In 'Pioneers in Paradise,' V. N. "Bud" Phillips retells the legend of
the Minor House on Lee Street in Bristol, Virginia. It is the former
home of Doctor Minor and ever since his death the doctor, in spirit
form, still appears with his medicine bag, walks up the steps and into
his old bedroom. There, noises can be heard, including the playing of a
phantom flute that can still be heard today.
In 'The Marble and Other Ghost Tales of Tennessee and Virginia,' Joe
Tennis retells the legend of a very sad ghost in Damascus, Virginia.
This lady in white frequents the Green Cove Creek in Washington County
and it is said if you follow her she will lead you to a treasure.
In 'Pioneers in Paradise,' V. N. "Bud" Phillips tells about the
screaming lake at DeFriece Park at the intersection of Fifth and Stine
Streets in Bristol, Tennessee. Allegedly, in 1876, 16 year-old Viola
Kennett was ice-skating on the lake when the ice gave way and she drown
in the frigid depths. Since then, on some old, winter nights, it is
said you can still hear her screams coming from the lake.
The old storage building, the Linville Cabin near the Appalachian
Caverns in Blountville, Tennessee was the inspiration for the book
title, 'The Marble and Other Ghost Tales of Tennessee and Virginia' by
Joe Tennis. The author writes that the house was probably built in 1777
and was a private residence until 2005. Afterwards, some people
reported seeing a shadowy figure walking about the house by
candlelight. But, Joe Tennis and many others believe there is another
ghost there, one of a little boy wearing dated clothes who likes to
play with period marbles. The boy is said to be present when what
sounds like a marble rolls across the floor.
In 'Pioneers in Paradise,' V. N. "Bud" Phillips tells about the ghostly
happenings near King College in Bristol, Tennessee. The ghost of
James "Jim" King Anderson, who lived on the Whittaker Branch Farm that
is now part of the campus property. Jim suffered from panic attacks, so
he seldom was seen in town and could barely make it through services at
First Presbyterian. He died on April 22, 1902 but has since been seen
in the woods behind the private college.
In 'Pioneers in Paradise,' V. N. "Bud" Phillips recounts the legend of
the ghosts of High Ridge at the end of Windsor Avenue in Bristol,
Tennessee. From this high point, phantom crying can sometimes be heard.
He credits the eerie noise to a story of a quiet family that moved into
the area. After two of their children died, the eldest child would sit
by their graves and cry, until she, too, died. The parents left their
house with all of the furniture, never to be heard from again. But it
seems the eldest girl can still be heard.
The book 'Pioneers in Paradise' by V. N. "Bud" Phillips might explain
why so many people believe that the old Bristol Train Station on State
Street in Bristol, Tennessee is haunted. Apparently, Joseph Chalmers
King, grandson of Reverend James King for whom King College is named
after, fell in love with a girl. She was too young to marry him, and
her family moved to California. Lovesick, he turned to drinking and
would sway into the old train station for every southwestern train
coming in just to see if his beloved was onboard; she never was. Joseph
died at his sister's house on 1880 and continued to appear in the form
of a ghost when southwestern trains would stop at the depot. Only those
who knew him in life knew they had seen a ghost in those days. When the
newer train station was built in 1902, he still made appearances for
southwestern trains, but over the years his appearance was more
pronounced and out of place. He appeared wearing black pants, a white
shirt, bow tie and a derby hat. Bud Phillips declares the last time
this specter was seen was when the last train pulled into the station
in 1969.
Uncle Nick Grindstaff's Grave
Along the Appalachian Trail in Shady Valley on Iron Mountain, the
dividing line between Shady Valley and Stoney Creek, there is the
chimney-shaped grave of Uncle Nick Grindstaff, a man who, as the
tombstone says, "Lived alone, Suffered alone, and Died alone."
Not much is known about Nick, and the information that is available
is often conflicting. In the 1870s, he went out west to seek a
fortune, perhaps in the gold rush of eastern Oregon. On his way back
to Johnson County, however, legend says that the age of 26, he was
coaxed into the rear of a saloon by a lovely lady, whose partner in
crime robbed him of his fortune. In another version of this story, he
was not robbed, but drank all his money away when his wife out west
died; when he became destitute he moved back to Johnson County. In
either case, he returned to Shady Valley and bought land on top of
Iron Mountain, were he lived for 45 years as a hermit with only his
dog Panter, a steer and a pet rattlesnake (said to have been killed
by a man named Sam Lowe) for company.
In 1923, a man went up to visit Nick and found him dead in bed in the
shanty he lived in. Legend has it that Panter would not allow anyone
to touch his body. One story says that the dog had watched over his
body for days and had to be overpowered and tied up to a tree so that
Nick's relatives could bury his body. Yet another tale says that the
dog had to be killed and was buried with him in the chimney-shaped
grave made out of mountain granite, which even including some of
Nick's pots and pans in the construction. The house was eventually
dismantled for the wood and tin, but the imprint is still on the
ground surrounding the gravesite, marking where this man lived and
died.
Still, some hikers believe that in this place history is more alive
than it is in most places. Tales have circulated that if someone
camps at this site, they can hear a spectral dog howling late into
the night. Perhaps Panter's grief still hangs around the old
homestead?
DIRECTIONS: Go south on 91 in Shady Valley and go to Cross Mountain
Road. There is a parking lot on the left. Park there and walk 3 miles
on the Appalachian Trial.
http://www.hauntmastersclub.com/places/johnson_county_nick_grindstaff.
html