwiler. Katheryn was the main character, and the only character, in this one woman play.
Katheryn founded the Selma Tale-Tellin’ Festival which continues to this day every year in the month of October. http://artsrevive.com/news-events/tale-tellin-recap/ from the 2019 festival.
Kathryn’s final book, published after her death, is called “She: The Old Woman Who Took Over My Life” [published 2018] and is getting great reviews. You can check out all of her books on her author’s page: https://amzn.to/2ZYH4Zi
Katheryn Windham lived to the age of 93. A full life, well lived. I found her story inspiring and clearly she touched the lives of those around her in a profound and delightful way. Her obituary defined her first as a beloved wife, mother and grandmother but also called her a “pioneering newspaper woman”. I thought it both touching and very fitting that they ask that memorials be sent as a donation to the Selma-Dallas County Public Library or by planting a tree. After reading her story I can see that she inspired a giving spirit in all those who knew her.
Katheryn is profiled in “Statues of Women: 267 Statues of Real women Who Lived plus 62 Museums that Honor Women”. The statues and museums are all located in the United States. The women they celebrate are from all over the world. Find out about the women celebrated with a statue or museum in your state: https://amzn.to/2XoUig5
Written by Paula C. Henderson
Author’s Page: https://amzn.to/2XOsKjf
Reference:
https://www.ruralswalabama.org/attraction/kathryn-tucker-windham-museum/ (museum link)
The museum is located at 30755 Hwy 42 South, Thomasville, AL and you can also contact them about hours and events via their facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Kathryn-Tucker-Windham-Museum-163577974317/
https://obits.al.com/obituaries/birmingham/obituary.aspx?n=kathryn-tucker-windham&pid=152095049
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/71231819/kathryn-windham
About the Creator
Paula C. Henderson
Paula is a freelance writer, healthy food advocate, mom and cookbook author.
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