Today, we’re going to dive into another haunting in East Tennessee, taking place in Putnam County. This haunting is very similar to the Bell Witch, which we covered last year, with one major difference.
In the late 19th century, there was a ghost of a woman who was terrorizing the town. This woman often appeared in black clothing and was seen haunting cabins, whether inhabited or not, and specifically in the bedroom. Besides being described as wearing all black, this woman was often also seen being completely disheveled. Many who spotted this woman said her hair was a wreck and looked like she hadn’t been taking care of herself, which first led to the belief that she was a ghost.
There are many different versions of the story. Some believe that it was a witch; others believe it was all a hoax. But today, we are going to be dissecting the most popular belief. The story begins in 1881 with a woman named Margaret Buckner. Margaret got pregnant with a son, and shortly after she gave birth, she fell violently ill and passed. In her life, Margaret was not particularly special, but after her death, that all changed.
People began to see a woman in black appearing all over town, but as time went on, this woman ended up targeting the Buckner family’s house. Then she became more confident and began to appear in people’s homes, staring over them as they slept.
As time went on, the Buckner house became her go-to. It said that lights were seen turning on and off in the abandoned home at all times. This is the main reason locals believe it must have been Margaret haunting the town; many believed she was trying to go home to see her son, not knowing her former home was completely abandoned.
The major way this story differs from the Bell Witch is that the ghost of Margaret never harmed anyone or even attempted to. Though this is the main belief, other versions suggest the woman in black was actually a witch who hid treasures buried during the Civil War. This has very little credibility, though, and no hidden treasure was found.
Nowadays, people who live in the town believe that this was all fictional, and the tale’s sole purpose was to draw attention to the town, similarly to how the Bell Witch did.
