Bell Witch Cave

Added to the National Historical Registry in 2008, the Bell Witch Cave is the only original feature from America's most famous haunting that remains unchanged. The cave sits on the property where the Bell family experienced four years of supernatural torment from 1817-1821.

The Bell Witch Cave sits on the original Bell family property in Adams, Tennessee, and is the physical heart of what many consider the most terrifying haunting in American history -- the only case in which a death has been officially attributed to a supernatural entity. The cave served as the alleged dwelling place of the Bell Witch, a malevolent spirit that tormented the Bell family from 1817 to 1821 and whose influence, according to local tradition, has never fully departed.

John Bell moved his wife Lucy and their children from North Carolina to Robertson County, Tennessee around 1804, purchasing 320 acres of farmland along the Red River. The family lived peacefully for thirteen years. In the summer of 1817, John Bell encountered a strange animal on his property -- described in some accounts as a doglike creature with a rabbit's head. Shortly afterward, the family began hearing knocking on the walls of their cabin, scratching beneath the floors, and the sound of chains being dragged through the house. The disturbances escalated rapidly. An invisible force pulled blankets from beds, overturned furniture, and slapped and struck family members. The entity targeted John Bell's youngest daughter, Betsy, with particular ferocity, delivering beatings so severe they left her unconscious.

As the spirit grew stronger, it developed the ability to speak. It could carry on conversations, recite entire passages of the Bible, mimic the voices of people who were not present, and even predict future events. The entity identified itself at various times as 'Kate,' and the prevailing local account held that it was the spirit of Kate Batts, an eccentric neighbor who believed John Bell had cheated her in a land deal. Historical research has since cast doubt on this connection -- Kate Batts was a real woman, but she outlived John Bell by many years and may have had no actual quarrel with the family.

The notoriety of the Bell Witch spread throughout the region. Hundreds of people camped on the Bell property, hoping to witness the supernatural phenomena firsthand. The tales reached General Andrew Jackson in Nashville. Jackson's connection to the Bell family ran through John Bell Jr., who had served under Jackson during the Battle of New Orleans in 1815. Jackson traveled to the Bell farm with a group of men to investigate. According to the most widely repeated account, Jackson's wagon became inexplicably stuck at the boundary of the Bell property and could not be moved until the witch's voice granted them permission to proceed. After a single night on the farm, Jackson reportedly declared, 'I had rather face the entire British Army than to spend another night with the Bell Witch.'

The entity made its ultimate threat clear: it vowed to kill John Bell. On December 20, 1820, John Bell was found dead. A small vial containing a strange black liquid was discovered at his bedside. When the liquid was tested on a cat, the animal died instantly. The Bell Witch reportedly laughed and took credit for the poisoning. Tennessee remains the only state in which an official record attributes a death to supernatural causes.

The cave on the Bell property, a natural limestone formation with a triangular entrance, is believed to have been the witch's home when she was not tormenting the family. Today, the Bell Witch Cave and a replica of the Bell cabin operate as a historic and paranormal tourism destination, offering guided daytime tours, lantern-lit nighttime explorations, and organized paranormal investigations. The cave and grounds were featured on the television series Ghost Adventures. Adams celebrates 'Bell Witch Season' every October with a museum, theatrical productions, and events that draw visitors from across the country. Martin V. Ingram, a Clarksville newspaper publisher, preserved the legend in his 1894 book An Authenticated History of the Famous Bell Witch, drawing on accounts passed down through the community for over fifty years. The Bell Witch promised to return, and by many accounts, she never truly left.