Eastern Tennessee has many ghostly legends. I have written many of them through the years. If you have followed The Lantern and our website, there’s a good chance you have read them, as we grew from serving just the Carolinas to include eastern Georgia, Tennessee, and southern Virginia. 1: The Bell Witch: Some legends are…
The Ghostly Carriage of Bristol, Tennessee
During the 1850s, streets in Bristol were filled with horses, wagons, and buggies. But, only one man owned a beautiful carriage, and it belonged to the Reverand James King, the pastor of Paperville Presbyterian Church. The carriage was pulled by four horses and driven by an enslaved man named Shadrack Wisdom. Typically, the Reverand would…
The Headless Hobo of Bristol
The Headless Hobo is a ghostly tale in Bristol, Tennessee, and Virginia that has been passed down through generations. The Great Depression hit every family extremely hard, but areas of Appalachia were hit the hardest, which meant living without, and in some cases, starving to death. It was indeed a time when people had to…
Emma still cries at this Virginia Train Station
It seems that every train station has some ghostly tale attached to it. The Bristol train station in Virginia was built in 1856, and the structure survived the Civil War and was rebuilt stronger than ever. William Tompkins, known as “Big Will,” was a frequent visitor to the 72 brothels across the city. His wife,…
The Lantern Keeper of Elkmont
We have written a few articles about Elkmont in the past. At one time, Elkmont, a historic area in Tennessee, was a bustling logging community. Today, it sits in ruins as a ghost town within the Great Smoky National Park. Legend says that one person, who once called this place home, now walks the landscape…
The Witch of Coffee County
Just off Highway 55 in Coffee County, Tennessee, in Tullahoma, at Concord Cemetery, lies the grave of an alleged witch that is said to walk the grounds still and haunt the area. Inside the cemetery, a headstone sits on the ground with only one thing inscribed on it: the name, Sadie Baker. Legend says the…
The Lady of the Lake
Greenwood Cemetery, located on Greenwood Road in Chattanooga, is reportedly home to “The Lady of the Lake.” Legend has it that years ago, a woman lived in a large house on the ridge across from the lake near Greenwood Cemetery. The lady was married and had fallen ill; eventually, she became confined to a wheelchair….
The Haunting of Room 311
The Read House, located at 107 W. M.L.K. Blvd. in Chattanooga, is rumored to have a haunted room within the hotel. Many believe that the ghost of Annalisa Netherly haunts Room 311. Ms. Netherly was a guest at the hotel in 1927, when she was allegedly beheaded in the bathtub by a jealous lover. Throughout…
The Legend of Old Green Eyes
If you love Civil War history mixed with ghostly stories, this next tale is for you. The “Legend of Old Green Eyes” is believed to be the ghost of a Confederate soldier, who met his demise in the bloody battle that occurred at Chickamauga, just outside of Chattanooga on September 19-20, 1863, which resulted in…
The Legend of Crazy George’s Bridge in Tennessee
Legend has it that an isolated bridge over railroad tracks on Brotherton Mountain Road in Cookeville, Tennessee, is haunted by a former railroad employee named George. It is said that the bridge earned its unique name from Old Crazy George, who enjoyed a few spirits and got into a bit of mischief one night, which…