Inside the Black Cat Tavern

It’s an obscure landmark, but one that harkens back to an era that is both dark and fascinating all at once.   The Black Cat Tavern operated as a popular nightclub on the outskirts of Murfreesboro in the period during and after prohibition. It is best described as a cave to which a manmade entrance was added, creating an enclosed space. It consisted of three rooms which included a dance hall, a dining room and a kitchen in addition to the natural cave area with an underground stream.  Situated alongside a major highway but hidden by dense foliage, it remains virtually invisible to the average passerby.  

Little can be confirmed regarding details of this establishment’s history.  Although enough rumors and second hand stories exist that indicate it was a place that your mamma would have probably told you not to go. That didn’t discourage those back in the 20’s from hanging out at the underground jazz joint that some have  termed a “speakeasy”.  It’s even believed that Jean Faircloth MacArthur , the 2^nd wife  of American General Douglass MacArther  of WW2 fame partied  here on occasion. 

Overwhelmed with curiosity to learn more about the Black Cat, we decided to take a small expedition to this underground hideaway and see for ourselves.  Arriving at the location we cautiously slipped through the bars that block the entrance.  We then examined each room of the dank edifice with our flashlights, clearing away a jungle of cobwebs as we made our way through.   I’ll be the first to confess that the Black Cat is a little spooky.  It’s not a place that I recommend going for a night out.

 But the tavern wasn’t always such an eerie place. The walls were once covered in cedar planks and heat was provided by a set of fireplaces which surely provided a warm ambiance during its heyday.  It’s easy to imagine this place as a fun underground venue for nightlife.

We’ve all got romantic ideas about this era that are given to us by pop culture. But in reality it was still a relatively dark period in American history.  Poverty and disease were rampant.  At the local hospital women were often given scopolamine, tied to tables and left to hallucinate for days before giving birth. Sexy times eh? The Black Cat Tavern was nothing fancy. It was basically just a hole in the ground where people went to get drunk. But still it represents a part of American culture.  Even the darker elements of our past in my opinion should not be forgotten.

For all the paranormal researchers and ghost chasers that drop in to read this post,  I should add that the Black Cat is near the top of my list Murfreesboro's Most Haunted locations which is the subject for a later post in October. 

The property is currently managed by the Murfreesboro Parks and Recreation Department and closed to the public. Safety and adequate funding are likely the reasons that Black Cat has remained a low priority for historic preservation.  The collapsed floors and broken beer bottles left by previous visitors make it a hazardous hangout.    

 Many fascinating monuments to American cultural history such as this are lost either through urban development or simply allowed to deteriorate.  Some remain hidden because they represent dark and uncomfortable periods in the past and others are simply hazardous and inaccessible.

 With enough encouragement from others who are aware of its historical significance, I think a gradual restoration of the Black Cat site might be feasible. It’s certainly worth a call to city officials at the Murfreesboro Department of Parks and Recreation to express your support for the idea of preserving this old-time venue. What you do you think?


Here are a few pics from a recent trip to Black Cat.

13 Predictions for 2013

As published in the January 2013 Edition of the Murfreesboro Pulse


We made it! The time has arrived to issue predictions for the coming year. For two consecutive years I have had some success with making future predictions as well as sharing some predictions from others that I think are credible. Of course, I'm not always right. Elvis Presley is still in hiding and Fidel Castro isn't completely dead. Without further delay, here are my top 13 predictions for 2013.


1. "Evidence for the existence of Bigfoot will finally be accepted by some in the mainstream scientific community and lead to discussions and further breakthroughs that will result in the official acknowledgement of the species and blurring the lines which define what it means to be human." - Cameron Parrish




2. "I see nano technology becoming more mainstream and stem cell discoveries will help reduce mortality rates. This will have a direct and dramatic impact on cancer and Alzheimer treatment among others including extending life span and healthier aging. We will start using augmented reality - virtual and of our minds and even augmenting biology, including our own. Also cloud base computing will be the norm. The development of new propulsion systems will impact transportation, helping reduce poverty and better distribution of our planet's natural resources. We will confirm the existence of non-Earth biology in 2013." -Yuri Cunza



3. "I predict Israel will strike Iran (conventionally), igniting a regional conflict that includes Egypt. I think America's response will be financial aid but little else to Israel." - Will Moonan


4. " As a result of the 'fiscal cliff' The United States will slip into a protracted recession what will eventually be known as the Second Great Depression." - Cameron Parrish


5. "NASA will continue to unveil discoveries which will begin to re-write what we know about the history of our solar system and life on Earth."- Cameron Parrish


6. "Major Cultural Shifts combined with rapidly aging population will result in increased acceptance of and legislatioin supporting medically assisted suicide and right to die movements." - Jim McPeters


7. "2013 will be marked with more violent outbreaks leading to less freedom. Everything that we do will me monitored, which will cause another kind of chaos." - Nessa Parrish


8. "A large earthquake will occur in the United States and be concentrated west of the Mississippi but impact the entire country economically." - Cameron Parrish


9. "Information about some bizarre coincidences and anomalous circumstances surrounding recent mass shootings will continue to emerge only to be ignored by mainstream media and tossed into the conspiracy theory category. In 2013 we will see more of this 'American political witchcraft' at work."- Cameron Parrish


10. "Guns and taxes should be huge in the political realm" - Bracken Mayo


11. "I predict that Nashville will get an Ikea, or Murfreesboro (TN) gets a Whole Foods."

- Lacey Garrett


12. "The Facebook Cliff. It seems necessary to have a page but let's face it, once everyone's Grandmother got on FB it was doomed. Their latest attempt to hijack your instagram photos was a sign of desperation and greed. FYI Teenagers have already left for other outlets. That says it all." - Brian Anderson


13. "My prediction is that at least one of the conspiracies or topics that you write about will be proven to be true (Sasquatch, Aliens etc...) . Then you will have the satisfaction of telling us, your friends and readers, 'See, I told you b***hes' "- Andrew Wortman


There you have it amigos. I hope you are prepared for at least some of these to happen. Regardless of what 2013 has in store, I'm wishing you all a very Happy New Year!

Midnight in the Voodoo Village

As published in the February 2012 edition of the Murfreesboro Pulse (updated for 4-2013)

Actual photo from my adventure. Note lumbering zombie in background

The lure of mysterious and sacred locations can be irresistible. One such place where many thrill seekers have ventured to get a glimpse of the mysterious is St. Paul’s Spiritual Temple in Memphis, Tenn. The infamous “Voodoo Village,” as it’s known by locals, is an enclosed community composed of colorful buildings and wooden structures, all encircled by a fence with a large, iron gate securing the main entrance. Some things visible from the inside are an African-style hut, coffins, moons and sunbursts, as well as crosses and other symbols. They don’t allow strangers inside or answer questions so information was scarce. I decided that if I wanted the truth, I’d have to get inside somehow. Granted, invading pagan temples to rescue beautiful maidens from ritual sacrifice and emerging like the hero of a 1950’s era a pulp fiction is typical of me. But in retrospect, knowing what I know today, I should have approached the matter differently. In a sense, the voodoo made me do it.

Voodoo is indeed widely misunderstood. It conjures images of zombies, animal sacrifice and exotic dance rituals performed to the sound of drums. More accurately defined it is the group of spiritual belief systems and practices brought by African slaves to plantations in the Caribbean and the Southern US. These traditions often blended with Roman Catholicism and share similar origins with the vodou religion of Haiti. It was a vodou ceremony in Haiti that signaled the beginning of a massive slave revolt in 1791 resulting in the burning of 1,800 plantations and the massacre of 1,000 slaveholders during a single week. That fateful ceremony at Bois Caïman sealed a covenant with an African deity to kill the whites in exchange for freedom and was consummated by the drinking of blood which is naturally why voodoo makes most white folks a little nervous.


Now Mama always said not to go sneaking into voodoo temples all by my lonesome. Luckily my brother-in-law Reagan Ammons, having been deployed to Haiti as a US Marine, was familiar with vodou and was equally stoked about the mission. Arriving in Memphis, we headed to Beal Street for some hot gumbo and cool Delta Blues, tasting the nightlife to set the mood before our adventure. Around midnight we left the laughter of Beal Street behind and made our way to the temple site.

Uprising at Bois Caïman

Once inside, my heart began to beat like the drum of a savage, sending adrenaline throughout my body as we surveyed the grounds for anyone who might challenge our presence. The place appeared to be in disuse. There were no zombies and no women to be rescued from the alleged den of pagan debauchery. In fact, the site possessed an air of sacredness resembling a shrine dedicated to something I couldn’t identify. Certainly, the masks and symbols displayed a bit of African influence. Also present were a lot of masonic and Christian symbolism. Under the moonlight, the temple possessed an air of sacredness and a beautiful, folky asceticism that I’ve never seen elsewhere. After taking a few photos, we made our exit.


While this adventure yielded more questions than answers, a book published in 2005 called No Space Hidden, offers more. According to the book, Wash Harris, the deceased spiritual leader of the community, “established the temple as a church and center for traditional medicine.” In the same book, which was written by Grey Gundaker, a professor of anthropology at the College of William and Mary, the temple artwork is described as a form of African-American devotional art. Adding to the confusion, published quotes by Harris state that the temple is a Christian church whose symbolism can only be understood if one is a freemason. He is also credited with saying that “God told the Black man and the Indian things that he didn’t tell others.”


There you have it. I know the PC conclusion here is that St. Paul’s Spiritual Temple is simply a group of afro-masonic Christians who build funky art and practice “traditional medicine” in secret. But I think the name Voodoo Village still sounds better and here is why. There is a strong connection between Haitian Voodoo and Masonic orders. In fact it can be said that Haitian history has been undeniably influenced by secret societies which are described in a book called The Serpent and the Rainbow (not the movie) written by ethnobotinist Wade Davis. Here is an excerpt that demonstrating this point.

"There were, according to these informants, secret societies in all parts of the country, and each maintained control of a specified territory.... Membership was by invitation and initiation, open to men and women, and was strictly hierarchical. Laguerre verified the existence of passports, ritual handshakes and secret passwords, banners, flags, and brilliant red-and-black uniforms, as well as specialized body of spirits, songs, dances, and drumbeats...

"... he described them [the secret societies -Recluse] the very conscience of the peasantry, a quasi-political arm of the vodoun society charged above all with the protection of the community. Like the secret societies in West Africa, those of Haiti seemed to Laguerre to be the single most important arbiter of culture. Each one was loosely attached to a hounfour whose houngan was a sort of 'public relations man' acting as a liaison between the clandestine society and the world at large. In fact, so ubiquitous were the societies that Laguerre described them as nodes in a vast network that, if and when linked together, would represent a powerful underground government capable of competing head-on with the central regime in Port-au-Prince."
(pgs. 211-212)


Is the Voodoo Village somehow representative of the Vodou-Masonic Connection? Many including anthropologists who have studied and written about Saint Paul's Spiritual Temple would say there is no connection. However, it;s my opinion that when dealing with what is by definition a secret society then all bets are off.

http://visupview.blogspot.com/2010/11/haitian-lodge.html