People can't seem to get enough of the ghost stories behind Tennessee's Bell Witch Cave, and if you're brave enough, you can even tour the notorious cave.

The Bell Witch Cave

When you think of haunted places, you may picture places like old houses, dilapidated buildings, or even graveyards.  One thing that may not immediately come to mind is a cave, but in Tennessee, there is one cave that people cannot get enough of due to the terrifying legends that surround it.

Located in Adams, Tennessee, is a small cave that you probably wouldn't think too much about.  However, this cave is infamous for being a paranormal hotspot, and local lore says that the Bell Witch herself still haunts the cave to this day.  So, who is the Bell Witch?

Who is the Bell Witch?

While no one really knows who the Bell Witch is, she is known as the Bell Witch for tormenting the Bell family of Tennessee.  According to the legend of the Bell Witch, farmer John Bell and his family moved from North Carolina to their Tennessee home in 1804.

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For years, they lived peacefully in Tennessee, that was until the Bell family started having strange things happen to them.  In 1817, the family was said to be tortured by an unruly spirit who even went as far as to kill John Bell, making Tennessee the only state to recognize a person’s death by the supernatural.

Is The Legend of the Bell Witch True?

Since the Bell family and their stories happened more than 200 years ago, it's nearly impossible to "prove" that the legends are true.  However, what makes this legend particularly fascinating is the fact that it surrounds a real family, who lived in that area.

The Tenneessean did a fantastic deep dive into the legend of the Bell Witch with Dr. Meagan Mann, an assistant professor of Chemistry at Austin Peay State University.  Dr. Mann is also fascinated by the legend of the Bell Witch, and she says part of the reason is the believability of the story.

She believes that the things the family experienced were all plausible, and the family truly could have been tormented by someone or something... However, she believes John Bell died of arsenic poisoning, and not by the Bell Witch. You can read her article here, and you be the judge of that. 

The Bell Witch Cave Tours

Nowadays, you can visit the Bell Witch Cave and enjoy a tour, if you're brave enough.  The cave also frequently hosts paranormal tours and investigations that you can join in on.  I think I'll be staying outside the cave, but you go on in and have fun!  The Bell Witch Cave keeps its Facebook page updated with tour and event information.