Sardis, Alabama was named after one of the most infamous Biblical cities in the early centuries.  Sardis was known for being the home of the church that received the fifth of the seven letters that were sent to the churches in Revelation.  The Lydian empire recognized Sardis as its capital and as being one of the greatest cities of the ancient world.  Unfortunately, while the city was famed for receiving the fifth installment of the seven letters, it was not one of a positive note.

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The letter quoted, “And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write…I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. Be watchful, and temp mail the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief.”  Later memorialized in the book of Revelations chapter 3, versus 1-3, the letter suggested a strong warning of dangerous things to come.

The Adams Grove Presbyterian Church was a historic, greek revival style church building.  Located in rural Dallas County in Sardis, it was built in 1853, five years after the first person was buried in the cemetery that shared the plot of land.  The distyle-in-antis designed portico type church featured box columns and was built of wood.  The cemetery next to it is the Adams Grove Cemetery, sometimes referred to as the Dallas County Cemetery.

The Adams Grove Presbyterian Church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.  While the church had a strong congregation throughout its history, it is currently not used as a church and is privately owned, causing some to speculate that the owners choose to keep it boarded up and inaccessible to the public because of the awful, evil things that seem to come from the once token house of God.

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People describe the church and connected cemetery as pure evil.  Even getting close to the area spurns feelings of discontent and fear.  Even worse, many describe seeing weird apparitions or shadow figures.  One of the most terrifying is the vision of  a shadow man who wears a hat and visitors can almost feel the burn from his fiery red eyes.  He is often seen around the church yard and near the cemetery.

As if the figure isn’t scary enough, many others have been approached by the apparition of a man described as a Confederate solider who walks up to trespassers and orders them off the land.  Before they realize what is happening, he disappears.  He has also made it a point to appear in many photos, despite not being seen at the time the photo was taken.

Other weird occurrences involve seeing a man dressed in all black.  Estimated to be a former minister, he often appears at dark and on the eve of a great thunderstorm, often seen entering the front door of the building before the worst of the storm hits.  People hear strange noises, and are especially concerned at the sound of a baby or child crying from within the church, despite finding nothing upon inspection inside.  With events like these, there isn’t any wonder as to how the Adams Grove Presbyterian Church got its claim to fame as one of the most haunted locations in Alabama.