Gatlinburg is named after Radford Gatlin, who remains a controversial figure in the town’s history, many years after his death. Gatlin moved to the area in the mid-1800s, opening a general store and a post office, when it was known as White Oak Flats. The name changed to Gatlinburg in his honor, but Gatlin was…
The Secret Lake of Ataga’hi of the Great Smoky Mountains
The Cherokee people have long told a legend of a hidden lake located in the Great Smoky Mountains of eastern Tennessee, known as Ataga’hi. Two young Cherokees, named Utani and Netani, are said to have wandered deep into the mountains to find a beautiful, blue lake hidden behind trees. Legend says that if you should…
Does a Ghostly Bride Haunt This Gatlinburg Restaurant
Legend has it that a former guest who checked into a lodge in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, during the 1930s never checked out. Today, the building is home to The Greenbrier Restaurant, but during the Great Depression, it served as a lodge for travelers passing through the area. During this time, a young bride was set to…
The Haunted Drummond Bridge
Richard “Dick” Drummond, a young coal miner was hanged from the bridge after he was framed that he never committed at Coal Creek in the early 1890s in eastern Tennessee, near Knoxville. The story goes that during the Coal Creek War, when local miners felt they needed protection, convict labor was used instead, which was…
The Eerie Okolona Road Exit of Eastern Tennessee
The story goes that many years ago, a couple traveling along the highway between Johnson City and Erwin, Tennessee, suddenly broke down as they exited the highway at Okolona Road. The man decided to get out and push the vehicle up to the highway, so that it could be seen by other local travelers looking…
The “Ghost” Town of Elkmont
One of the most popular and well-kept secrets of the Smoky Mountains in eastern Tennessee is the ghostly tale of Elkmont Ghost Town. The Elkmont area was first settled during the 1840s, and at that time, it was known as “Little River” because of its location in the upper Little River Valley. Around 1901, the…
The Cades Cove Glowing Orbs
Cades Cove is located in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in eastern Tennessee. If you have ever found yourself on a road named the Cades Cove Loop Road, you have likely experienced the many historical cabins and churches of Cades Cove. These old churches have cemeteries, like the many others, and many early settlers…
The Cussing Cover of eastern Tennessee
One of the creepiest ghost stories from eastern Tennessee is the legend of the “Cussing Cover” in Cades Cove. Cades Cove is now a scenic valley in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. A couple by the name of Basil and Mavis Estep lived there in a cabin long before the creation of the national…
Crash of United Airlines Flight 823, and the spirits of the Cocke County Memorial Building
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…
Does Lucy Still Walk this Gatlinburg, Tennessee Trail
Gatlinburg, Tennessee, is a popular tourist destination for those seeking to explore the mountains. The city also has a dark side, with many ghost stories in almost every building and on every street corner you go. One of the more popular is the spooky story of Lucy, who is said to haunt the Roaring Forks…