Written by Matt Schorr
Clarksville, TN – Clarksville is probably best known for its connections to Fort Campbell and Austin Peay State University, its geographic location beside the Cumberland River, and, no doubt, its share of folksy, Southern charm.
It also, however, has a wealth of chilling legends and folklore, with accounts of paranormal activity and unexplained phenomena. Spectral apparitions, phantom noises, and more illustrate an eerie history in tales passed down over the years.
What follows are a handful of local ghost stories and haunted locations throughout the area. With Halloween on the horizon, they can make our otherwise unassuming hometown a thrilling destination for anyone in search of the supernatural.
But I urge you to use caution. Sometimes when seeking things that go bump in the night, those things may end up finding YOU instead…
Resthaven Memorial Gardens Cemetery
Ghosts have a long history with cemeteries. By their very nature as a final resting place for the dead, cemeteries are prone to tales of wayward spirits and paranormal happenings. From wandering hitchhikers who asked to be dropped off at the grounds before disappearing to mysterious figures seen lurking among tombstones, gravesites are no strangers to supernatural reports.
Resthaven Memorial Gardens Cemetery, located at 2930 Highway 41 A South, has its own wandering specter, with a story dating back to pre-Civil War times.
Local legend has it a house once stood behind where Resthaven now sits. The owner, whose name was lost in the sands of time, owned a number of slaves. The exact number, whether it was many or just a few, isn’t known.According to the legend, though, one of those slaves forced himself upon the owner’s daughter. As a result, she became pregnant.
The slave owner was furious, and so he killed the slave for this. To this day, the ghost of the murdered man is said to roam the area, searching for the child he never knew.
Greenwood Cemetery
Another cemetery rumored to be home to lingering spirits is the historic Greenwood Cemetery. Some visitors claim they saw ghostly figures walking among the graves, as well as the sounds of unexplained whispers and cries.
Others claimed they saw strange orbs of light floating through the cemetery late at night.
Dunbar Cave
Dunbar Cave in Clarksville is also rumored to be haunted, perhaps due to its history dating back more than a thousand years when Native Americans used it for ceremonial purposes. In later years, it was a community gathering place.
Pictographs and other artifacts found within the cave suggest its spiritual significance
Some visitors reported seeing shadowy figures, hearing whispers, and experiencing other paranormal phenomena within the cave.
Tennova Healthcare
Tennova Healthcare’s brush with the macabre is, in a way, older than the hospital itself. The supernatural encounter took place before Tennova purchased the facility located at 651 Dunlop Lane, back when it was still known as Gateway Medical Center.
As the story goes, someone spotted a person walking past an open doorway and into a hall on the hospital’s first floor. Not so strange at first, but the witness noticed the individual had no legs below thigh level.
Amanda Drive
There’s a bit of mystery around the reported hauntings on this street.
Amanda Drive is located on the northern side of Clarksville, intersecting with Peachers Mill Road near 101st Airborne Division Parkway. It’s a short road, a couple of miles long at best, with only a handful of buildings and homes on it.
A building once stood there that has since been demolished. Its purpose – whether a home, business, or something else – is no longer clear, but the street once held a neighborhood built as far back as the early nineteenth century.
Those who experienced the paranormal there said they heard a woman wailing somewhere in the building, although where exactly they never knew. Whether the woman’s cries were of pain or pleasure was also unclear.
This happened every other day at or around midnight.
Naturally.
Some claimed to even see the form of a woman, but that was when the long-demolished building was still there. Whether or not this vocal spirit remains in the area has yet to be confirmed.
The Smith-Trahern Mansion
The Smith-Trahern Mansion, located at 101 McClure Street, was built in 1858. The house includes a widow’s walk, a small balcony, and a view of the Cumberland River.
Christopher Smith, a riverboat captain who made his fortune raising tobacco, had it constructed for his bride, Lucy.
Unfortunately, in 1865, Christopher died from yellow fever while in New Orleans. The tragedy was compounded when the boat’s crew tried to return his body to his family, and their ship went down, killing about 1,200 people.
Christopher’s body was lost at sea.
When news reached Lucy, she refused to accept his death. According to local folklore, she spent the rest of her life walking alone through the mansion, waiting for her husband’s return, until her own death in 1905.
Her spirit, some say, remains in the home even more than a century later, perhaps still looking for the return of her lost husband. Some visitors claimed they saw a white, flowy figure staring out of the upper windows and walking the widow’s walk.
Bellamy Cave and Public Square
Bellamy Cave once harbored some horrific secrets. A portion of the cave known as “Hell’s Hole” bore the remains of two murdered men. This and the subsequent execution of their supposed murderer are a dark point in Clarksville’s history, and it’s resulted in possible paranormal activity in the Public Square.
On June 20th, 1885, William Morrow was hung in what is now the Public Square for the murder of Dick Overton in 1883. Morrow’s brother-in-law, Dr. Bellamy, discovered Overton’s body in the cave, which was located on Morrow’s property. It was a deep ditch inside the cave known as “Hell’s Hole.”
Morrow confessed to his friends he killed Overton and another man – Jim Brown – five years prior, and upon discovery of Overton’s body, Morrow was taken into custody and tried for murder.
The public, however, believed Morrow was innocent. Many were convinced his father, Ransom Morrow, and brother-in-law used him as a patsy due to his limited intelligence.In his final confession, Morrow claimed the two men tried to rape his loved ones, and that’s why he murdered them.
Clarksville’s Parks and Recreation offices now sit on the Public Square, and over the years, many employees say they feel the building is haunted. Some believe that the side of the building where the brick is newest may be where the gallows once stood.
The Roxy Theater
The historic Roxy Theater, located at 100 Franklin Street in Downtown Clarksville, has a haunted reputation.
Several employees and guests report seeing a ghostly figure on the upper balcony. It’s suggested this apparition could be the spirit of a former projectionist or an actor who never left the stage.
Also, some say cold spots and strange sounds are common occurrences during rehearsals and performances.
Harned Hall
The tale of Harned Hall’s ghost is an unfortunate one, one of unrequited love, tragedy and, of course, death.
Today, Harned Hall is home to the College of Arts and Letters, the Department of History and Philosophy, and the Department of Languages and Literature. A century ago, however, it was a women’s dormitory.
Sometime in the twentieth century, a young woman died within its walls. Speculation on this is rampant, but the prevailing theory is she took her own life after someone she loved didn’t share those feelings.
And so, she lingers within the building’s walls.
Most of the alleged activity takes place on the third floor. Doors may close without warning. Fire alarms may sound by themselves. The elevator may not work properly.
Also, some even say they hear noises in an empty bathroom.
The Trahern Building
The Trahern Building is home to the Department of Theatre and Dance and, legend has it, a mischievous ghost named Margaret.
Unexplained occurrences in the building, like stage lights failing to work or things going wrong on stage, are often blamed on her. Some even believe they’ve spotted a woman’s apparition in the building.
“Margaret” could be one of two actual Margaret Traherns with ties to the campus.
The first graduated in 1921 from what was then Southwestern Presbyterian University. After the institution relocated to Memphis a few years later, the Clarksville campus became Austin Peay. This Margaret married William G. Patch, and she could be the one haunting Trahern’s halls.
The other possible poltergeist was an English teacher at Austin Peay in the 1950s. She and her husband, Joseph Trahern, were patrons of the arts and the building’s namesake. If she’s the resident ghost, it would seem she still feels the pull of the theater.
The Felix G. Woodward Library
Many consider the lower level of Austin Peay State University’s Felix G. Woodward Library one of the creepiest locations on campus to be alone. They say items go missing, and people experience phantom phone calls or even hear voices.
The paranormal activity seems to be strongest in the Printing Services area.
Previously, the library was a men’s dormitory called Stewart Hall. During the Civil War, this was converted into a makeshift field hospital for injured soldiers. This followed the Union occupation of Clarksville after the battle at Fort Donelson in 1862.
Numerous men died within its walls, and even more suffered through grievous injuries. Their spirits, it seems, still linger within the building.
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