Any Good Ghost Photos?

I haven’t had time to do any “hunting” lately and I’ve really got a craving for some good ghost stories. Does anyone out there have any good ghost stories, haunted places or photos of ghosts? If so, please send them to me at tnhauntings@writersbeacon.com and I will post them here.

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Shiloh National Military Park – Shiloh, TN

On Saturday, May 24, we visited Shiloh National Military Park. This was not a “ghost hunting” trip; it was just a day trip we took one day while camping out at Pickwick Dam.

We walked around parts of the park and I took a few photographs. When I started snapping around the Bloody Pond, I found one photo with a few odd things. Although I took 24 photos around the pond, only this one photo contained something unexplainable.

This is the white whatever it is in the tree. I do not claim to know what it is but the following is what I found on another website:

On the battlefield, there is a pond known as “The Bloody Pond” where many injured and dying soldiers went to cool their thirst during the heat of the day, during the Battle of Shiloh. It is said that, on certain days, when the sun hits just right, the water looks blood red; Just as it did during that battle. There is also the ghost of a woman in a white dress, possibly the wife of one of the soldiers or officers that helped nurse the men. She appears to women and children who become lost and become saddened or frightened by the battlefield. She is a helpful spirit who tries to calm and soothe those who are in need of comfort or help, but quickly disappears when someone else comes upon her and the person she is trying to help.

This is the smaller white spot in the tree.

Can you see the figure in the woods?

If you would like to be emailed the original, full sized digital photo, email tnhauntings@writersbeacon.com.

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New Purdy Cemetery – Purdy, TN

Here are some new photos from the new Purdy Cemetery.

This row of small tombstones marks the graves of infants. There are several bright orbs around them.

There are several orbs amongst the trees and broken tombstones.

Here is a bright orb near a tree. There are a few other small ones.

This picture has several orbs.

Here are two bright orbs.

This picture contains a lot of bright orbs.

There is one bright orb by the tree and several other lighter ones on the other side.

This photo has one large orb and many other smaller ones.

There are many orbs around this bush.

This photo has two large orbs.

This photo has several orbs, but notice the very bright one on the grass.

There are a lot of bright orbs in this photo.

This photo contains a very bright orb and many other lighter orbs.

This photo also has several bright orbs.

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Old and New Purdy Cemetery Pictures Coming Soon!

I have some new photos from both the old and new Purdy Cemetery that I will be adding soon.

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Hurst House Daytime Pics – Purdy, TN

Here are some pictures of Hurst House in the daytime. I DID NOT trespass to take these photographs. The owner showed us the house. DO NOT trespass on this property.

I will also be adding pictures I took of the house after dark.

This photo is of the back wall in Fielding Hurst’s bedroom. The small door gives access to one of the attics.

This is the bathroom. It, of course, was added in later years by the Dodds.

This is the original kitchen in the backyard, where the slaves prepared the meals.

This is the grounds behind the house.

This is the front of the house. The tarp covers the leaking roof. The window peeking out from under it is the one you may have seen around the internet with a face in it. That’s Hurst’s bedroom.

This is the front of the house.

This is a close up of Hurst’s bedroom window. Make of it what you will.

This is where a bullet grazed the staircase. Some say this was where Hurst was killed, but this is not true. It is not known how this truly got there and one can only speculate about it as there are no records of what really happened here.

This is the new kitchen which was added on to the back of the house by the Dodds.

This is the chimney and pot from the old kitchen where the slaves cooked. A tree fell on the kitchen a few years back. The new owner intends to restore the building.

This is the back of the house. You can see all the vines and shrubbery that have actually grown to the house over the years.

This is the old barn across the street.

This is the piano inside the house. We assume it belonged to the Dodds.

This is the attic through the small door in Hurst’s bedroom.

This is the side of the house. The top window is Hurst’s bedroom.

This is the slave quarters located across the street from the house. BEWARE! This property is also owned by the owner of Hurst Mansion. DO NOT trespass! If the snakes don’t get you, the guy with the shotgun will.

This was where they collected rainwater.

This wall is in Hurst’s bedroom. When the owner peeled away the old wallpaper, they found a multitude of signatures and dates on the wood underneath. The large one is R. T. M. Bell in June 1888. If you have any information on who this person could be, email tnhauntings@writersbeacon.com.

This is the well inside the old well house in the backyard.

This is another picture of the side of the house.

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Old Liberty Church – Bethel Springs, TN

I will be looking into the history of this church this week, but for now here are a few pictures. If you have any information on Old Liberty Church, email tnhauntings@writersbeacon.com.

To reach Old Liberty Church, you turn off old 45 onto Sardie Henry Road and then onto Otis Plunk Road and Forty Forks.

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More Purdy Cemetery Photos

These photos were taken by my friend the same night as my photos were taken.

This tree is very old. Notice the orb underneath the branch?

Here are several orbs around some of the tombstones.

Here are several orbs…and one spot of light shaped like a heart. Very odd.

A bright orb

A lot of orbs….including one on my back

Another bright orb

Orbs all around me

Two orbs

A large orb

We hope to be able to return soon and take more pictures.

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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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