The recipe for a good scary story is one part nugget of truth with a large dose of embellishment. Fortunately, the Chattanooga region has plenty of historically true stories that make great bases for spooky tales.
All of the elements are there for a good ghost story: Civil War battles, deadly floods, river monsters, spooky mountains and rumors of underground tunnels. 👻
Books like “Haunted Chattanooga” and “Chattanooga Chills” are both prime examples of how truth is often scarier than fiction. I recommend them both if you’re interested in learning more about the darker side of Chattanooga’s history. The public library also has a good list of many of Chattanooga’s most famous haunted places.
As Halloween approaches, I thought it might be fun to highlight a few of the area’s most well-known ghost stories.
Do you have a spooky story about Chattanooga to share? Any places you just know are haunted? Places of interest that you’ve found particularly disturbing? Personal encounters? Legends passed down from your grandparents? If we get enough responses before Halloween, we’ll do another post with reader-submitted haunts.
The Read House
Long before the Read House was one of downtown Chattanooga’s most luxurious hotels, a smaller structure called the Crutchfield House was located on the same lot at 827 Broad St. There are more ghosts associated with these two properties than you can imagine, but the most famous “presence” is that of a young woman named Annalisa Netherly. Her apparition has appeared to guests of room 311 on numerous occasions, and these multiple reported sightings give credence to the story. Other ghosts include “Martha,” whose husband left her to die alone as a guest of the hotel. Her last days were spent smoking and drinking, and guests-particularly men-report having strange encounters with Martha’s ghost. It has also been told that a prankster of a ghost haunts the restaurant on the first level, often moving liquor bottles and relocating silverware. But all that pales in comparison to the belief that the Crutchfield House was used as a Civil War-era hospital. Can you imagine the spirits that remain?
John Brown’s Tavern
Located in Lookout Valley, the homestead was a trailhead for the Trail of Tears, where many Cherokee Indians were left to fend for themselves before embarking westward. But it was the original owner, John Brown, who many believe is the cause of whatever haunts remain. A ferry owner at the time, Brown would be extra-kind to the richest travelers in hopes they would stay again on their return trip. Legend suggests he killed many of those patrons and dumped their bodies and wagons in the Tennessee River. Guests have reported the sounds of chains dragging and bodies thumping on the stairs at night. Bloodstains reappeared long after being cleaned. Spooky stuff.
Underground Chattanooga
Even if a vast underground network of tunnels doesn’t exist underneath Chattanooga, the terrifying stories told about them remain. The idea of a city underneath a city is the basis for countless horror stories, but what if it were true? Many people think that frequent floods forced Chattanooga business owners to lift up the streets around their buildings at the turn of the 20th century. In doing so, they buried an entire street level of Chattanooga. Hundreds have reported seeing ghostly figures and sinister apparitions in these basement levels. A portion of alleged Underground Chattanooga can be viewed when touring Chattanooga Ghost Tours. Many photos—including this ghostly apparition — have been taken at this same spot. More telling, in my opinion, are the anecdotal accounts from business owners downtown. Creepy tunnels, basement noises, squatter camps and more are all part of the Underground Chattanooga legend. Watch WTCI’s short documentary called “Underground Revealed.”
South Pittsburg Hospital
Hospitals are scary enough as it is, but abandoned psychiatric hospitals are the worst. South Pittsburg Hospital is easily one of the most terrifying abandoned places near Chattanooga. According to the hospital’s website, the 68,000-square-foot location was constructed in 1959 to “help meet the medical care needs of the growing community.” The stories associated with the building are endless, including accounts of a janitor gone mad, a murderous nurse and a group of ghostly children that remains. Since closing in 1998, the abandoned facility has been a mecca for paranormal investigators. If you’re brave enough, you can even go on an overnight tour. Take a change of underwear.
Hunter Museum of American Art
Long before the Hunter Museum was one of the South’s premier art museums and event venues, the bluff was scattered with multiple homes. One of those homes was owned by a couple named the Bennetts. A woman named Augusta Hoffman was allegedly murdered by her rich aunt and uncle, the Bennetts, for a small sum of money. Her body was discovered a year later under the floor of the Bennetts’ home at what was then 15 Bluff View. It is thought her spirit moved to the Hunter Museum when it was built and never left. Many people have seen Hoffman’s apparition at the museum, especially after the museum closes for the night. She is instantly recognizable for her bludgeoned face and standoffish nature. Hoffman is just one of more than five apparitions associated with the museum’s original structure, including owner George Thomas Hunter who watches over his estate to this day.
