The Bell Witch Investigation
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| by Joseph Flammer The Bell Witch’s murder of John Bell is the only know case of a spirit killing a human. While this atrocity may have happened to humans in other times and places, the Bell Witch incidents are well documented, making all the difference. The Bell Witch is a historical fact. There is much evidence to support the existence of the Bell Witch and the torture it inflicted on the Bell family of Adams, Tennessee over the span of three years, beginning in 1817. |
This is the actual logo the city of Adams, Tennessee uses on their
"Welcome to City of Adams" road sign. Some people think its funny that
they use this as their city logo while many people in Adams refuse to talk
about or even acknowledge the existence of the Bell Witch.
"Welcome to City of Adams" road sign. Some people think its funny that
they use this as their city logo while many people in Adams refuse to talk
about or even acknowledge the existence of the Bell Witch.
witnesses include people ranging
from detectives of the supernatural
to General Andrew Jackson, who
became the seventh president of the
United States.
| In addition, there is a list of hundreds of witnesses who spoke to the spirit. The |
We knew Adams was going to be a “blink and
you’ll miss it” sort of place, but we had no idea
at the time that the city is composed of only a
handful of one story buildings such as Stuard's
Market, Gas and Deli which is the local gas
station, grocery store and deli: That means you
can pump your gas, buy a piece of fried chicken
and a pop and sit in the shade for a spell.
There are no supermarkets in Adams, no 7-11s,
no fast food stores such as a McDonalds or
Burger King, no mini marts or even a modern
gas station.
you’ll miss it” sort of place, but we had no idea
at the time that the city is composed of only a
handful of one story buildings such as Stuard's
Market, Gas and Deli which is the local gas
station, grocery store and deli: That means you
can pump your gas, buy a piece of fried chicken
and a pop and sit in the shade for a spell.
There are no supermarkets in Adams, no 7-11s,
no fast food stores such as a McDonalds or
Burger King, no mini marts or even a modern
gas station.
| The Bellwood Cemetery We visited the Bellwood Cemetery as soon as we arrived in Adams. One can see the tall monument of the cemetery from just about any point in the heart of tiny Adams. The monument honors the Bell family. It rises high into the air from the grounds of the Bellwood Cemetery. The monument literately towers over property once composing the former Bell family farm. John and Lucy Bell and their children lived in a cabin after they moved to Adams from North Carolina in 1804. They expanded the cabin into larger house as time went on, as their family grew, and John Bell acquired one hundred more acres, bringing the total acreage of his farm to three hundred and twenty acres. The Bell plantation bordered the Red River and the tall bluffs of his farm overlooked the lazy waters of the river passing below. On the farm the Bells and their slaves grew tobacco and corn. |
Entrance Gate to Bellwood Cemetery
Pat Fitzhugh, author of The Bell Witch: The Full Account at
Bellwood Cemetery in Adams with The Paranormal
Adventurers. Nobody knows the story of the Bell Witch better
than Pat Fitzhugh. In fact, he claims he is distantly related to
John Bell through his mother. He has been researching the
story of the Bell Witch since he was 10, he said.
Bellwood Cemetery in Adams with The Paranormal
Adventurers. Nobody knows the story of the Bell Witch better
than Pat Fitzhugh. In fact, he claims he is distantly related to
John Bell through his mother. He has been researching the
story of the Bell Witch since he was 10, he said.
The Bell family cemetery at Bellwood
 | |  | |  |
Jackson and his men visited the Bell farm to see what the Bell Witch ghost was all about. They were stopped by the spirit at the gate to the farm. It talked to them. The horses would go no further. The spirit talked out of thin air. Eventually, the spirit let Jackson and his men pass. The general had planned to stay at the farm through the next day, but he and his men left earlier than expected. President Jackson would never speak about what happened at the farm that made him and his men rush off. Of the Bell Witch Jackson would only say, “I’d rather fight the entire British Army than deal with that thing they call the Bell Witch!” |
The
Paranormal
Adventurers
Investigate Adams,
TN - Diane Hill and I flew to
Nashville from New York, rented a car
at the airport and drove north to
Adams, located near Tennessee’s
northern border with Kentucky.
Paranormal
Adventurers
Investigate Adams,
TN - Diane Hill and I flew to
Nashville from New York, rented a car
at the airport and drove north to
Adams, located near Tennessee’s
northern border with Kentucky.
| Adams is so small and insignificant on the landscape of Tennessee that it isn’t on most maps. It’s so small that Diane and I drove through Adams before we even realized we had even been in it! Our goal was to meet and interview Pat Fizhugh, author of The Bell Witch: The Full Account, spend four days investigating Adams, and learn what we could of the events that took place almost two centuries ago when the Bell family was plagued by a spirit that would become America’s most infamous and deadly entity. |
General Andrew Jackson was afraid of the Bell Witch
Bellwood Cemetery
` The Bellwood Cemetery hosts a gated area wherein the graves of many of John Bell’s descendents
are located. The tall monument mentioned earlier stands erect in this Bell family cemetery and etched into
the granite on all four sides of the monument are the names of John Bell’s descendants, many of whom
are buried on the site. However, John Bell is not buried on the grounds. Rather, his body was buried in the
earth a couple of hundred feet away on another portion of the former Bell farm to which visitors have no
access. That portion of the former farm is now owned by a foundation which strictly guards the property
and vigorously enforces punishment for trespassing. The foundation does not allow tours on the property.
The foundation does not try in any way to make money from story of the Bell Witch.
“It’s just a rule of thumb that anybody who goes onto the property without permission is arrested,” said
Pat Fitzhugh, the writer, as the three of us glanced at the tall barbed wire fence separating the Bellwood
Cemetery from the property now owned by the strict foundation.
“Why, what are they hiding?” I asked.
"It's more a matter of respect for the family," said Firzhugh.
These days the part of the former Bell plantation that borders the river and is not owned by the foundation
supports a canoe rental business and the Bell Witch Cave tour business which Walter and Chris Kirby own
and operate. They are the current owners of the cave and a hundred and ten acres of land that used to
belong to John Bell. One of the big problems the Kirbys have owning the property is people illegally
trespassing. While we were there at night, for example, a Sheriff’s car pulled up the dirt road to the Bell
Witch Cave’s little log cabin in response to a call Walter Kirby placed to the sheriff regarding some people
trespassing that very night. Why would people trespass this property? The answer is to go into the cave at
night to see a ghost or go searching for things on the property, possibly John Bell’s burial site, which is not
even located on the Kirby’s parcel.
Chirs Kirby told us on our night tour of the Bell Witch Cave, which we walked to because it’s on the
property, that a girl who drank too much and trespassed the property walked off the bluff in the dark one
night and broke her back after falling sixty-feet.
Fitzhugh, who claims to be a distant descendant of John Bell’s through his mother, went on to explain that
trespassers stole John Bell’s headstone from the old farm in 1951. The foundation, which is operated by
members of the Bell family, replaced the stone with a marker, but it is not located where the body is
located. Exactly where the body is located on the farm is irrelevant because access to it is almost
impossible, Fitzhugh explained. He said the foundation does not even consider applications to visit the site
by ghost hunters or investigators of the paranormal. How one goes about contacting the foundation to ask
permission to walk on and investigate the property is another mystery.
are located. The tall monument mentioned earlier stands erect in this Bell family cemetery and etched into
the granite on all four sides of the monument are the names of John Bell’s descendants, many of whom
are buried on the site. However, John Bell is not buried on the grounds. Rather, his body was buried in the
earth a couple of hundred feet away on another portion of the former Bell farm to which visitors have no
access. That portion of the former farm is now owned by a foundation which strictly guards the property
and vigorously enforces punishment for trespassing. The foundation does not allow tours on the property.
The foundation does not try in any way to make money from story of the Bell Witch.
“It’s just a rule of thumb that anybody who goes onto the property without permission is arrested,” said
Pat Fitzhugh, the writer, as the three of us glanced at the tall barbed wire fence separating the Bellwood
Cemetery from the property now owned by the strict foundation.
“Why, what are they hiding?” I asked.
"It's more a matter of respect for the family," said Firzhugh.
These days the part of the former Bell plantation that borders the river and is not owned by the foundation
supports a canoe rental business and the Bell Witch Cave tour business which Walter and Chris Kirby own
and operate. They are the current owners of the cave and a hundred and ten acres of land that used to
belong to John Bell. One of the big problems the Kirbys have owning the property is people illegally
trespassing. While we were there at night, for example, a Sheriff’s car pulled up the dirt road to the Bell
Witch Cave’s little log cabin in response to a call Walter Kirby placed to the sheriff regarding some people
trespassing that very night. Why would people trespass this property? The answer is to go into the cave at
night to see a ghost or go searching for things on the property, possibly John Bell’s burial site, which is not
even located on the Kirby’s parcel.
Chirs Kirby told us on our night tour of the Bell Witch Cave, which we walked to because it’s on the
property, that a girl who drank too much and trespassed the property walked off the bluff in the dark one
night and broke her back after falling sixty-feet.
Fitzhugh, who claims to be a distant descendant of John Bell’s through his mother, went on to explain that
trespassers stole John Bell’s headstone from the old farm in 1951. The foundation, which is operated by
members of the Bell family, replaced the stone with a marker, but it is not located where the body is
located. Exactly where the body is located on the farm is irrelevant because access to it is almost
impossible, Fitzhugh explained. He said the foundation does not even consider applications to visit the site
by ghost hunters or investigators of the paranormal. How one goes about contacting the foundation to ask
permission to walk on and investigate the property is another mystery.
| The Other Gas Station |
The ghost that inspired the movie
An American Haunting
An American Haunting
For example, there are two
written accounts by family
members who actually lived
with the entity during the
years it was unleashed in
their home.
written accounts by family
members who actually lived
with the entity during the
years it was unleashed in
their home.