Haunted Waters From Licking River, Kentucky to the Tombigbee River in Alabama to the Tennessee River
Read the legends and tales that haunt Southern waters‌
Fall 2013 issue x
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Hauntings….on the water Hales Bar Dam and Marina Guild, Tennessee • Tennessee River
Hales Bar Dam sits on Cherokee territory, and was cursed by Chief Dragging Canoe who vowed to turn the land ‘dark and bloody’ if anyone tried to settle there. In the late 1800’s, a dam was built to calm the whirlpools known as ‘The Suck’. Everything below the dam was flooded, including a known graveyard never relocated. In 1939, TVA took over the dam. A tunnel that goes under the river from the dam was used by workers and their children to go to and from home, school and work. Riddled with leaks, repairs and strange events, TVA ceased maintenance 20 years later. Some say the area is haunted with the souls of workers and children that lived here. In April 2011, the Travel Channel’s GHOST ADVENTURES was on-site for a paranormal investigation…just as historic tornadoes ripped through the marina. Ghost Hunter Chattanooga explores the paranormal activity at this haunted site. Contact them for tours in October. facebook.com/GhostHunterChattanooga
Bobby Mackey’s Nightclub Wilder, Kentucky • Licking River
This ‘haunted house’ is home to Bobby Mackey’s Music World, a local country music club featuring its owner and long-time performer Bobby Mackey. The bizarre history of hauntings date back to the 1800’s when the area was used for satanic worship on the banks of the river…which is one of two known rivers in the world that completely runs due north. In 1896, the murder and beheading of Pearl Bryan by Alonzo Walling and Scott Jackson, known Satan worshipers, designated the site as a ‘gateway to hell’. The paranormal activity at the club has been documented on the Travel Channel’s GHOST HUNTERS as one of the most haunted places on earth. Tours range from $10 to $25 with private investigations for $595. Read Douglas Hensley’s popular book on the subject – Hell’s Gate: Terror at Bobby Mackey’s Music World. Bobbymackey.com
Gaineswood Plantation Demopolis, Alabama • Tombigbee River
The Gaineswood Plantation is the most intriguing haunted plantation in the South. Designed and constructed by Nathan Bryan Whitfield, the plantation was completed on the eve of the Civil War. Spirits haunt this massive plantation and grounds for several reasons including Whitfield’s removal of the Choctaw Nation, the untimely death of his children’s nanny Evelyn Carter, and the deaths of over 200 people on the steamboat Eliza Battle on the nearby Tombigbee River. From towboat crews to plantation visitors, paranormal events are a common occurrence. Call for tours in October, $5. 805 South Cedar Avenue in Demopolis, Alabama (334) 289-4846. fall 2013 | lifeonthewater.com | 11