Native American Legends: Tennessee Ghosts and Legends Thanksgiving Edition

Welcome to the Tennessee Ghosts and Legends Podcast. My name is Lyle Russell. I am your host, and I love a good ghost story. On today’s Thanksgiving holiday episode, we’ll explore some Tennessee Native American legends about spurned love, why black bears do not have tails, a strange creature said to eat the livers of kidnapped children, and two trees that grew from an act of great betrayal and from great love. Join me for the stories of the Black Bear and the Fox, Reelfoot Lake, a shapeshifter known as Spearfinger, and the Legend of Nocatula.

November 30, 2025 0

The Buckner Witch of Standing Stone: Tennessee Ghosts & Legends

Welcome to the Tennessee Ghosts and Legends Podcast. My name is Lyle Russell. I am your host, and I love a good ghost story. Today, we’ll discuss a local legend from Putnam County, Tennessee about the ghost of a jealous woman dressed in all black that haunted Margaret Buckner until the day she died. It is my pleasure to introduce you to Polly Brewington, the Buckner Witch of Standing Stone.

October 12, 2025 0

The Orpheum Theater: Tennessee Ghosts & Legends

Today’s episode takes us once again to the home of the Delta Blues and a famous theater site haunted by no less than a reported seven spirits. The most mischievous one has her very own seat that is forever reserved as a place for her to watch performances despite becoming a ghost over 100 years ago. Welcome to Memphis’s Orpheum Theater.

April 27, 2025 0

The Flintville Monster: Tennessee Ghosts & Legends

In this episode, we’ll visit the rural town of Flintville, Tennessee and the surrounding area in Lincoln County. But hiding somewhere in the surrounding hills and forests of the area is supposedly an elusive, mysterious, and aggressive beast, said to stand around eight feet tall and have a terrible skunk-like odor, along with a propensity for violent encounters with the local residents. Today, it is my pleasure to introduce you to the legend of the Flintville Monster.

November 21, 2024 0

The Snake Charmer of Fiddler’s Rock: Tennessee Ghosts & Legends

This episode is part legend and part ghost story. In the Appalachians just east of Mountain City, Tennessee stands the Stone Mountains. Legend has it that on calm nights, the sound of a ghostly fiddle as well as painful screams can be heard coming from a formation there known as Fiddler’s Rock. There are multiple local tales about this remote site and the melancholy ghost who haunts it. Join me as we explore the ghostly legend of the Snake Charmer of Fiddler’s Rock.

October 19, 2024 1

The Tennessee State Prison: Tennessee Ghosts & Legends

In this episode, we’ll explore the history and some of the terrifying stories centered around one of Tennessee’s most famous and recognizable abandoned landmarks. It began as one of the most modern and humane prison compounds in the country but ended as a maximum security nightmare for the inmates within. Welcome to the haunted halls of the Tennessee State Prison.

October 10, 2024 1

My Personal Paranormal Experiences: Tennessee Ghosts and Legends

In this episode, I’ll share with you my own personal experiences with the paranormal, both as a child in Florida, and as an adult in Tennessee. These are the true stories of my experiences that made me a believer in the world beyond.

May 19, 2023 0

The Bleeding Mausoleum: Tennessee Ghosts and Legends

We begin season two with a strange urban legend. In this episode, you’ll be introduced to the tragic story of Little Nina Craigmiles, and the unexplained mystery of Cleveland’s Bleeding Mausoleum.

May 15, 2023 2

The Bell Witch of Robertson County: Tennessee Ghosts and Legends

In the early 1800's John Bell and his family were tormented by a witch that took up residence at their cabin in Red River, Tennessee. Why did the witch hate John Bell so much? And what about his young daughter, Betsy? Join me for a jaunt through Tennessee's most famous haunting, The Bell Witch.

September 28, 2022 0

The Shelby Forest Pig Man: Tennessee Ghosts and Legends

What is haunting the bridge on Shakerag Road to the west of Millington, Tennessee? An old munitions factory from World War II my hold the answer to the bizarre tale of the Shelby Forest Pigman.

September 28, 2022 1

Pink Lizzie and the Mystery Jar: Tennessee Ghosts and Legends

On today’s episode, we’ll travel to the Home of the Blues and the Birthplace of Rock-n-Roll to explore a peculiar, haunted tale that includes a startling apparition, seances, an untimely robbery, and an old musty jar full of treasure. The event took the entire city by storm, giving everyone "ghost fever" as the odd circumstances unfolded. Allow me to introduce you to one of Memphis’s most famous ghost stories, Pink Lizzie and the Mystery Jar.

September 28, 2022 1

Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary: Tennessee Ghosts and Legends

Take a stroll through the haunted, sordid, and violent history of Tennessee's long-time maximum security prison, Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary! Learn about the strange happenings and recorded paranormal encounters in one of Tennessee's most haunted sites.

September 26, 2022 2

The Beast of the Land Between the Lakes: Tennessee Ghosts and Legends

What is hiding within the 276 square miles of The Land Between the Lakes National Park? Many cryptid investigators believe that beautiful wilderness is home to a Bigfoot or werewolf type creature with a murderous appetite. Join me as we explore three supposed eyewitness accounts of the terrifying creature known as the Beast of the Land Between the Lakes.

September 26, 2022 5

Haunted Battlefields – Shiloh and Chickamauga’s ‘Old Green Eyes’: Tennessee Ghosts & Legends

In this episode, we'll explore two of the hardest-fought battles in the southern theater of the American Civil War: Shiloh, with it's random wandering spirits, and the entity that haunts Chickamauga known to the locals as, 'Old Green Eyes'.

September 26, 2022 1

The White Bluff Screamer and Werewolf Springs: Tennessee Ghosts and Legends

Just what are people seeing and hearing in the woods around Montgomery Bell State Park near White Bluff? Eyewitness accounts have reported seeing and hearing the eerie wailing of the White Bluff Screamer. Join me as we discuss the legends from Dickson County.

September 25, 2022 2

The Headless Signalman and the Chapel Hill Ghost Light: Tennessee Ghosts & Legends

Chapel Hill, Tennessee is home to one of the most haunted tales in the state. The strange lights that haunt the train tracks have been seen by hundreds of people, but where do they come from? Listen in on this episode to hear the story of the Headless Signalman and the Chapel Hill Ghost Light.

September 25, 2022 4

The Legend of Sadie Baker: Tennessee Ghosts & Legends

This unique Coffee County, Tennessee legend features the sad tale of a young girl accused of witchcraft, and becomes a local story that is still told, and feared, over 150 years later. Allow me introduce you to the strange legend of Sadie Baker.

September 25, 2022 1