Tennessee's Infamous Bell Witch: The Bell Family Secret

The legend begins, that one evening in 1817, John Bell was walking with a rifle upon his large farm along the Red River, when he came upon a animal that at first he thought to be a dog, but soon realized it was unlike any dog he had ever seen.

As he fired his rifle, the animal disappeared. At about the same time his daughter Betsy and son Drewry were walking in the family orchid and noticed an unknown woman walking beside them, as Betsy started to speak to her, she also disappeared.

Later that evening, the family was awakened by strange noises in and about the house, scratching on the floors, rapping on the exterior walls and windows, the flapping of birds wings on the roof , the sound of someone choking, and a gnawing sound at the foot of the bed post.

The family members searched in vain for the origin of these strange noises, thinking that it surely must be coming from some animal, prankster, or other explainable source.

These noises went on into the wee hours of the morning. There was no sleep to be had by any until the noises had ceased. These noises started again, each night, day after day, week after week and each night a search for the source turned up nothing. The family kept this as a tightly guarded secret for almost a year.


Local Bell Witch Sites:
The Bell Witch Haunting - a locally filmed movie based on the Bell Witch.
The Bell Witch Story - a locally produced play based on the Bell Witch
The Bell Witch Cave - Bell Witch Cave Tours.

National Bell Witch Sites:
Ultimate Bell Witch Site
Bell Witch Fans
Bell Witch the Movie