Stories of witches, the supernatural, and ghosts have existed for centuries. Even before the advent of written language, people whispered these tales to one another. They traveled far and wide. Interest in the supernatural is among the oldest aspects of human society.

For the greatest ghost story in American history, we need only cast our minds back to the 1800s, where the story of the Bell Witch began. This supernatural occurrence originates in the town of Adams, Tennessee, and is entrenched in Southern mystical history.

Since tales of this apparition began, many have believed in its existence. Countless individuals have come forward with their experiences, and feel they have proof that she exists.

There is a mystery surrounding who the Bell Witch is. There are many theories. However, it is difficult to distinguish fact from fiction. It is particularly tricky as this happened so many years ago, and those who went through these experiences are long gone.

Like with any supernatural story, some are dubious of how legitimate these eyewitness accounts are. Some have attempted to debunk the narrative and prove that it is nothing more than folklore. It is difficult to have the full picture of what is true and what is hearsay. As always, I am not here to convince you of what to believe. I simply want to tell you the story of the Bell Witch.

How much you believe is up to you.

Note: This story briefly mentions sexual assault in the third section. Reader discretion is advised.

The Legend of The Bell Witch

This legend begins with the Bell Family, who moved to Tennessee in 1804. They lived on a farm in Robertson County and experienced many trials and triumphs in their time together. While one of their children died at a young age, the rest flourished, marrying and having children of their own. Zadok Bell became a prominent lawyer and Thomas Gunn, a successful farmer (Tennessee State Library and Archives, n.d.). The women of the family married well, which was very important at the time. Unfortunately, the family also experienced the horrors of being haunted by a vengeful spirit.

The history of the Bell Witch herself began in the family home in 1817. The Bells noticed strange phenomenon around the house and farm, which they could not find the source of. They saw strange animals roaming the area and heard unexplained noises coming from different parts of the house. It soon became apparent to them that a supernatural entity was making itself known.

They eventually made contact with this ghost, who revealed herself to be an evil entity sent to torture the family. Their neighbor, Kate Bates (sometimes referred to as Kate Batts), was the one who purportedly performed some sort of dark magic as retribution for a family feud.

The first historical documentation that references the existence of the Bell Witch comes from the year 1820, in the form of a journal entry. This was written by John R. Bell, a military officer who stopped by the residence one night for dinner. While there, the family told him about what was happening to them. He wrote of the daughter’s experience, stating, “A voice accompanies her, which says she should marry a man, a neighbor–thousands of persons have visited her to hear this voice.” (Fitzhugh, 2020).

There is even a story of President Andrew Jackson, who allegedly stayed at the property for just one night. His plan was to remain there longer, but he left after one night from the fear he experienced. He later said, “I vow I would rather fight the entire British Army single-handed than face this witch again.” (White, 2004).

Who Was the Bell Witch?

The prevailing theory of the witch’s identity supports the Bell family’s story that the entity was, in fact, sent by Kate Bates. Some believe this relates to a woman who lived in a nearby town that quarreled with John Bell, the Bell family patriarch, and cursed them with dark magic by summoning a spirit to their house. The dispute was over land, and Kate felt as though John Bell was attempting to cheat her while making a deal. Kate was reportedly often heard saying that she would get even with John, and spoke of this even on her deathbed.

Some also believe John murdered Kate due to the torment she forced his family to endure. Others posit the idea John murdered Kate first, and then she came back to punish the family.

It’s difficult to know what is true and what isn’t. The records kept in the 1800s are not clear. Some have been lost; others never existed. Perhaps we will never know what really went on between Kate and the Bells, though that might be why the story is so intriguing.

Where is the Bell Witch Now?

Following John Bell’s death in 1820, a mere three years after the haunting began, the sightings of the witch became few and far between. In fact, the spirit seemingly disappeared for seven years. The children who remained on the property claim that she came back in 1827, behaving exactly as she had before. She vanished once again and did not reappear until 1935, when the entity returned to haunt descendants of the Bell family (Tennessee State Library and Archives, n.d.).

In the last few decades, people have claimed to have seen the witch at the former Bell home. The sightings are rare. However, those who witness this supernatural being are often terrified for their lives. This is no peaceful spirit; this is something born of dark magic that intends to frighten and harm the living.

Despite the reduced sightings in recent years, the story of the Bell Witch still fascinates people. Movies such as An American Haunting and Bell Witch Haunting have been made based on the narrative, and people still research the history, hoping to find an answer to what really happened.

While the history of this haunting tale is interesting, the events of the haunting are absolutely shocking.

Disturbing Encounters

Since her first appearance in 1817, the Bell Witch has made herself known to many people. This spirit torments those who encounter her and instills fear into the hearts of all who visit the former Bell family home. Even though some seek her out, they acknowledge that seeing her is a terrifying prospect.

The Bell Family

It only makes sense to tell the story of the Bell family’s encounters first. After all, they are the first ones to have ever encountered her and seemingly the reason she was summoned in the first place. And, of course, the entity was named after them.

As mentioned before, the first supernatural sightings on the property involved strange animals roaming the farm. The family first saw something they assumed was a rabbit. However, upon closer inspection, they found something much larger and stranger. They likened it to some sort of hybrid of a rabbit and a large dog (Fitzhugh, 2013).

Strangely enough, it was John Bell’s daughter, Betsy, who was the prime target of the haunting. It was Betsy that John R. Bell referenced in his journal entry, and it was her story that garnered the most attention. At the time of the witch’s appearance, Betsy was madly in love with her betrothed, a man named was Gardener. The pair planned to marry as soon as possible, and by all accounts, the family and community were happy with this marriage. There was support for them to be together, and they loved one another very much.

However, this seemed to anger the witch greatly, and she set her sights on ensuring this union did not take place. She began by whispering to Betsy at all hours that she was not to marry Joshua. At first, this was harmless, and she simply ignored it. Then, the spirit became violent. The witch endlessly taunted her and physically abused her. Betsy was battered and bruised from these episodes. Wherever Betsy and Joshua went, the entity followed. It hunted them mercilessly. Eventually, this all became too much for Betsy, and she called the engagement off.

In addition to the mystery of why the witch was so angered by the presence of Joshua Gardener in Betsy’s life, there was also another suitor vying for her hand. His name was Professor Richard Powell, who had been Betsy and Joshua’s school teacher. He was eleven years older than her and was secretly married to another woman. Some wonder if the witch thought he would be a better match for young Betsy. If this was the case, she got exactly what she wanted. Betsy married Richard and they moved to Mississippi. For Betsy, this was the end of her torment.

The family also experienced the classic signs of a haunting. There were never-ending banging and clunking sounds with no explanation, and beds in the house were pulled apart. Sounds rattled against the windows and walls for hours on end, and the Bells were driven mad by the never-ending ruckus. The entire house shook at times. Some family members, like Betsy, were physically harmed. They would be bitten, pinched, and have their hair pulled. Sometimes, these attacks went on for hours.

Lucy Bell was the only family member who was treated kindly by the witch. The entity would sing to her when she was in the shower and would care for her when she was sick. There seems to be no reason why Betsy endured so much and Lucy was spared, though how could we possibly make sense of a witch’s thought process.

It is also speculated the witch was the cause of John’s death. He was gradually poisoned, which led to his passing. Many believe that the slow and painful circumstances were the result of dark magic.

William Porter

One of the more famous stories of the witch’s interactions with another human is the tale of William Porter. He was a family friend of the Bells who lived only a short distance from their farm. William and the spirit became well acquainted, and he had no reason to fear her. He referred to her by her name, Kate, and he feared no harm from her. The witch, however, eventually struck. One freezing night, Kate asked to lie in William’s bed. He heard her say she wanted “to spend the night with him and keep him warm” (Wick, 1987). William told her that if she wanted to sleep in his bed, she needed to behave herself, and Kate agreed to these terms. She did not keep her word.

That night, while William was sleeping, Kate pulled the covers from off him, exposing his body. He awoke to her crawling closer and closer to him. As this was happening, he had an idea. Rather than panicking and forcing her away, William moved to grab the spirit and wrap her in the bedsheets she was on top of. He then ran to throw her into the fire, hoping to burn her. Unfortunately, he was unsuccessful. William claimed that as he approached the fire, the weight of the entity got heavier and heavier, and that a horrible smell came from the bedsheets (Wick, 1987). He had to drop the witch and run for his life into the freezing outdoors. The legend goes that Kate never asked to spend the night with anyone ever again. This story is so well-known that one of the most famous illustrations of the witch is of William Porter attempting to burn her. It was drawn in 1894, many years after the incident, which shows just how important this event was to the lore of the Bell Witch.

Enslaved Persons

The Bell Witch famously had a vendetta against the enslaved persons at the Bell family property and tormented them relentlessly. She would not only taunt them at all times, but would often physically hurt the men and women at the farm. The witch had her sights set specifically on one enslaved person named Dean, who needed to carry protection with him to fight her off. He claimed that the spirit did not come to him in her human form, but rather as an animal. When this happened, she appeared as either a wolf or a dog; sometimes it had two heads, sometimes none at all (Tennessee State Library and Archives, n.d.).

There is no reason why the witch would go after these people. Some have proposed the idea that she was a bigot, though once again, there is no way of knowing.

Robert L. and The Shakers

In 1988, Robert L. and his band, The Shakers, were recording a song about the Bell Witch. It was titled “Living in the Shadow of a Spirit” and was born from Robert’s childhood fascination with the legend of the entity. It became a four-song EP, as a single tune could not hold the entire story of this myth.

Robert visited the property many times with many people to gain knowledge about what the location was like. There was a cave nearby where townspeople often spotted the witch, and Robert thought this would be a great place to capture just how the people of the 1800s were feeling during her most active years. One such visit was with his girlfriend on a beautiful day. While in the cave, she turned and asked him if he could hear a noise. It was the sound of a woman singing at the far end of the cave. It was an ethereal sound. After listening to the noise for a while, Robert says the sound began to affect him physically. “It was an eerie sound that made us weak in the knees and it went on for a couple of minutes” (Fitzhugh, 2013). This was the only supernatural experience he had in the cave, but it was enough to spook him.

The Filming of The Bell Witch Haunting

When filming The Bell Witch Haunting movie in 2003, the crew of the film had quite a few experiences they recall as being quite strange. Ric White, the director, recounted hearing a strange voice while in the same cave that Robert L. had visited. He was there with a writer for the movie, exploring in silence when they both heard a voice saying, “What are you doing here?” (Fitzhugh, 2013). They looked for the source of the noise but could not find the person who had spoken to them.

After filming and editing the movie, there was another incident. The office where the completed movie was stored spontaneously caught on fire. The origin of the fire was a fax machine that had been in the office the entire time. The team used it often and normally left it on while they weren’t there. By all accounts, there was nothing wrong with it. Why it burst into flames was a complete mystery.

Luckily, Ric had a copy of the film at his home and was able to re-edit the footage there. While working, strange occurrences occurred in the house that he had never experienced before. The home became filled with a peculiar smell, he heard unexplained noises, and often had a strange feeling while working on the movie. He also had issues with technology. His cell phone malfunctioned, and his computer broke three times. Ric had it repaired time and time again, setting his work back a substantial amount (Fitzhugh, 2013). In his opinion, it was like the witch didn’t like the way they were telling her story.

Ric also notes that several of their filming locations experienced fires in the months after the film crew had been there, including the church in town and the home of the Bell Witch Museum’s curator. Unfortunately, she died in the blaze at the front door; it was clear she was trying to escape. Ric says that three unexplained fires in one year, connected only by this story, must be more than a coincidence. He is sure they had something to do with the Bell Witch.

A few years after the movie was released, producer Linda Thornton returned to the cave with a group of people. When she separated from the group to go back to her car, she heard a voice calling, “Linda! Linda!” (Fitzhugh, 2013). She assumed it was someone from the group trying to freak her out, but when she turned around, there was nobody near her. She then experienced an unnerving feeling that something was very wrong, and was left numb from the entire occurrence.

An Anonymous Source

In 1998, a witness who desires to stay anonymous experienced a sighting of the Bell Witch—though this story differs slightly from others. This person and three friends visited the property, inspired by curiosity about the legend. This person spent many years reading about the entity, and desired to see for themselves what all the fuss was about. They went to the farmhouse and found out it was closed. They then went to the clearing behind the property. There, they heard what they described as the strangest noise of their lives. The sound was so odd, this person attributed it to paranormal hounds roaming the property and stalking enslaved people from the 1800s. This person led the group as they walked into the field. That night, there was a full moon that illuminated the entire clearing. This person got a little in front of their friends when suddenly, the entire area went pitch black. It was like someone extinguished the light of the moon. They turned around and told their friends they would not go any further. Something was definitely wrong. No good would come from them continuing their exploration.

Debunking and Skeptics

Skeptics have had centuries to debunk and speculate on the true story of the Bell Witch. Unlike many other tales of hauntings, people have written scientific papers to explain the occurrences. Hours of research have gone into disproving the stories of those who believe in her legend, and some of the evidence is quite compelling.

A popular theory is that Betsy Bell’s husband, Richard Powell, was behind a lot of the strange occurrences. He was so smitten with his former student that he was hellbent on making sure she didn’t marry her sweetheart, Joshua. This was the reason he began an all-out campaign to ensure that their union never took place. Using “pranks, tricks, and with the help of several accomplices, it is theorized that Powell created all of the ‘effects’ of the ghost to scare Gardner away” (Wagner, 2017).

However, this theory does not explain the strange physical attacks others experienced, including Dean and Betsy’s siblings. Richard had no motive to hurt or terrorize others.

Another theory is that this was a case of “the poltergeist-faking syndrome” where a child causes mischief (Kreidler, 2014). It does, however, seem hard to believe that a child could cause all these disturbances.

Dr. Meagan Mann, an assistant professor of chemistry at Austin Peay State University, decided to view the stories of the Bell Witch through a scientific lens. She began by looking into the Bell family and the records of people who lived in Adams at the time. She explored the circumstances around John Bell’s death, which she explains to be the result of arsenic poisoning (Nixon, 2017). This caused strange twitching in his face, which many at the time thought resulted from dark magic, but could have been a side effect of the poison. She didn’t acknowledge the remainder of the hauntings, but felt that she successfully disproved the notion that a witch murdered him.

A local psychic corroborates this theory, claiming she knows what happened to John Bell, sayings, “A slave killed John Bell, poisoning him because he could not protect Betsy, then eleven, from her father who was sexually abusing her” (Young, 2015). This could be the reason Betsy was so tormented during this time. Perhaps her young mind could not process the abuse she was experiencing, and she imagined the paranormal experience instead.

None of these theories cover all the circumstances, nor do they successfully explain away each incident; however, it is enough for many skeptics to believe that all of this is rumor and mythical storytelling.

The Bell Witch

Both the mythical and historical sides of the Bell Witch story are truly fascinating. No matter one’s stance on the paranormal, learning about such a supernatural legend can be intriguing.

The farm is now open to visitors who hope to have a run-in with the witch. Though this might terrify some to their core, thrill-seekers and those inquisitive about the supernatural are determined to see this powerful entity. You can still visit the home, the farm, and the cave where the witch is thought to live. There are tours run by paranormal experts and those acquainted with the story of the Bell family. This is a popular place to visit when passing through Adams, Tennessee, and is an integral part of Southern mythology.

Whether you believe the various terrifying stories or are sure there is no way something like this could exist, it can be an incredibly engaging story. Many find the history behind the narrative to be particularly captivating, and learning all about the Bell family gives a great insight into life in nineteenth century America.