Tennessee is well known for being a state with a lot of haunted locations. These haunted locations range from caves to penitentiaries to hospitals. There are hundreds of haunted places across the state, some more well-known than others. The haunted locations I will be covering are Underground Chattanooga, Tennessee State Penitentiary, Bell Witch Cave, Orpheum Theatre, Shiloh National Military Park, and Brushy Mountains State Penitentiary.
Many people who visit Chattanooga need to be made aware that there is a whole other Chattanooga underneath the city. Underground Chattanooga was built after the flood of 1867 to prevent flooding. Ghost city tours interviewed a ghost witness. The witness worked at a business along Broad Street in downtown Chattanooga. In the basement of the company was an entrance to Underground Chattanooga. One night while he was working alone, he felt that he was being watched. He ignored the feeling. As soon as he worked up the courage to turn around he was face to face with a ghost of Underground Chattanooga. The spirit was wearing old work clothes and looked in pain. Once he looked at the apparition it turned around and walked right through the door. The worker sprinted upstairs and now refuses to be in the basement alone.
Tennesse State Prison is a maximum security facility in Nashville, Tennessee. This prison held some of the most dangerous criminals from the 19th and 20th centuries. The prison was closed in 1992 due to the inhumane conditions of the prison. The prison was creepy when it was active but now that it is abandoned it is even creepier. Paint has begun to bubble up and peel off the wall, the floor is covered in sheets of dust and paint, The metal bars are rusted, and the walls are crumbling like a dry cookie. Despite the building falling apart, this has not stopped people from trespassing. Those who have entered despite the warning signs and trespassing signs have seen and heard heart-stopping stuff. Many have heard the cell bars slam shut and go to investigate just for there to be no one there. Those who have visited or trespassed on the property have also heard blood-curdling screams which are believed to be the prisoners who were put in the electrocution chair.
Bell Witch Cave is a haunted cave in Adams, TN. The cave is one of the most well-known and studied haunted locations in the US. Who haunts the location is not 100% known but it is believed to be the spirit of Kate Batts or some form of demonic/negative entity. Bell Witch Cave is also the first and only known death caused by the paranormal. The spirit or negative energy that haunts the location drained John Bell’s energy to the point he slipped into a coma and passed. President Andrew Jackson stayed on the property and left in the middle of the night because he experienced what happened to the family daily. The family experienced loud bangs, knocks, and voices. When President Jackson and his generals went to leave the wagon would not move. The Historic Bell Witch Cave, Inc. has managed to preserve some of the original artifacts from the cave such as the chimney stone and iron kettle from when the Bell family resided here.
The Orpheum Theatre in Memphis, TN was opened in 1928. The Orpheum has a few spirits that haunt the theatre but one of the most well-known is Mary. Mary is believed to be a 13-year-old girl that has haunted the theatre for years. Mary was killed in an accident where the Orpheum was the grand ole opry was at. Her spirit decided to stay there and enjoy the plays and concerts that occurred for the years after her death. She has interacted with many actors and cast members from famous plays and shows such as Annie on Broadway to dancing to her favorite song on the Wurlitzer organ. She is usually seen dressed in all white and had dark braids.
Shiloh National Military park was established on December 27th, 1984. The Shiloh National Military Park was made to commemorate the April Battle of Corinth that occurred around the Shiloh Church and Pittsburg Landing. There were more than 23,000 casualties in the battle. It was also the largest engagement in the Mississippi Valley during the Civil war. The park is made up of more than 5,000 acres of land. The war department put a cemetery on the grounds for civil war veterans. There are a total of 3,584 Civil War soldiers buried on these grounds. 2,359 of them are unnamed or unknown. The bodies were from 721 battlefield locations along the Mississippi river. Visitors often witness apparitions on the battlefield or hear drumming, voices, footsteps, or the sound of gunshots. The pond that is on the property will also turn red which is said to be a repeat occurrence of the blood of the dead soldiers and horses.
Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary, which is also known as “the End of the Line” was first opened in 1896 as a coal mine in the bloody labor battle. The coal mine was built by war prisoners as a way of work. This led to the Coal creek war in 1891 until 1892 just a little over a year. The prisoners attacked and burned a state prison and then took the prisoners and guards onto a trail that headed out of town. This battle between mining companies and the state against the coal miners is what led to the passing of the legislation to build the state’s first maximum-security prison. ¾ of the prisoners suffered from syphilis, tuberculosis, typhoid fever, and pneumonia. If the prisoner didn’t die from the disease, they usually died from being beaten in the mines which led to their death. By 1931, the prison held more than 976 men, 300 more than the prison was built to hold. The prison was rebuilt and opened in 1934.