For all you ghouls and goblins out there who love a good scare, this blog is just for you. From ghostly legends and haunted landmarks to creatures that lurk in the woods, we’ve rounded up some of the creepiest Chattanooga and Appalachian folklore we could dig up—just in time for spooky season. So grab your PSL, throw on something cozy, and let’s dive in.

Local Haunts

There is comfort in the mundane or so they say. But have you ever visited your favorite local spot and wondered what Chattanooga looked like 50, 75, or even a 100 years ago? Let’s take a stroll down memory lane and see what spooks lie in wait for us. 

Image courtesy of Library of Congress

The Read House 

Our very own Read House Hotel has withstood war, fire, floods, and tragedy. With that much devastation and tragedy it is no surprise it’s home to one of Chattanooga’s most famous ghost stories.

Originally built in 1847 by the Crutchfield family, The Crutchfield House stood where the modern Read House now resides. It hosted many notable guests—including Confederate President Jefferson Davis, who famously got into a heated argument with William Crutchfield that nearly ended in a duel but, Thomas Crutchfield (a southern sympathetic) swept his brother away. By the time the war broke out later that year, the brothers had sold the Inn and chose opposite sides on the battlefield.  The next owners were not as successful as the Crutchfields. In 1863 the Union forces occupied the Inn and turned it into a makeshift hospital for their soldiers, but the Crutchfield House withstood the battles fought here in Chattanooga and even the Great Flood of 1867. The river had flooded 58 feet above water level, with five feet of water in the lobby of the Crutchfield House alone. Less than a year after this massive flood, the Crutchfield House burned to the ground. 

In 1871, Dr. John T. Read and his son Samuel built the elegant Read House in its place. It became a symbol of opulence, complete with marble floors, ornate woodwork, Turkish baths, and even Chattanooga’s first Coca-Cola soda shop. But the glitz faded after years of damage from repeated floods. 

In 1926, with the hotel in desperate need of restoration, he decides to demolish the hotel and begin over again. This brings us to 1927, with hotel newly redone and reopened many people flocked to see the new hotel. Including a woman named Annalisa Netherly and her newly wedded husband from San Francisco. The two checked into room 311, but only one would check out. The tale goes that Annalisa’s husband come into the room after a business meeting and finds Annalisa with another man. He waits until she is alone in the bath then he slits her throat so harshly that her head nearly falls off. 

Guests staying in the room experience a strange feeling of being watched or just simply not being alone as well as flickering lights, shadowy figures, and unexplained loud noises all throughout the night. However, guests aren’t the only ones to experience the strangeness of room 311. In 2017 during the renovations that brought the Read House back to it’s Gilded Age glory there were some strange occurrences that took place. When renovations began, construction workers were unable to open the door to 311 by key or by force. Eventually leading the workers to saw open the door to enter the room. Room 311 was the only one with this issue. Then almost in retaliation, two pipes in the room randomly burst in the middle of the night during construction. 

Stained by the blood of fathers and sons during the Civil War, floods, fire, and murder it is no wonder The Read House still holds some of it’s visitors from the past. So don’t be surprised if you stay at the beautiful Read House and see a shadowy figure out of the corner of your eye. 

Hunter Museum

Before it became a museum, the bluff overlooking the river was sacred Cherokee land. It was believed to be home to Tia-Numa, a giant hawk spirit symbolizing strength and vision. After the forced removal of the Cherokee in 1838, the land saw decades of transformation—from an iron furnace to private mansions.

In 1854, the once sacred land of the Cherokee on Bluff View became an iron smelting plant known as “Bluff Furnace". It remained until the destruction of the Civil War raged here in the 1860s. The area then sat empty until around 1904 when the construction of the now Hunter Mansion began. However it wasn’t just one mansion built on the Bluff, but two. Let’s talk about that second mansion, No. 15 Bluff View. 

No. 15 Bluff View was the home of the Bennetts: Nancy Bennett, her son William, his wife Mae Bennett, and their aunt & Nancy’s sister Augusta Hoffman. Miss Augusta Hoffman was known as somewhat of a recluse, she worked occasionally for a local seamstress, Mrs. McGraw, to make and mend dresses, but this was one of the only times she was known to leave the home. Despite this, one day in 1915 Augusta allegedly declared to the Bennett family that she was going to Knoxville to marry a man named Brown and left. The family said they recieved letters for almost two years after Augusta's hasty departure from Washington, New York, Cleveland, and Santa Cruz. Most were signed by Brown, Augusta’s husband, but they always mentioned her welfare or so they claimed. The letters stopped coming when Nancy Bennett passed away. William and Mae Bennett moved out of the mansion on the Bluff in 1917, eventually settling in Rome, GA. 

In 1924, the tenant of No. 15 Bluff View, Mrs. Hunt decided to have the basement flooring redone. A carpenter found some rotten floorboards and began ripping them up to replace them when he got a piece of bone stuck to his hammer. There was a shallow grave containing a skeleton with nothing but shoes, spectacles, and a set of dentures making the skeleton appear to be grinning. According to some old newspaper articles and case files, the skeleton is believed to be that of Augusta Hoffman whom had been buried under the floors of her own home with acid so that all her clothes melted away. Mr. & Mrs. Bennett were charged with her murder despite their claims of innocence on March 30, 1925.

Ms. Augusta Hoffman is one of 5 ghosts reported at the Hunter Museum by employees and visitors. She is very often seen by the local ghost tours, they often get reports of a feminine shadow peering out the same window of the Hunter Museum. Other common sightings are Civil War soldiers, members of the Cherokee tribes (probably those souls who experienced violence from refusing to leave or ones lost to the brutal Trail of Tears), as well as orbs of light, chilling cold spots, moving shadows and unexpected noises. Employees often claim to feel as though they are being watched and it is not uncommon for security who stay late at night to be spooked by shadows moving within the cover of darkness. 

The next time you visit the Hunter, keep an eye out for the unexpected. You may just run into something not from this plain. 

Hales Bar Dam

Hales Bar Dam was well –damned – from the beginning. The area where the dam was going to be built was first illegally purchased privately by the Transylvania Land Company from the Cherokee (20 million acres total) and ultimately lead to their removal. Dragging Canoe, a leader amongst the Cherokee who was vehemently against selling the land to the colonizers, vowed that the land would always be dark and bloody. It seems he may have been right about that vow. 

Hales Bar Dam was the first major multipurpose dams and one of the first major dams built in a navigable river. Several hundred workers perished while building the dam and many other people died after it’s completion due to it constantly leaking because of the crumbling limestone foundation. Among the dead post completion is two children who died during a leak in the tunnel under the dam that was used to cross the river daily for many people.

TVA has said there is no surprise that there were many fatalities and injuries, as there were men working around the clock in wet, muddy conditions without strong safety regulations. Nonie Webb, an expert on Hales Bar, said the total number wasn’t documented, but some violent accidents occurred during construction including:

• boiler explosion took the life of one man.
• A falling derrick crushed out the lives of two others.
• One poor soul had his foot entangled in a rope and was pulled underwater and drowned before he could be saved.
• Other notable stories included the TVA murders at the camps and an incident where a man was struck across the neck with a heavy bench, killing him instantly.
• An employee fell from a rock crusher and was left with multiple injuries.
• Two African American men were killed by two white men.
• The body of one of the Hales employees was found on the railroad tracks, run over.
• Three workers fell into concrete that was being poured and were left there.

Hales Bar Dam is so known for paranormal activity that it has been featured on shows like “Ghost Adventures” and “Kindred Spirits”. Visitors and investigators alike have reported numerous ghostly encounters including apparitions, disembodied voices or whistling, and physical sensations including scratches, being touched, grabbed, slapped, people being tripped, hair being pulled, rocks being thrown etc. The Kindred Spirits duo claimed to have encountered a Native American spirit who felt the need to still be protecting what was once his land as well as some deceased workers. I definitely recommend checking out the footage from these shows on YouTube.

Today there isn’t much left of Hales Bar Dam but you can still rent boats, cabins, park your RV, tour the Dam Whiskey Distillery, or spooky tour with Hales Bar Marina & Resort. 

South Pittsburg Hospital

The land where the hospital is now located first was home to a Native American tribe who lived and worked the land including taking care of extravagant orchards, hunting, and fishing before the Indian Removal Act most likely displaced this tribe and forced them out West. 

By the end of summer 1863, Union soldiers had taken control of the land—causing strain on local families as their resources were seized by occupying troops. In 1959, South Pittsburg Municipal Hospital opened to serve the growing community and expanded over several decades before closing in 1998.

Many believe the paranormal activity within its abandoned walls stems from the deaths, injuries, and suffering that occurred while it was operational. Now owned by a paranormal research group, the hospital offers public tours and overnight investigations—and is often listed among Tennessee’s most haunted places.

Former staff and investigators have reported eerie occurrences: wheelchairs and hospital beds moving on their own, disembodied voices, and shadow figures lurking in the halls. Three spirits are said to be most active: a towering 7-foot shadow entity, a nurse, and a young child named Buddy.

Buddy, a toddler spirit, is believed to roam the second floor. Guests report playful encounters, including giggles, tugging at clothes, and requests to be held. He’s often seen alongside an elderly woman and a nurse, both thought to be former residents of the hospital.

On the third floor, visitors often encounter the imposing shadow figure—thought to be a former surgeon—who reportedly tells people to "Get out." While no injuries have occurred, his menacing presence is felt strongly. Some believe he keeps the other spirits from interacting with the living.

Want to experience it for yourself? Book a private investigation or check out the hospital’s Facebook page, where eerie photos and videos invite you to draw your own conclusions.

Image courtesy of Haunted Old South Pittsburg Hospital

Ruby Falls 

Ruby Falls was discovered in the 1920s by local chemist and cave enthusiast Leo Lambert. He knew there had to be something extraordinary beneath Lookout Mountain—especially since the original entrance to Lookout Mountain Cave had been sealed during railroad construction in 1905. In 1928, Lambert’s team found a narrow opening, and after careful exploration, they uncovered a vast cavern with a stunning underground waterfall, which Leo named after his wife, Ruby.

But beneath the beauty lies a darker tale.

During early explorations of the cave system, one of Lambert’s colleagues, a man named Lomax, ventured deeper into a newly discovered passage. Unfortunately, he didn’t account for his limited light supply. Deep within the cave, his lantern went out, leaving him trapped in total darkness. Alone and disoriented, Lomax waited for help.

When rescuers found him, he was babbling incoherently—staring into the abyss with wide, terrified eyes. As they led him toward the surface, he began repeating the same warning: “Do not go further into the cave!” After being hospitalized and recovering physically, he refused to discuss what he’d seen. His hair turned completely white within days, and he left Chattanooga shortly after, never to return.

The chamber Lomax discovered was later widened and added to the tour route. For a time, it was where guides would turn off the lights to show guests the complete darkness of the cave. But that’s when the reports began. Several guests described a chilling sensation—as if cold hands were wrapping around their necks during the blackout. Each time, no one was nearby. Eventually, the cave’s operators sealed off the chamber entirely. Due to vague records or perhaps intentional secrecy, its exact location remains lost.

Today, the story of Lomax’s chamber lives on through tour guides and local legend. If you visit Ruby Falls, keep your eyes open—and maybe bring a backup flashlight... just in case.

Spiritualist Association’s Natural Bridge

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, the most popular attraction on Lookout Mountain was The Natural Bridge, located just a mile from Sunset Rock, The Point, and the Incline station. People came from all over to see this rock structure and drink the mineral water from the natural spring underneath it for it’s “youth giving” properties. 

The Natural Bridge extends 60 feet and hovers 15 feet above the ground. To tourists, early settlers, and Native American tribes it must have looked like something forgotten from an age of giants and gods. The spring underneath it is a chalybeate spring as well meaning it contains iron salts which gives it a red color. This is understandably a wonder that people would have flocked to.  It was so popular that local Arthur R. Thomas built a hotel, the Natural Bridge Spring Hotel in 1870 so tourists could stay nearby. 

In 1878, a yellow fever epidemic was consuming downtown Chattanooga causing many folks who had not yet succumbed to the illness to climb up Lookout Mountain to drink the water from the spring and stay out of the city. Many desperate Chattanoogans camped around the Natural Bridge hopeful that the healing waters of the spring would keep the illness at bay. 

In 1883, the Southern Spiritualists Association began to organize their annual meeting here in Chattanooga around the Natural Bridge. The first one drew more than 100 leaders from the national sect. By 1885, it had grown so much that the Association bought The Natural Bridge Hotel from the Thomas’, and as the years would go on their ranks grew and they built larger meeting facilities at the hotel to accommodate the growing numbers of seances, lectures, spirit contacts, feats of extrasensory perception, and eerie moonlit meetings featuring war dances. Many strange occurrences took place at these meetings including one spiritualist, a Mrs. Cora Glading, who spent hours writing lines of channeled text from the bottom of the page up and only readable via mirror. Check out this webpage with a first hand account of one of these meetings if you want to learn more. 

The Spiritualists sold the property in 1890, but The Natural Bridge remained popular through the 1920s even being featured on penny postcards. However, once the Incline Railway, Ruby Falls and Rock City were founded, developed, and opened to the public the popularity of The Natural Bridge subsided. 

Today the Natural Bridge is more off the beaten path however that doesn't mean you can’t find it or that no one visits. Plenty of locals still visit the natural wonder however many strange encounters have taken place there even in our modern age. From eerie feelings & silence to feeling like you’re being watched to dogs behaving strangely or out of character when visiting to multiple accounts of rocks being thrown directly in front of people seemingly coming from the sky (this even happened to one of our staff members!). 

Some people theorized it could be Bigfoots or Sasquatches (which we will be getting into later) since they are known to throw things when protecting their territory, but with the area not being very forested and the history of this place I think that is unlikely. It is far more likely to either be restless spirits left behind from the Civil War battles, skirmishes with Native American tribes, or simply conjured spirits who have lost their way or claimed the area as their home. It could even be spiritualists who never wanted to leave the beauty of Lookout Mountain. Hike up there and see what you experience yourself.

Image Courtesy of River City Company

Chickamauga Battlefield

The Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park is easily the most haunted place on this list and in the area. I found more accounts of people seeing, hearing, and experiencing more phenomenon here than anywhere else in my research. No surprise there, as the American Civil War resulted in more American deaths than any other conflict that the US has be a part of—including both World Wars. It claimed roughly 620,000 lives, which was a significant percent of the population at that time. It is no wonder these battlefields are some of the most haunted places in the country.  To quote Chattanooga Native and National Park Ranger Tinny, “Where there is great suffering, people often see unusual things.”

The Battle of Chickamauga was fought on the 19^th and 20^th of September 1863 near Snodgrass Hill on the Tennessee-Georgia border. It was one of the bloodiest battles of the American Civil War, second only to the Battle of Gettysburg in regards to the number of causalities. Young men fought and died in brutal conditions, many were buried where they fell. With so much pain and death soaked into the soil, it's no wonder the battlefield is teeming with ghost stories.

The areas that seem to be the most active are Wilder Tower and Snodgrass Hill (not surprisingly) however orbs, apparitions, and more sinister figures have been seen across the park and the woods. Orbs are often seen chasing each other almost like they’re playing a game of tag. There are also lots of reports of hearing gunshots and cannon fire at odd times or times where there are definitely not reenactments scheduled. 

The battlefield has been the site of countless paranormal sightings—particularly around Snodgrass Hill, where some of the bloodiest fighting occurred and where the Snodgrass family cabin once served as a field hospital. Sightings of dark figures, skeletons riding ghostly horses, green eyes himself (more on this local haunt’s tale later), and overwhelming feelings of melancholy have happened to many people.

There are always interesting experiences during the “Living History Days,” where historians, enthusiasts, and re-enactors spend time at the battlefield dressing and living as soldiers did during the civil war. One man, David Lester, in 1998, was a part of the reenactment. He and several of his fellow soldiers wandered to a neighboring camp to say hello. They talked for several hours before the group returned to their own camp to sleep. When Lester went back the next morning to check in with his new friends, he saw no trace of anyone. No sign of the campfire from the night before either. Just undisturbed land.  

The most notorious ghost or in some stories creature at the Battlefield is Old Green Eyes. The legend of Old Green Eyes varies wildly, some accounts say it takes the appearance of a large tiger type creature, a floating head, a small goblin-like creature, a large fanged monstrous creature, or disheveled Civil War soldier that either was left unburied or had been mangled by cannon fodder looking to exact revenge. Some even believe it is an elemental being, a guardian of the ancient mound-building natives that inhabited the area in prehistoric times. And others believe it is a demon drawn to feed on the pain and suffering that remains over the battlefield’s many casualties. As the legend of Green Eyes is retold over the course of a century it becomes darker, more malevolent, and more outrageous. 

Most reports align more with a solider dying tragically and they just report seeing the glowing green eyes shining bright in the darkness of the battlefield at night or even seeing a full bodies apparition of a man with stringy hair and a long coat with his shining green eyes. However, troublingly enough, there are quite a few stories of a creature with long greasy hair, walking on two legs, with fangs jutting upward out of his maw, with two green eyes that match the brightness of headlights in the distance. This version of “Green Eyes” is said to have hypnotized several with its eyes and causing people to drive off the road. 

Whether you're a history buff or a ghost hunter, Chickamauga offers a haunting look into the past—where the echoes of war have never truly faded.

Image Curtesy of Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park

Broaden Your Spooky Horizons

Not all legends are tied to specific buildings or battlefields—some wander the woods, drift through mountain fog, and lurk just outside the glow of a campfire. From Cherokee mythology to modern-day cryptid sightings, the Appalachian region is rich with strange and shadowy creatures that have captured imaginations for generations.

Whether you’re deep in the Smokies or hiking a quiet trail just outside town, here are a few otherworldly beings you may want to keep an eye out for…

Spearfinger

In the old stories of the Cherokee people, there was a fearsome creature named U’tlun’ta—better known as Spearfinger. She often took the form of an old woman, but her true form was a hag with skin like stone and a long, sharp finger made of obsidian or bone, which she used to slice out the livers of her victims who were almost always children.

Spearfinger would wander the forests of what’s now eastern Tennessee and northern Georgia, disguising herself as a frail traveler to lure children away. She sang a sweet, comforting tune to draw them in—and once they got too close, she’d strike, stealing their liver and leaving only a small wound. Often, the child wouldn’t even realize what had happened until they fell ill and died days later.

Terrified, the Cherokee devised a plan. In the fall, the Cherokee would burn the underbrush in the forests so they could easily gather chestnuts. Spearfinger knew this and would always come singing her song outside the village while the adults were away. Some tribe members went to light the fires and gather the chestnuts while others dug a massive pit outside their village and covered it with brush. The Warriors waited nearby, hiding in the trees. Sure enough, Spearfinger came singing through the woods. She fell into the trap, revealing her true stony form. The warriors’ arrows bounced off her stony skin until a small bird, the chickadee, appeared and sang for the warriors to aim for her heart and pointed them toward Spearfinger’s secret: her heart was in her right hand. With this knowledge, the tribe took aim again. This time, they struck true. Spearfinger collapsed into a pile of stone.

Today, hikers in the Smokies still tell stories of a craggy-faced woman who watches from the shadows. Some say Spearfinger’s companion—Stone Man, another cannibalistic monster—still roams the mountains, searching for livers to steal.

Image Courtesy of The Smokies

The Not-Deer 

If you ever find yourself deep in the woods at night—especially in the hills of East Tennessee—you might spot a creature that looks almost like a deer… but not quite. Those who’ve seen it say the difference is subtle at first: a little too tall, limbs too long, joints that bend the wrong way. Its movements are jerky, unnatural. And then there are the eyes—forward-facing like a predator, not on the sides like any deer you’ve ever seen. This is what many call the Not-Deer—a creature born from Appalachian folklore and internet campfire stories alike. 

The Not-Deer is a creature that is said to live in the Appalachian Mountains with most stories coming from East Tennessee or Western North Carolina. The animal looks like a normal deer at first but upon further inspection, something isn’t quite right with ir’s appearance and behavior. They are known to have unnaturally intelligent eyes (sometimes even forward-facing eyes like a predator), joints that bend in strange ways, no fear of humans, and a tendency to eat meat all unlike a typical deer. Many people who have come across this entity claim the animal has a strange intelligence and was watching them. Most sightings are dismissed as a deer being deformed or diseased as neither are uncommon in the wild. Most people chop up these odd sightings to deer that are suffering from the early stages of CWD or Chronic Wasting Disease also known as Zombie Deer Syndrome which does cause deer to have difficulty moving, tremors, excessive salivation, nervousness, and confusion. This disease is quite common among free range deer up to 1 in 4 in some areas however as of April 2025 there are only a a handful of known deep populations who have CWD and none in East Tennessee. Kinda strange huh? 

So, if you're ever stargazing in the mountains and see a doe staring a little too long… don’t stare back.

Image Courtesy of A Little Bit Human

Bigfoot 

Bigfoot. Sasquatch. The Tennessee Wildman. Whatever you call him, this towering, hairy creature has become a pop culture icon—but here in the Appalachian region, the legend runs deeper than bumper stickers and yard signs.

Long before modern sightings, the Cherokee told stories of Tsul 'Kalu or Tennessee Bigfoot, a massive, powerful being covered in hair who roamed the wilderness. He was considered a guardian of nature—elusive, intelligent, and deeply tied to the land. Reports of Bigfoot-like creatures along the Tennessee-Georgia border often describe more than just a shadowy figure in the woods. Witnesses tell of rocks being thrown, strange animal calls, and even communication between the creature and local wildlife. Some claim to have seen structures made of branches or trees twisted together unnaturally—signs, they say, of an intelligent being marking territory.

And then there are the more mysterious theories: that Bigfoot can vanish at will, shape-shift, or possess paranormal abilities. It’s speculative, yes—but that hasn’t stopped researchers and enthusiasts from dedicating their lives to uncovering the truth.

Some tales describe Bigfoot saving hikers from danger or guiding lost travelers back to safety. Others recount terrifying encounters—growls in the night, glowing red eyes, or the chilling feeling of being hunted.

Whether he’s a relic of ancient Earth or a forest-dwelling protector, one thing’s for sure: the Appalachian Mountains are old—older than trees—and they still have secrets left to keep.

Image Courtesy of WJHL

The Wampus Cat

The mountains of East Tennessee and Western North Carolina are said to be home to a fierce and mysterious creature: the Wampus Cat. Half-woman, half-bobcat, she’s a protector of the forest—and a terrifying force to anyone who dares disturb it.

According to Cherokee legend, the Wampus Cat was once a woman named Running Deer, whose husband was driven mad by the evil spirit Ew’ah while trying to protect their village. Devastated, she vowed to destroy the spirit herself. The elders gave her a ceremonial bobcat mask, empowering her with strength and stealth. With it, she tracked down Ew’ah and defeated him—becoming the eternal guardian of the woods.

Now, it’s said the Wampus Cat still roams the forest, keeping watch. She defends the land from evil spirits, dark intentions, and—sometimes—careless hikers out past dark. Some say they’ve heard her scream in the night, a bone-chilling howl that’s neither fully animal nor human.

So next time you’re walking a lonely trail or hear a rustle in the brush, don’t be too quick to dismiss it. And if you happen to see a bobcat, nod your thanks—she may be watching over you.

Image Courtesy of Historic Union County