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Posts Tagged ‘local’

This house is located on Highway 64, past the Super Wal-mart and Western Mental Health Institute. It is right off the highway right before you reach the Bolivar Ford and Mercury dealership.

The house is privately owned and I think it may be occupied. Do not trespass on this property.

This two story white house was said to have been occupied by Lucy Black many years ago. Local legend says she was a school teacher who taught children in her home. This was common back years ago. The legend continues to say that she murdered several of her students upstairs and now her ghost haunts the home, occasionally standing in the upstairs window. It has been told to me by someone who lived in the home almost two decades ago that you can hear footsteps upstairs at night and the occasional rattling of chains.

I never really believed the story to be true, but about 13 years ago I saw her ghost in the window above the porch. I just happened to notice her when I was driving past the house. The apparition was there for the next several nights and then I never saw her again. Feel free to drive by and look for her but please do not trespass on the property.

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Although I have not personally been to this cemetery yet, I have known several people who have.

I do not know a lot about the cemetery other than there is an open grave with an exposed coffin which has a hole in it. Local legend says that if you stick anything inside the hole something bad will happen.

I have been told by two people that I know that this is true. One person stuck there hand down in it and they wrecked their car. Coincidence or a spirit’s way of asking to be left alone? What do you think?

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To get to the bridge, turn beside South Side High School in Jackson, TN onto Harts Bridge Road. Go several miles until you reach the bridge.

I have been to this bridge several times years ago. I do not know what really happened there, but local legend says someone was killed on this bridge and you honk your horn and flash your lights and they are supposed to appear. Some people have said their car would not start and others have claimed a white mist followed them.

I will say that I have never seen or heard anything, nor have I had car trouble at this place. I do not believe this bridge to be haunted. If anyone else has proof of a haunting at this location, please email ghoststories@writersbeacon.com.

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Old Trinity Episcopal Church is located in Mason, TN. It was founded in 1847 in the place of Saint Andrew’s Church, which had burned two years earlier.

For many years, the church was not taken care of and the church and cemetery was vandalized by a small Satanic cult. They broke most of the gravestones, and vandalized the church building.

Behind the church there is a statue of the Virgin Mary which serves as a gravestone for a woman who died in 1912. It is said that this statue bleeds from the eyes and neck.

There are also stories that the church and the cemetery are haunted. People have reported seeing strange lights and hearing noises. Local legend says that the people buried in the cemetery are distressed over the vandalism of their graves.

I have only been to this cemetery once and it was during the daytime. Perhaps I will return some time, but be aware — I have heard that the caretaker has installed trip wires to keep people from trespassing.

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Anyone who has information about a haunting in Tennessee and would like to see it posted on this blog, please email it to ghoststories@writersbeacon.com.

If you have pictures you would like to share, email them to the same address. Be sure to include information about the photograph such as where it was taken and any associated stories or local legends.

Don’t worry. I have plenty of other stories to post myself but I want to make sure I include all of the reported hauntings in Tennessee.

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Built in 1862, this home is beautiful AND it has a very rich history.

Photograph by Barbara Chambers-Hensley of http://www.barbarasgraphicdesign.com/

This home is located within the historical district in downtown Bolivar. You can reach it quite easily by turning beside Sonic and passing through a few stop signs.

McNeal Place was built due to the death of the only daughter of the original owner, Ezekiel K. Polk (a relative of James K. Polk). Mrs. (Ann) Polk was inconsolable at the death of Priscilla, who was in her teens in 1854. Polk built the home on the west side of his property near Polk Cemetery where Priscilla was buried. Ann visited the grave each day. During the Civil War she had to have a special pass to cross the Union Lines.

The local legend says that on the days when Mrs. Polk was not allowed to visit the cemetery, she would stand in the second story bedroom window and stare out at Polk Cemetery. Some say you can occasionally see her spirit in that same window simply staring across at her daughter’s grave.

Even though I have never seen the ghost of Mrs. Polk, I still enjoy visiting this neighborhood. There are many other historic homes nearby, including one that is documented as being haunted. (The Wren’s Nest, Uncle Dave’s rocking chair) It is also right across the road from Polk Cemetery which is alleged to be haunted.

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Purdy Cemetery and Hurst Mansion – Purdy, TN

This is another place I have been to numerous times. The history of these places is truly fascinating so I will share the true stories before I discuss the local legends.
Purdy was once the county seat of McNairy County and home to Purdy University. The area surrounding Purdy Cemetery and Hurst Mansion was once referred to as “Hurst Nation”. A prominent man by the name of Fielding Hurst owned Hurst Mansion and much of the land surrounding it.
During the Civil War, Hurst became a Union sympathizer and joined the Union Army as colonel of the 6th Tennessee Cavalry. He murdered many of his neighbors and burnt town the entire town of Purdy, excluding only his own home. Of course, this makes Hurst Mansion the oldest existing structure in the town. He also burnt down parts of Jackson, TN after extorting over $5,000 from them.
In the last years of his life, Hurst was forced to sell his home and he and his wife, Melocky, moved to the Mount Gilead area. It was there that he died (in his 70’s) and is buried in Mount Gilead Cemetery. His grave has been vandalized several times.
The Hurst Mansion was purchased by the Dodds, who owned the home until 1993. This home is posted and trespassing is strongly discouraged. Please be respectful.

Local legend says that you can hear soldiers and slaves in Purdy Cemetery. Some people say they have seen a horse drawn carriage. Others say that if you park on the left side of the circle your car will not start until dawn.
After many visits, I can only say this: I have never heard soldiers or slaves. We did hear a scream from the woods which could very possibly have been a local prankster. We did have a vehicle stall for five minutes on the left side of the circle but I believe it was a starter going bad. Aside from that, it is still interesting to visit as it is one of the oldest cemeteries in Tennessee dating back to the early 1800’s. I will be visiting Purdy Cemetery very soon as it has been years since my last visit and many of my friends are interested in going. I will provide an update after my visit.

Hurst Mansion was always a place we overlooked, really. It was not until recently that I read the history of this house. Local legend says one of Hurst’s many enemies shot at him from the bottom of the stair case and he died in his bedroom. (Hurst DID NOT die in this house. He died in Mount Gilead.) They say sometimes the blood spot will reappear and you can hear him scream. This is highly unlikely since he did not die there. However, I have seen several photographs of Hurst House with a ghostly face in one of the upstairs windows. When I compared the image to photos of Hurst, you can see a resemblance. (You can see these images for yourself on http://www.hurstnation.com.)
I will be taking a closer look at Hurst Mansion and taking my own photographs to see if this phenomena repeats itself. Please note: I will NOT be trespassing on the property. I will take my photos from the roadway. If you decide to visit, please respect the owner’s wishes and do the same.
I will post pictures and updates after my visit.

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I have been to this place numerous times. It is located behind the cotton gin in the middle of Mercer. There is a small dirt road that leads into the woods. You will come across a small hump in the road where the old tracks supposedly were many years ago.

The local legend says that many years ago a young boy was killed on the tracks by a train. The tracks are no longer there, but if you sit in the spot where the tracks were you will see the light from the train coming through the woods and it will move through your car as if it were still traveling down the track.

After many visits, we did see a light in the woods moving towards us. I cannot say if it will actually pass through your vehicle because we did not stay put to find out.

I must say, this is one of the few places that I have visited where I have actually seen something.

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