Murfreesboro's Most Haunted

(As featured in the October 2013 edition of the Murfreesboro Pulse)

Murfreesboro’s Most Haunted

I’m not a big fan of Halloween attractions like haunted houses.  Having spent a certain amount of time in the field researching real monsters and investigating actual paranormal phenomenon, it’s difficult to get excited about the fake stuff.  Don’t get me wrong. I like Halloween fun and have been known to disguise myself to play the occasional trick.  But for those curious about real paranormal activity, I have a special treat for you this October.

 The Murfreesboro’s Most Haunted list presented here was assembled based on the experiences of local paranormal investigators, reader submissions and my personal explorations in search of the unknown.   Here’s what made the list. 

Stones River Battlefield – It’s the site of more than 3000 deaths and one of the bloodiest  battles of the Civil War. Numerous sightings of ghastly apparitions have been reported for decades in and around this historic area. Entire troop formations have been seen here by witnesses here that disappear without a trace.  

 

Social (formerly Blue Rooster and Blues Boro) – I saw some pretty frightening things at this bar when I used to hang out there. But according to the Shadow Chasers of Middle Tennessee, a number of electronic voice phenomenon or EVPs (alleged ghost noises) have been recorded in the basement which sound people playing billiards in an area with no pool table.

Center for the Arts – Another submission from my friends at Shadow Chasers, the Center for the Arts is said to host more than just live performances. It seems the dead also perform their own kind of show at night and that the voices of children laughing have been captured by recorders.

Davis Market – Many know of the “curse of Davis Market”  and that it’s actually the center of the universe.  But there’s more to this place than these urban legends. Some employees have experienced strange happenings like objects moving, doors slamming and calculators running numbers with nobody around.

Black Fox Camp Springs – This general area is where some of the first settlers in Rutherford County made their homes.  It’s located along the Nickajack trace, an ancient Native American highway which ran all the way down to Spanish Florida. According to legend Chief Black Fox escaped an attack by diving into the spring and emerging three miles away at Murfree Springs.  I’ve heard drums beating here on more than one occasion and was unable to identify the source.   

 

The Black Cat Tavern – This abandoned underground speakeasy from the days of prohibition is not just a little spooky, but the first time I went inside the cave I heard voices and what sounded like music coming from somewhere deep underground. 

Smotherman’s Antiques   Melinda Blick of Stones River Paranormal considers this local antique store  to be a paranormal hotspot. It makes sense that it might manifest some activity. This business houses a collection of items belonging to dead people in a building that has its own lengthy history.

The old MTMC Hospital  – Although the lot where the old hospital stood is now empty, some vivid accounts were shared with me by former employees of the old hospital.  These included witnesses seeing floating objects as well as phantoms which appeared to comfort the dying.  

Big B Cleaners – The haunted drycleaners might not sound so spooky.  But Big B was once the site of a local taxi service back in 1920’s. It was during this period that a murder took place and it’s believed that the victim may still be lingering.  Investigators who have probed this location have witnessed mysterious lights and sounds coming from the building

 

 

Oaklands Plantation – Although it has never been formally investigated (to my knowledge), this stately home from the early 19^th century made the list by default. The location was home to a large number of slaves and was the site of an engagement between Union and Confederate forces during the Civil War. Perhaps the Oaklands Association will someday allow an investigation of the house that will validate its place on this prestigious list of haunted places in Murfreesboro.

More Pictures coming soon! 

The Mysterious Black Fox Camp Springs of Murfreesboro Tennessee

Whilst checking out a book called Indian Trails of the Southeast  I discovered that two ancient Native American paths, the Creek War Trace and the Nickjack Trace intersect just down the street from my house. I then discovered that where these trails converge is a place called Black Fox Camp Springs named after the famous Cherokee Indian Chief . It's a beautiful patch of swampy wetland and forest which is the former site of Black Fox's hunting camp. This is the spot where he made his legendary escape from Major James Ore's force of militiamen who were part of the Nickajack Expedition en route to attack the Chicamauga towns of the "Lower Cherokee" in September of 1794. 

According to the story, Black Fox's men were taken buy surprise. It's said that he escaped by diving into the spring where he subsequently emerged 3 miles away at Murfree Springs. Now, either this whole story is a load of BS or there's a subterranean link between the two locations. I tend to believe the later isn't impossible based on the fact that both Springs share the same source and seem to located along the same limestone aquafer  which is essentially an underground waterway.   The question is did Black Fox actually make his escape this way? If he did travel underground  all the way to Murfree Spring it stands to reason that he was familiar with this route and that he did not swim the entire way underwater. I'm sure most people are skeptical of this legend and I can understand why. 

 I have confirmed the presence of a cave entrance at Murfree Springs. But I have yet to identify any possible entrances to any subterranean caverns at the Black Fox Camp site.  It's my guess as of today that the entrance has been covered up. This may have happened either when the nearby neighborhood development inserted a drainage pipe into the spring or when the land was altered to create "Todds Lake" which is the crappy little artificial swamp-lake that lies immediately  NW of the Spring. There is no way to know for sure whether or not he really made his escape underground. However, studies conducted in 1999 using dye tracing methods did confirm underground links in this area. At any rate, the impact of development and erosion since the late 1700's has altered the surface geology so substantially that any previously existing passages or entrances may indeed be lost forever.  

Most people in Murfreesboro have no idea that this immediate area near the springs called Dilton was actually the first to be settled by Europeans in Rutherford County. Black Fox Camp Springs and Dilton  were almost selected over the Murfee Springs location to become the center for the community's development. Overall the place has a quiet air of mystery. The area South of the Spring is one I use to get away from things when I don't have time to go far but still wan't to be alone. 
 

Black Fox Camp Spring (December 2012)

The distance between Black Fox's Camp and Murfree Springs is about 3 miles.

Back on the Nickajack - December 5th 2012

Returned to explore more of the Nickajack trace this morning and look for possible Indian burials along the banks of Lytle's Creek as well as any sign of Sasquatch activity. I haven't found any yet as it is too far from the Stones River where the majority of sightings occur.  I don't plan on digging up dead Native Americans but I'm always on the lookout for mounds, arrowheads  and other artifacts which might surface as a result of the rain.  You see this was no side street back in the day.  The Nickajack Trace/Trail is part of the larger Cisca-St. Augustine Trace which ran down to Spanish Florida via Savannah Georgia. Indians used this trail for hundreds or possibly thousands of years for travel, trade and warfare. While we associate this area with Chief Black Fox, in reality this was an important location for thousands of other natives who likely used this spot as a camp and water source.



If you are interested in finding trails like this one a good resource is Indian Trails of the Southeast William E. Myer published in 1925. 

Remnant of the ancient Nickajack Trace outside Murfreesboro, TN

My handsomely well-shaped leg sustained a pretty good gash while fording Lytle's Creek. My feet however  are not so handsomely well-shaped.

Drums along the Nickajack?: a possible paranormal incident

I have to report one incident of note that  might be attributed to paranormal activity. While exploring the area near Black Fox's old camp my partner Reagan and I heard the faint sound of  tribal drums but were unable to detect the direction of the sound. It was very strange. This happened on 3 occasions. I will be returning to take some EVP recordings at a later time.

Additional information:

 Indian Trails of the Southeast William E. Myer 1925