It seems, within all the articles written on cryptids in Tennessee, one has been missed, as it was thought to be included in a previous article. For those who don’t know, the Bell Witch is one of the most famous legends of this region of Tennessee. Within the town of Adams, Tennessee sits Bell Witch Cave and in Longbranch Cemetery is the grave of Betsy Belle Powell. Or as she is more commonly called, the Bell Witch.
This legend was brought to my attention by Flora Fillers, a freshman at ETSU.
The legend, according to the website bellwitch.org, follows John Bell, who found himself and his family haunted by what came to be known as the Bell Witch. A curious aspect of the story is that the article refers to it as a spirit or ghost rather than an actual witch.
The story states that Mr. Bell began to be taunted by the spirit in the early 1800s, shortly after an encounter with an unknown animal that was apparently an amalgamation of a dog and a rabbit. Most of the spirit’s taunts were small discomforts, but the spirit also caused some larger events, such as shaking their house. According to another article by William T. Turner of the Tennessee Encyclopedia, the Bell Witch, “showed nothing but kindness to Lucy Bell,” who was John’s wife. Their daughters were not as lucky, with one girl even being prevented from marrying her lover.
Photo illustration of the Bell Witch. (Contributed/bellwitchcave.com)
The witch eventually threatened to kill John Bell, and when Mr. Bell did die, she told listeners that she had killed him with poison.
On a lighter note, it seems that the legend serves as inspiration for a number of things including two movies, one from 2016 and the other from 2020.
Do you know any Crpytids or Legends that you want to see covered? Email murphypitman@etsu.edu.
You must be logged in to post a comment.