A Haunting in the Heart of Georgia
In the quiet railroad town of Surrency, Georgia, something strange took hold in the early 1870s. What began as small disturbances soon turned into one of the most infamous hauntings in Southern history. Known today as The Surrency Ghost or the Surrency Poltergeist, this chilling series of events terrified an entire family, drew national attention, and helped shape the folklore of the Deep South.
The House That Wouldn’t Rest
The haunting centered around the home of Allen Powel Surrency, the founder of the town itself. In October 1872, the Surrency family began noticing strange activity inside their two-story farmhouse. At first, small objects moved without explanation. Soon, books, dishes, and tools were flying through the air. Windows shattered on windless nights, and bricks rained down from nowhere.
Visitors came and went, but the chaos never stopped. It seemed as though the house had come alive. The family’s clocks spun wildly, furniture turned over by unseen hands, and the air filled with the sounds of footsteps and whispering voices.
Attacked by the Unseen
Some of the encounters turned violent. One of the Surrency sons was reportedly struck in the head by a floating andiron that continued to follow and beat him even as he fled the room. Crockery leapt from shelves. Heavy furniture dragged itself across the floor. Witnesses claimed to see hot bricks fall from the ceiling while others swore to phantom lights flickering through the house at night.
The disturbances didn’t just frighten the family — they spread panic through the entire community. Locals came by the trainload to witness the events. Some saw objects move on their own; others left convinced the devil himself lived in the Surrency house.
A Haunting That Followed
When Mrs. Surrency and her daughter fled the home to stay with friends, the haunting followed them. Doors banged open in the new house, furniture shifted, and items flew across the room just as before. Whatever haunted the family wasn’t tied to the land — it was attached to them.
Some locals whispered that the curse began because Allen Surrency had made a fortune too quickly or angered dark forces in his rise to wealth. Others claimed the haunting began after he tore down an old Native burial mound while building the town’s rail connection. Whatever the cause, the terror would not stop.
The End of the Surrency Haunting
By the late 1870s, the Surrency phenomena began to fade. Allen Surrency died in 1877, and some say his death finally quieted the spirits. The house later burned down — some say by lightning, others by design — but the legend survived.
Today, only the story remains, passed down as one of Georgia’s most enduring ghost tales. Some locals claim that the ghostly activity never truly left Surrency. Reports of “spook lights” — glowing orbs drifting through the pine woods and train tracks — still surface from time to time, said to be the restless energy of that haunted family.
What Really Happened?
Skeptics have long argued that the story was exaggerated, or that clever tricks fueled the hysteria. Yet others point out that hundreds of witnesses — neighbors, railroad men, even local clergy — claimed to see the events firsthand.
Whether it was mass hysteria, mischievous spirits, or something science has yet to explain, the Surrency Ghost remains one of the strangest and most famous hauntings in the American South.
Fact Box
Location: Surrency, Appling County, Georgia
Years Active: 1872 – 1877
Main Witnesses: The Allen P. Surrency family
Reported Phenomena: Flying objects, spontaneous fires, phantom lights, violent attacks, moving furniture
Legacy: Inspired generations of Georgia ghost stories and remains one of America’s earliest documented poltergeist cases
