The Bell Witch is a ghost story from American southern folklore. The legend of the Bell Witch, also called the Bell Witch Haunting, revolved around a series of strange events allegedly experienced by the Bell family of Adams, Tennessee, between 1817 and 1821
The Bell Witch Cave is a karst cave located in Adams, Tennessee near where the Bell Farm once stood. The cave is approximately 490 feet (150 m) long. The cave is privately owned and tours are given during the summer months and the month of October.
This cave has been associated with The Bell Witch, a period of time when the Bell Family was allegedly haunted by the Bell Witch. The cave has no real connection to the haunting; however, it is located on property once owned by the Bell family. Many believe that when the witch departed, she fled to the sanctuary of this cave.
These events are said to have been witnessed and documented by hundreds of people, among them future President of the United States Andrew Jackson, and consequently the episode represents one of the most famous instances of paranormal events in history.
The Bell Witch was believed to be Kate Batts, an eccentric neighbor of John Bell's, who had sued him for cheating her in a land deal. The stories of land sale conflict involving Bell do have documentation although neither case has any connection to Kate Batts.
Other paranormal theories are that the "witch" was actually a poltergeist or the Bell home had been built on a Native American burial ground.
The events of the Haunting were used as the basis for the 2006 film An American Haunting and may have influenced production of The Blair Witch Project.
According to the legend, the first manifestation of the haunting occurred in 1817 when John Bell encountered a strange animal in a cornfield on his property. The animal, described as having had the body of a dog and the head of a rabbit, vanished when Bell shot at it. This incident was quickly followed by a series of strange beating and gnawing noises manifesting around, and eventually inside, the Bell residence. After these occurrences, the Bell children said their bedclothes were being regularly pulled off and tossed onto the floor by an invisible force.
The family then reported a voice choking and making awful, low, guttural noises. Betsy Bell, the family's younger daughter and the only daughter still living at home, was soon after violently assaulted--her hair pulled and her face slapped by an invisible force.
These events continued for over a year before John Bell reported them to his neighbors, James Johnston and his wife, who later said they witnessed events. At this point, the strange events experienced by the Bell family became well known in the Red River community, especially reports of a voice conversing loudly and clearly, singing, quoting from the Bible and accurately describing events taking place miles away.
Another major development in the story is the involvement of future U.S. President Andrew Jackson, who heard of the disturbances and decided to observe them in person in 1819.
On approaching the Bell property, Jackson's entourage encountered an invisible presence that stopped his wagon in its tracks. When Jackson acknowledged that the witch was responsible, the wagon was able to proceed unhindered.
One of the men in Jackson's entourage declared himself to be a witch tamer who intended to kill the spirit. After this proclamation, the man began screaming and contorting his body. Jackson and his entourage left the Bell property by midday the following day. He is quoted as later saying, "I'd rather fight the entire British Army than to deal with the Bell Witch