Marion, Iowa © Tasha Sams
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Last year, Main Street Selma created the Jeffrey the Ghost Project to honor the late Kathryn Tucker Windham, a celebrated author, folklorist, and Selma resident. Inspired by Windham’s beloved 13 Alabama Ghosts and Jeffrey, Main Street Selma commissioned world-renowned folk artist Charlie "Tin Man" Lucas to create a sculpture of Jeffrey the Ghost. Lucas built a two-sided piece from Windham’s old washing machine, using the white exterior of the washer to evoke a white-sheeted ghost, and the metal inside to create an abstract ghost.
Throughout October 2016, Main Street Selma "haunted" downtown with Jeffrey, giving life to the ghost at different shops and destinations around downtown. The community was asked to search for Jeffrey, find him, take a picture with him, and post the picture to social media using the hashtags #Jeffreytheghost, #downtownSelma, and #AlwaysHome. Everyone who posted on social media were put into a drawing to win a basket full of prizes from several downtown merchants, and at the end of the month Main Street Selma hosted a Halloween party and announced the winner.
Jeffrey now sits on a pedestal build for him next to the Selma Welcome Center!
The Jeffrey the Ghost Project is a result of Main Street Alabama's participation in the Cultivating Place in Main Street Communities workshop. Thank you to Main Street Alabama and Main Street Selma for sharing this story!
Join our efforts to map history as it happened on our Main Streets. Share your local story of a time when your community played a role in an event with transformational impact, from prehistory to present. Together, we can show the collective impact of our network, because history happens on Main Streets.
We've just added four new, free, self-guided Local Main Street Leader learning journey courses in the Main Street America Academy. From a deep dive into market analysis to strategies for building trust, each course is designed to support your abilities to launch your leadership efforts to the next level.
Gain tools to turn plans into progress. Photo by Ellen Gailing
Learn how Main Street Murfreesboro uses their annual scarecrow decorating contest to drive foot traffic to their downtown and create a vibrant community atmosphere each fall.
