The Haunting Stories Behind Huggin’ Molly

  • By Sam Ashford
  • First Published: August 12, 2024
  • Last Updated: September 21, 2025

The Huggin Molly story

We all appreciated a warm, loving hug once in a while.

But, when you’re a kid and alone out in the street at night, and that hug comes from a seven-foot-tall witch dressed in a black coat, it’s a completely different story.

Read here to learn more about the haunting story behind the legend of Huggin’ Molly, and why every Abbeville native, no matter their age, still avoids walking the streets alone after dark.

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The Legend of Huggin’ Molly

Every Abbeville native grew up and listened wide-eyed to their parents telling them the story of Huggin’ Molly:

You’re alone, it’s dark outside, and you didn’t listen to your parents to be home and indoors before sunset. You hear footsteps behind you as you walk home in the moon’s glow, not another soul in sight.

You stop to listen. Nothing. You take another footstep. There it is again. You take a deep breath. Maybe it’s just your imagination…

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You start walking faster. The footsteps also pick up speed. “Let me hurry to that streetlight!“, you think, hoping that island of safety in the pitch black night will be your saving grace. But, just as you reach the streetlight’s warm glow, the light goes out, and the dark envelopes you.

And then, in an instant, you feel strong arms grab you, fold around you, and start squeezing the life out of you as a shrilling scream deafens your ears.

A Quaint Little Town

Huggin’ Molly’s story has been told from generation to generation in the small town of Abbeville, Alabama.

From a young age, all Abbeville children knew Huggin’ Molly and not to be on the street after dark. As Jimmy Rane, a long-time Abbeville native recalls:

“If your mother or dad didn’t want you to be out after dark, they’d tell you Huggin’ Molly would get you. And you believed it, too.”

His father told him and a friend that he was one night grabbed and given a huge hug by Huggin’ Molly, scaring them witless and making the story of the hugging witch even more real for the two young lads.

A Scary, Dark Figure

Huggin’ Molly, according to legend, is a tall, seven-foot witch.

Dressed in a big, dark coat and huge wide-brimmed hat, Huggin’ Molly would lurk in the dark, waiting for a child on the streets alone after sunset, to stalk, pounce on, and give a huge hug.

Though Molly never really harmed any of her victims – except for a ringing in your ear after her shrilling scream – kids in Abbeville grew up knowing you hurried home and indoors when the day was over and it became dark outside.

Only Young Victims

Huggin’ Molly would strike on nights, lit only by the moon’s glow, stalking young kids walking the dark streets alone.

Little boys, they say, are her victims of choice.

Who Was Huggin’ Molly?

No one knows who Huggin’ Molly is or where she came from. Some claim Molly is the ghost of a mother who lost a young child and now roams the street trying to find her long-lost boy.

Others say Huggin’ Molly worked as a professor at the former local college, the Southwest Alabama Agriculture School, and that she roamed the streets at night to scare young people off the street and, in her own, unique way, kept them out of harm’s way.

Another more scary retelling is that Huggin’ Molly was the ghost of the woman killed one night on the dark streets of Abbeville, now trying to warn others of the dangers that lurk in the dark.

Huggin’ Molly’s: A Scary Eatery

So fascinated – and scared! – was Jimmy Rane with the story of Huggin’ Molly that he opened a 50s-themed restaurant in her honor in 2006:

Huggin’s Molly’s, on 129 Kirkland Street, Abbeville, promises visitors a trip down memory lane and is filled with 1950s music, memorabilia, antiques, and nick-nacks from gone-by years.

The local eatery pays homage to Huggin’ Molly with a special-prepared dish called Molly’s Fingers and boasts an authentic soda fountain.

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What are some of Alabama’s most famous ghosts?

Know for its rich history, Southern charm, and hospitality, Alabama is also famous for these hauntings:

  1. The ghost of Fort Morgan. This historic military site in Mobile Bay houses the ghosts of many soldiers who died in the Civil War. Most famously, the Ghost of Fort Morgan (also known as the Lady in White), a young lady who committed suicide by jumping from the fort’s wall into the sea, can at times be seen roaming the grounds.
  2. The phantom hitchhiker of Highway 431. Stretching across the northern parts of Alabama, Highway 431 plays host to the ghost of a young woman who lost her life in a car accident. The ghost has stopped numerous drivers asking for a lift, only to disappear without a trace once they start driving.
  3. The spectral lady of Gaineswood Plantation. Said to be the ghost of Catherine Whitfield, the Spectral Lady of the Gaineswood Plantation often roams the estate’s grounds, with some staff and visitors also reporting to have heard her soft footsteps in the home’s hallways.
  4. The Witch of Sketoe’s Hole. It’s said that Sketoe’s Hole, a natural spring in Newton, Alabama, is haunted by the ghost of a woman who, accused of witchcraft, was lynched and hung from a tree. Visitors to Sketoe’s Hole often report seeing strange lights and hearing disembodied voices.
  5. The phantom children of Bayview Bridge. This well-known bridge in Selma, Alabama houses the ghost of two young kids who died in a car crash in the area. Eyewitnesses have reported hearing the laughter and cries of young children, with some saying they have seen small handprints appear on their cars after driving over Bayview Bridge.

Are there other well-known haunted locations in Alabama?

If you ever visit Abbeville, also remember to check out these five haunted locations in Alabama:

  • Maple Hill Cemetery. Located in Huntsville, this cemetery, founded in 1822 and housing 80,000 graves, is said to be one of the most haunted places in Alabama.
  • Jemison Center. What used to be known as the Old Bryce Hospital, this now-abandoned former mental health facility is known for its slamming doors, unexplained footsteps, and disembodied voices echoing through the hallways.
  • Nancy’s Mountain Trail. This haunted mountain trail – 40 minutes from Franklin, Alabama – houses the ghost of a woman who lost her son in the Civil War. She is often seen, with a lantern in her hands, searching for her long-dead son.
  • The Redmont Hotel. First opening its doors in 1925, this world-famous Alabama hotel’s guests and staff have reported furniture moving around, apparitions that appear out of thin air, and doors that open and close on their own.
  • Drish House. This stately home was built by Dr. John R. Drish, who died after tumbling down the stairway and is known as one of the most haunted places in the US. Drish’s wife Sarah’s ghost can often be seen staring through a window of the third-story tower.

Final Thoughts

From a young age, all Abbeville residents knew Huggin’ Molly.

Said to be a seven-foot-tall witch dressed in dark clothing and sporting a wide-brimmed hat, she would stalk children in the dark of night to give them a tight hug.

Though maybe only an urban legend or ghost story to keep children off the street after sunset, or the mother who lost her young child, Huggin’ Molly has kept many Abbeville residents scared and indoors at night.

Make sure you visit Abbeville on your next ghost-hunting adventure, and who knows, you might run into Huggin’ Molly.

Remember to shop Spiritshack‘s range of ghost-hunting equipment to ensure that if you run into Huggin’ Molly, you have all the evidence to prove your encounter.

Sources:

Sam Ashford
Sam Ashford - Author

Hey, I'm Sam Ashford! I'm a ghost-hunting expert, writer and founder of SpiritShack. My mission is to help people like yourself learn about spirituality and how to hunt ghosts!