Perched in the middle of Newport, Tennessee, sits the Cocke County Memorial Building. The building was first built in the early 1930s, and during that time, Veterans with American Legion Post 41 occupied the structure. But it would be a tragic event in July 1964 that would forever haunt the premises.
This part of eastern Tennessee is characterized by its mountainous terrain. If you’re unfamiliar with the area, Newport is a small city located approximately 30 miles from Pigeon Forge.
On Thursday, July 9, 1964, United Air Flight 823 departed from Philadelphia with 39 people on board. The plane was scheduled to land at Huntsville International Airport in Alabama, but it never made it. Around 6:15 p.m., the plane was reportedly seen flying low and eventually crashed about 2.25 miles from Parrottsville. Parrottsville is a small town located just outside Newport, in Cocke County.
The crash happened next to a family farm on a steep hill. In the end, only one body remained intact from the impact, and that was the passenger who is believed to have jumped from the number four escape window, before the plane made impact with the ground.
A makeshift morgue was set up at the Cocke County Memorial Building to house the dead. All of the crash victims’ families did receive remains for burials, but other body parts at the site were scattered and not easily identified. Those parts were put together in a casket and buried in Union Cemetery in Parrottsville.
Since the Cocke County Memorial Building was used as a morgue on that evening, some believe the spirits of those who died in the United Airlines Flight 823 may still be inside, walking the floors.
People have experienced temperature abnormalities and strange noises. A group called Paranormal Technology Investigations captured a reported apparition of a woman in white, along with other instances of paranormal activity.
Are the spirits of the crash victims still trapped inside this building?
Written By: John G. Clark Jr.
Image Credit: John G. Clark Jr.