Small Town Haunts and Legends of Tennessee

If you are a fan of the paranormal, then you have heard stories about well-known haunts and legends of Tennessee - from the haunting of Tootsie's Orchid Lounge in Nashville, Elvis's ghost at Graceland, the Bell Witch in Adams, or the various Civil War spirits that roam Chattanooga, among many others. Numerous books have been written, and information is easily found in many of these places by a simple search on the internet. As a native Tennessean, I grew up hearing these stories and more, but what has always fascinated me is the stories that most people have never heard. A lot of small towns have a rich history, and the stories keep that history alive. The subjects of many of these legends and haunts could have been forgotten, but their stories live on through folklore and even personal encounters.

Throughout these pages, you will not only read many of these stories, but I also include a little history. I have been a paranormal researcher and investigator for many years, and I have learned that it is important to know the history of a location. Researching the past can help better understand why supernatural activity exists and may even explain some phenomena. The paranormal is history and a part of history. When you can connect a name or event with an experience, it can sometimes help make the supernatural a little less scary. Also, pairing the paranormal with the history of a location or area can make the story more interesting than someone just having an experience. It gives some context to why the person may have had the experience to begin with.

Tennessee is divided into three geographical, cultural, and legal sections, known as the Grand Divisions: West, Middle, and East Tennessee. These boundaries were first formed during the early European settlement and later solidified by the 1835-36 Acts of Tennessee, which stated that the Supreme Court would hold one meeting a year in Jackson to the west, Knoxville to the east, and Nashville in the middle. Geographically, West Tennessee is sandwiched between the Mississippi River to the west and the Tennessee River Valley to the east. Middle Tennessee is bordered to the west by the Tennessee River and to the east by the Cumberland Plateau and is known as the Central or Nashville Basin. Eastern Tennessee makes up the rest of the state, bordered in the east by the Appalachian Mountains.

We are going to take a tour through West, Middle, and East Tennessee to explore some of the fascinating small-town haunts and legends. Some of these stories you may have heard, but many you have not. Tennessee is full of these tales and rich with storytelling from the Mississippi River to the Appalachian Mountains. My purpose in this book is to continue this tradition of storytelling and teach you a few things about history along the way. Some of these tales may even help validate some of your own experiences.