Ghosts and belief in the supernatural have been a part of human history as far back as the Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh, written more than 4,000 years ago. References to a spirit world go back as far as 10,000 years. These stories are intrinsically tied to religion and mankind’s quest to understand about existence after death. They have only grown and expanded over time.
The oldest known story of a haunted house can be found in the writings of Pliny the Younger in Ancient Rome, according to historybomb.com. His story is about the spirit of a man who is buried without dignity and craves a traditional burial.
Celebrations of the dead are found around the world, from the Ancient Roman celebration of Lemuria to the Celtic Festival of Samhain (the foundation of Halloween) to the modern celebrations of Obon in Japan and Dia de los Muertos in Mexico.
As Christianity grew, ghosts became seen as souls bound to the earth because of some unfinished business — resolving a wrong or sharing a lesson with the living. They have been seen as restless essences seeking peace, extricating justice (think Shakespeare’s Hamlet), or experiencing the trauma leading to their demise over and over again since the Renaissance.
Middle Tennessee has many, many haunted places, from Battlefields of the Civil War to haunted houses to caves housing the ghosts of vengeful spirits like the infamous Bell Witch. Here are 13 that can be found in the center of the state.
Loretta Lynn Ranch, Hurricane Mills
The mansion on Loretta Lynn’s Ranch has been known to be the site of paranormal activity for as long as anyone can remember. Even Loretta herself was not immune. She spoke to the show Ghost Adventures about her and her husband’s experiences in 2011. There have been sightings of a woman in white and spirits tied to the time when the home was a Civil War hospital. The woman in white was identified as Dula Anderson during a séance. She died of grief over her lost child, which she is buried with. There are actually some parts of the house not open to the public for that very reason.
Bell Witch Cave, Adams
John Bell’s death was attributed to the Bell Witch in 1820, making Tennessee the only state to attribute a person’s death to the supernatural. Widely considered by ghost hunters and paranormal investigators as America’s most haunted location with a history going back 200 years, the story of the Bell family dates back to 1804 when he, his wife, Lucy, and their children moved to Tennessee from North Carolina. The family lived a peaceful life for 13 years, but in the summer of 1817, they began experiencing unexplainable things that changed their lives forever. Strange animals were seen on their farm, eerie sounds were heard in their cabin, and other strange disturbances tormented the Bell family. It was said that Andrew Jackson, 7th President of the United States also experienced odd occurrences there.
In 2025, The Bell Witch Cave will offer public and private paranormal investigations hosted by longtime paranormal investigators Todd and Leanne Escue of The Black Wolf Paranormal.
Isaac Franklin Plantation, Gallatin
Fairvue Plantation, the home of Isaac and Adelicia Franklin, the builders of the house, was once the most opulent plantation home in the antebellum South. Franklin was a wealthy and cruel slave trader in the early 19th century who was known to beat his male slaves and rape the women. At its peak, Fairvue was a sprawling, 2,000-acre estate, complete with a two-story brick mansion, slave quarters, a blacksmith’s shop, stables, and an ice house. Now, it’s a private residence packed with paranormal activity, including the ghost of Franklin’s six-year-old daughter, Victoria, a Civil War soldier, and a ghostly light.
The land is said to be cursed because of the way Franklin treated his slave, Lucinda, with whom he had a child. He sold both of them when he decided to marry Adelicia. As a result, it is said, all of his children with Adelicia died. Following owners also experienced great losses, and many of those who have lived in the million-dollar homes now standing where the plantation once stretched have experienced strange events on their property.
Walking Horse Hotel, Wartrace
The hotel was first built in 1917 as a railroad hotel and was named the Hotel Overall. In the 30s, it served as the base for a group of horse trainers, who eventually created the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration, the large annual horse show held for the first time in 1939. Because of this event, the hotel’s name was changed to the Walking Horse Hotel.
A number of former Confederate soldiers died in the hotel, and in the 1970s, a Vietnam veteran suffered a PTSD break and murdered four people in the hotel. It is also said that Floyd Carothers, an owner of the hotel in the 1930s, continues to hover, keeping the hotel safe all of these years.
Stones River Battlefield, Murfreesboro
One of the bloodiest battles in the Civil War took place in Murfreesboro. Only a fraction of the Battle of Murfreesboro took place on the land now part of the National Park. Mark Walsh from Rutherford County Paranormal Investigations told WKRN that they have experienced countless interactions with spirits, especially near an area known as the Slaughter Pen. However, the horrible losses took place in what is now Riverview and along Medical Center Parkway. There are those who live in the Riverview area who have experienced ghostly soldiers walking through their living room, and buildings along Medical Center Parkway where late-night workers have smelled cigar smoke and felt a presence when no one was there.
Hotel Halbrook, Dickson
Also known as the Clement Railroad Hotel Museum, the Hotel Halbrook has a history that goes back to the early 1900s. It was a stop along the train route frequented by traveling salesmen. One of the forever guests is believed to be former governor Frank Clement. Clement was born in the hotel, literally, as his parents managed the hotel, and he served as governor of the state in the 1950s and early 1960s. Paranormal investigators visited the hotel in 2011. The building has been used for various business and functions throughout its history, with the museum opening in June 2009. Since the opening, there have been reports from some of the employees that they have encountered unexplained sightings and events at the Hotel Halbrook.
Bear Creek Church, Culleoka
According to tennesseehauntedhouses.com, this 1800s two-story church has been the location of bizarre occurrences. On certain nights, motorists have reported seeing glowing red lights moving around the church. Others have reported seeing a hostile dog-like spirit near the church and nearby cemetery. Inside the church, shadowy spirits and creepy winged creatures have been seen in the churchyard and cemetery. Some say that the abandoned church is guarded by pure evil.
Cragfont, Castilian Springs
“This two-story 19-room mansion was an administrative centre for a profitable tobacco plantation, and home to James and Susan Winchester and their 14 children,” said Suzanne McCarthy on her website.
Cragfont was the center of Tennessee’s society in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, playing host to Andrew Jackson, Sam Houston, and John Overton.
Caretakers through the years report objects moved, candles lit, full-bodied apparitions seen, and beds found unmade in the morning after things have been tidied and closed-up for the night. Firsthand accounts abound.
Chapel Hill Ghost Light, Chapel Hill
The Chapel Hill Ghost Light is a persistent legend about a mysterious light seen moving along the railroad tracks near Chapel Hill, Tennessee. While there are several stories about its origin, most believe the light is caused by the spirit of a man named Skip Adjent who was killed by a train on June 8, 1942.
Another legend says the light is the spirit of a headless signalman searching for his lost head. According to that legend, an L&N train out of Nashville was on its way through Chapel Hill on a rainy night. An unnamed signalman was assigned to warn trains of a treacherous pass on the line over the Duck River and he was beheaded by a train, according to WKRN.
There is also the tale of a woman looking for her children. The light sways, moves across the tracks, and then suddenly disappears.
Union Station Hotel Room 711, Nashville
Built in 1900 as a train depot on the L&N Railroad, the building stood long abandoned when it was transformed into a boutique hotel in the mid-1980s known as Union Station, according to their website. The ghostly side of this luxury boutique hotel is widely known, especially when it comes to Room 711 and a spirit named Abigail. Recently, USA Today’s 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards, our hotel was ranked number-one in a lineup of the country’s best haunted hotels, an honor held by hotels such as the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park best known for being a film location for “The Shining.”
The story goes that Abigail came to the Union Station depot during World War II to see off her beau, a soldier headed for the frontlines in France. He, sadly, was killed in battle. Stricken with grief, Abigail is said to have returned to the railway station and threw herself in front of a train.
Abigail’s spirit seems to reside in the legendary Room 711. Guests staying here have reported all sorts of unexplained phenomena, from strange noises, flickering lights, plunging temperatures, and the sound of furniture being dragged from overhead, though Room 711’s on the top floor of the hotel.
Center for the Arts, Murfreesboro
Anyone who has ever worked on a play in this former post office and library turned performing arts center has probably had that feeling of not being alone. Some spots in the building create more tingle in the senses of those who feel ghosts than others. Most of the presences feel benign to those who have experienced them, but others have felt a bit more worrisome. There are rooms that former actors and tech people will simply avoid when possible. Just make sure not to mention “the Scottish play” by William Shakespeare when you are on stage unless you are performing or rehearsing. You don’t want to invoke the curse!
Carnton Plantation, Franklin
During the Civil War Battle of Franklin, Carnton Plantation served as one of the largest field hospitals in the area, seeing much suffering and death. There are even blood stains by one of the windows from long ago surgeries that will not go away. On the morning of December 1, 1864, four Confederate generals – Patrick R. Cleburne, Hiram B. Granbury, John Adams, and Otho F. Strahl – lay dead on the back porch. Paranormal sightings include the spirit of General Patrick Cleburne, a woman in white, the ghost of the plantation’s cook, and a set of twins who like to play pranks.
There have been stories of items moving on their own, strange noises from rooms where there is no one, and some who have walked in the military cemetery nearby have reported having their ankles tickled.
Two Rivers Mansion, Donelson
The Nashville Ghosts website reports that Two Rivers Mansion was built on land that houses a Native American burial ground, creating negative energy. It was also used as a graveyard for both Union and Confederate soldiers during the Civil War.
In 1859, David McGavock built the elegant mansion between the Stones and Cumberland rivers for his bride, Elizabeth Harding. The McGavock family and their descendants inhabited the house until 1965 when the last heir died. The Metropolitan Government of Nashville purchased the property from the estate and turned it into an event venue that hosts many weddings.
Mary Louise McGavock is the most active spirit. Her ghost is known for playing with the electricity and water, turning it off and on and unscrewing light bulbs in the chandeliers. There are also reports of disembodied voices, giggling, doors opening and closing by themselves, items appearing and disappearing, and the scent of roses where there are none.
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