Child of the Lake: Birmingham's Ghost Girl

Legend has it a murdered child haunts East Lake Park in Birmingham, Alabama. Is there truth behind the chilling tales? 

The East Lake Murders

On December 4, 1888, two boaters discovered a young girl’s body in Birmingham’s East Lake. The body belonged to May Hawes, the seven or eight-year-old daughter of railway engineer Richard Hawes. A coroner determined she’d been murdered.

Soon after the grisly discovery, authorities began searching for May’s father, who had recently traveled to Mississippi to marry a young woman. The only problem? Richard was already married to May’s mother, Emma, and Emma and May’s sister, Irene, were missing.

During the investigation, a local newspaper received a telegram announcing Richard’s marriage in Mississippi. The telegram also listed the newlyweds’ train itinerary, and authorities arrested Richard Hawes when his train stopped in Birmingham. Richard’s new wife was reportedly “prostrate with grief” when she discovered her husband was not single as he’d claimed and was accused of murdering a daughter he’d never told her about.

Shortly after Richard’s arrest, police discovered Emma and Irene Hawes’ battered remains in the Lakeview Park waterway (now drained and part of the Highland Park Golf Course). Both had been beaten and weighted down with railway ties. A jury ultimately found Richard and two accomplices guilty of murder, and Richard was publicly executed on February 28, 1890.

The Ghost of May Hawes

May Hawes may be long dead, but she isn’t forgotten or even gone. According to local legend, May now haunts East Lake, wandering the shoreline at twilight and calling out for her lost mother and sister. 

Some witnesses have seen the drowned child floating above or just under the water, while others have spotted her caressing the lake’s geese. These stories and others prompted locals to dub May Hawes the “Mermaid of East Lake” or “Child of the Lake.” May's spirit is so well known within Birmingham that locals gather at the lake each October 30th to place lighted Jack-O-Lanterns along the shore and toss flowers into the water.