The 6 most haunted places in Tennessee

Tennessee is full of history, country music, BBQ and some haunted tales.  For the history buffs, ghost hunters, and those seeking adventure this list is for you.  These are five haunted places in Tennessee, full of historical stories and eerie events that may knock your socks off.   

1.     The Drummond Bridge/Trestle, Briceville

Legend has it that Richard Drummond was hung in 1893 by a band of mercenaries.  Drummond was hanged from the bridge after killing a young soldier in a rivalry brawl during the Coal Creek War. In 2009, a study was conducted by paranormal experts naming this bridge one of the most haunted places in Tennessee.  The bridge is haunted by Drummond after he took his last breath on the train trestle. Some say you can still hear Drummond gasping for his last breath, some see his ghost pacing from one end of the bridge to another at the stroke of midnight, while other residents just see strange behaviors.  Including cattle who avoid grazing the field below the bridge and dogs that will never go near or across the bridge.  For those courageous enough to explore this bridge the advice given is to be cautious.  The land around the bridge is grown which may have hazards, there are no walls around the bridge and there is spacing between the trestle tracks, so it is possible to fall through, 30 feet to the ground when it is dark. The Drummond Bridge is a piece of Tennessee’s haunted history that many may not know of but will pique the interest of those looking for a historically ghostly experience.   

2.     Shiloh National Military Park, Shiloh

This national park was home to the Battle of Shiloh in April 1862.  This battle was during the American Civil War resulting in over 23,000 casualties. Among the many men that died in what is now a national park is also their spirits still lingering.   These soldiers who haunted the battlefield let their past come alive.  Visitors may hear drumming, voices, footsteps and gunshots.  On many accounts’ visitors have seen the pond at Shiloh National Park turn blood red on different occasions throughout the year.  Rumors have it that wounded soldiers and horses once cleaned their wounds in the pond, even though there is not solid evidence that this pond did exist in 1862. Shiloh National Park is open year-round from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.  There are special programs held on Memorial Day weekend and the rangers led programs on the battlefield sites from Memorial Day through Labor Day. The park also has a visitor center including artifacts from the battlefield.  The visitors center also shows an award-winning interpretive film, “Shiloh: Fiery Trail” every hour from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m.  Visitors will see a lot of history that intertwines in this beautiful park but only the lucky will encounter the souls from the past. 

3.     Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Gatlinburg 

The 5.5-mile drive through the Great Smoky Mountains is full of historic cabins and mills and maybe even a hitch-hiking ghost.  Lucy is a young enchanting woman who died in the early 1900’s when her family cabin burned down.  Legend says after Lucy died a man named Foster saw her walking barefoot on a cold winter’s night through the dark overgrown forest.  Foster offered Lucy a ride home on his horse, which she accepted, but he was enamored by her beauty and couldn’t stop thinking about her. Foster went back to the cabin and asked her parents if Lucy and him could be married.  Her parents informed Foster that Lucy had died quite a while ago, causing him to realize that he had encountered a ghost.  The fortunate catch sight of Lucy wandering the trail hitch hiking for a ride home.  Although, there are places to pull off and explore the forest surrounding the trail.  To visit the trail, use the Cherokee Orchard Entrance into the Smoky Mountains National Park, off main street in Gatlinburg, traffic light number eight or take Historic Nature Trail Road to the Cherokee Orchard Entrance.  After passing the Rainbow Falls trailhead, will the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail be found. 

4.     Sensabaugh Tunnel, Kingsport

The Sensabaugh Tunnel has a few different legends on how this tunnel became a haunted place. The tunnel was built in the 1920’s and was named after the man who owned the land, Edward Sensabaugh.  One rumor is that a homeless man entered the Sensaubaugh’s home to steal money and jewels.  Ed Sensabaugh went after the thief who used their baby as a shield to escape from the house.  Sensabaugh was unable to catch the thief and the thief drowned the baby in water next to the tunnel, now called Crybaby Pool.  Another story goes that Ed Sensabaugh became a mad man one evening and murdered his wife and children while they were in bed.  He took the bodies into the tunnel where he took his own life with a gun inside the tunnel’s walls.  The third story says a young woman’s car broke down inside the tunnel.  She left her car in the tunnel looking for help but it is unclear if she disappeared inside the tunnel itself or was murdered inside the Sensabaugh House.  Either way no one ever saw her again.  Legend has it if you turn off your car in the middle of the tunnel it won’t turn back on. Some say your car will turn back on when Ed Sensabaugh is seen heading to your car.  Others say you will have to manually push the vehicle out of the tunnel before your car starts up again.  There are warnings that a woman will be sitting in the backseat, a crying baby can be heard, Ed Sensabaugh will appear in the rear-view mirror, children’s handprints will be found on the car and the sound of footsteps can be heard as Ed is approaching your car.  To those daring enough to test this tunnel and the hauntings that may occur it can be found off Big Elm Road in Kingsport filled with graffiti and a creek nearby.  

5.     Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park and Pigman Bridge, Millington 

Legend has it that an unknown man, now known as Pigman, haunts the Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park and the Pigman Bridge in Millington.  This unknown man used to work at an underground powder and explosives production plant also known as Chickasaw Ordnance Works during WWII.  There was an accident in the plant leaving him disfigured, including burning off the tip of his nose, which is how he received the name “Pigman.”  He was shunned by coworkers and local residents and took off to haunt the park and the bridge looking for his next victim.  The story goes when he finds his next victim, he lets out a blood curling pig scream.  Go to the Pigman Bridge on a full moon, park in the middle of the bridge, turn off your engine and lights, roll down your windows and shout “Pigman!” three times while simultaneously flashing the car lights and he will appear.  The Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park is open Monday through Sunday from 7 a.m. to 7p.m. with a variety of camping opportunities. The park sits on almost 13,000 acres bordering the Mississippi River and includes 49 campsites with a table, grill electrical and water hookups for RVs, a bathhouse with hot showers and six two-bedroom cabins to rent. The Pigman Bridge is located on Shake Rag Road over Jakes Creek.  The coordinates to this location are 35.339742, -89.954757 this will bring you straight to the Pigman’s Bridge where the brave can call him and wait for him to arrive.  

6.     The Bell Witch Cave, Robertson County

The Bell Witch is, perhaps, Tennessee’s most famous ghost. The Bell Witch is rumored to be the spirit of a woman named Kate Batts. When the Bell family cheated her in a land purchase, she swore on her deathbed that she would haunt them. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. The first evidence of the Bell Witch haunting was in 1817, when she possessed several ghost dogs to chase people off the farm. The animals then turned into a nightmare house of spooky sounds and chains being drug through the house. Rumor has it that President Andrew Jackson spent the night at the Bell Farm, and was quoted as saying “I’d rather face the entire British Army than spend another night with the Bell Witch.” Over time, the story of the Bell Witch prompted many visitors, which led to the farmhouse being torn down for safety. Today, you can tour the property, for a small fee, of course.