Haunted Apalachicola: The Cursed Sisters of the Gibson Inn

What is now known as Apalachicola, Florida was once called Cottonton.

The area first began as a British trading post in the early 1800s.

By 1827, the area had attracted several residents and the name of the town was switched to Apalachicola in 1831.

Updated 2/10/2020 – The Evil that Transpired in Cottonton…

As the area grew, a hotel was desperately needed.

Thus, the Gibson Inn was established in 1907.

Given its long standing history, many visitors seem to believe the Inn is haunted.

Many reports of a spirit who once died of pneumonia have come in, but one visitor knows of a story that is far worse.

“I was visiting family nearby and booked a room at the Gibson Inn for a week,” Travis said.

“Nothing seemed amiss my first night there, but I began seeing something strange out of the corners of my eyes.”

What do you mean?

“I started catching glimpses of two girls in simple cotton dresses.

“They wore old fashioned knee high socks, and black Mary Jane shoes.

“One was taller than the other but they appeared to be sisters.

“Despite their outdated clothes, they seemed so vivid and natural…

“The only way I could tell that they weren’t living was the fact that they both had two opaque birds, floating and flying around their heads.

Haunted Apalachicola: The Bird Sisters

“Honestly, I thought I was starting to develop a mental disorder,” he admitted.

“That night, I woke up to the sound of birds squawking inside my hotel room.

“When I sat up, I saw the two girls standing beside my bed.

“The birds were hovering on each of their shoulders.

“’H-hello?’ I said, slightly frightened.”

“’Hello’ they said in complete unison.

‘Are you guys ghosts?’

“’Yes,’ they said in unison again.

“The birds began to fly around the room in lazy circles.

“They saw me looking at them and said, ‘they aren’t ghosts, they are curses.’

‘Curses?’

“The two sisters nodded.”

‘When we were alive, an old hag lived in West Point.’

“’We used to make fun of her old, wrinkled face.’

“’Then one day she placed a curse on us,’ and one of the girls pointed toward the bird flying above her head.’

‘They would follow us everywhere, and peck at our faces with their beaks.’

‘At night we could never sleep, because we’d hear their wings beat in the dark.’

“As they spoke, the sheer black birds stared at me as they moved from furniture to furniture around the room.

“’Did she ever lift the curse?’

I asked, though I could guess the answer.

“The youngest girl sighed, looking at her older sister with a forlorn expression on her face.

“’No,’ the eldest said.”

‘The witch told us we would suffer until we die.’

‘The birds would never let us be, would never give us a moments peace.

“’My sister couldn’t take it anymore,’ the youngest said.”

‘She told me she would rather be dead than live in madness.’

“’So we climbed up to the roof of the Gibson Inn, and jumped off’ she said with a shrug.

“’But the birds…they still follow you,’ I gestured helplessly.

“At last the sisters smiled.”

“’But we are together,’ the youngest girl said.”

“’And the birds can’t hurt you when you’re dead,’ the oldest nodded.

“The sister ghosts visited me every night while I remained in Apalachicola,” Travis concluded.

Address

51 Ave. C
Apalachicola, FL 32320
United States