SAVE THE FACE 5K RUN

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About the Face                    

On November 16, 1876, the Courthouse in Pickens County was burned. Two years later, Henry Wells was arrested for that crime. It is said that when Henry Wells was brought back to Carrollton, the citizens of Pickens County were greatly enraged, for Henry Wells was suspected of other and more serious crimes than the burning of the Courthouse. The Sheriff, in order to save him from the outraged mob, put Henry Wells into the attic of the newly constructed Courthouse. It was then that an electrical storm passed over the area. Lightening flashed just as Henry Wells was looking down in terror upon those gathered in the street below and his face, was indelibly stamped into that pane as though a photographer had opened his lens and caught the likeness. Whether it is a good likeness of Henry Wells or not may be a matter of dispute but it certainly pictures all the emotions Henry Wells must have experienced. When seen from the spot where the angry mob must have stood that night, the face can be clearly seen. Henry Wells survived the lightening and died in the jail of wounds received while "trying to escape." He was buried in an un-marked grave in the Carrollton Cemetery.

Some say on stormy nights when the wind makes weird noises around the eaves of the courthouse, one can see by the glare of the lightening, the ghost of Henry Wells peering out of the garret window on the North Side of the Courthouse.

FOR MORE INFORMATION contact:
The Pickens County Courthouse Preservation Committee Box 382
Carrollton, Alabama 35447
(205) 367-8196 (205) 367-8286 (205) 367-8407

About the Race

The legend of the Face in the Window has survived for more than a century and has been made famous as one of Alabama's 13 Ghosts. The Courthouse in which the pane dwells has fallen into in disrepair. The fund raised from the run will go to the repairing the damage that threatens the Pickens County Courthouse and the Face in the Window.
The run is unique in that it will be on the
Saturday before Halloween, the perfect time of year for a ghost story. The course will take the runners down Phoenix Street and directly into the face of Henry Wells. Henry Well's image will be leering down at the runners just as he peered down on that angry mob the night his face was etched into the attic window.
Date: October 29, 2005
Time Schedule: 6:30am - Registration
8:30am - 5K Run 8:45am- 2 Mile Walk
Location: Pickens County Medical Center Healthplex
Directions: The Healthplex is located behind Pickens County Medical Center. FROM TUSCALOOSA: Take Highway 82 toward Columbus, MS. Turn left on Hwy 86 just prior to Gordo, AL. Once in Carrollton, turn right at the Stop sign onto Hwy 17. PCMC will be on your right about one mile on Hwy 17. FROM COLUMBUS, MS: Take Highway 82 toward Tuscaloosa, AL. Turn right onto Hwy 17 in Refonn, AL. PCMC will be on the left about 10 miles from Refonn, AL on H wy 17.

All pre-registered participants in THE SAVE THE FACE Race are guaranteed a FACE IN THE WINDOW tee shirt.

Face in the Window trophies to The Top 3 male/female overall and in each 5 year division in the 5K Run.

Age divisions will mirror the Grand Prix Age Divisions.

2 Mile Walk

No Duplication of Awards. Male/Female Top Masters Award.

REGISTRATION FEES:

$15.00 per individual/$25.00 per family in 5K or 1K

Separate Entry Forms For All Runners Requested

MAKE FEES PAYABLE TO:

The Pickens County Courthouse
Preservation Committee

MAIL ENTRY FORM and FEES TO:

The Pickens County Courthouse Preservation Committee Box 382
Carrollton, Alabama 35447

HELP SAVE THE FACE!!