William “Bill” Sketoe Sr. was a Confederate soldier who lived in Newton, Alabama. Though details about his past vary, many accounts suggest that he was a devoted husband and father. Some say he left the battlefield to care for his sick wife, while others claim he had abandoned the Confederate cause entirely. Regardless of the reason, his absence from duty led to accusations of desertion, a crime punishable by death. On December 3, 1864, Sketoe was captured by the Dale County Home Guard, led by Captain Joseph R. Breare, and sentenced to be hanged near the Choctawhatchee River in Newton. However, there was a problem—Bill Sketoe was a tall man, and when the executioners attempted to hang him from a tree, his feet touched the ground. In response, the executioners dug a hole beneath him to ensure the hanging was successful. This hastily-dug hole soon became the center of Alabama’s most famous ghost story. After Sketoe’s execution, something strange began happening. The hole beneath the tree refused to stay filled. Locals tried to cover it with dirt, sticks, and debris, but the hole would always reappear—no matter how many times it was filled. Over time, people began to suspect supernatural forces were at play, believing that Sketoe’s spirit was responsible for the mysterious hole.