You don't have to wait until Halloween to get a case of the goosebumps from a spooky place. Halfway between Knoxville and Nashville, Cookeville was the scene of Civil War skirmishes and other events that some say left the place haunted. While you'll have to travel 30 miles or more to find a haunted mansion, there are a couple of landmarks in Cookeville creepy enough to scare your socks off.
Crazy George and the Witch
- Two of Cookeville's most famous haunts lie side by side. The Stamps Cemetery on the east side of town is commonly called Witch's Cemetery. Besides the jagged headstones you'll find at any 1800s cemetery, Stamps has two extra-creepy features. Slabs of stone rise tent-like over the area where the bodies lie, while early headstones bear only a pentagram. Near the cemetery, the ghost of an 1800s railroad worker supposedly haunts a bridge over the railroad tracks. According to local legend, he fell onto the tracks and was decapitated by an oncoming train. The site is now called Crazy George's Bridge, and local rumor says that he'll appear if you call his name three times.
March into Battle
- Civil War battle scenes are thought by some to be prime areas for paranormal activity. At a crossroads, Cookeville often found itself the site of skirmishes between the Union and Confederate armies. On the southwestern edge of town, visit the site of the Battle of Dug Hill where more than 40 men lost their lives when Confederates ambushed a Union detachment. The trail through the battlefield begins at the Cookeville Depot Museum.
