Editorial Note: PDN is proud to welcome Conner Gossel to the Team. He will be heading our historical research into haunted homes and places. You will be seeing much more of his haunting work from now on. Welcome, Conner!
Tennessee has always been a deceptive destination for those involved in the paranormal community. Shrouded in a sprawling expanse of forestry that is the Rocky Mountains, and divided by the seemingly endless network of rivers that dissect the land, the state has a tendency to appear untouched by civilization. If one takes the time to look closer though, beyond the facade of a state covered in uninhabited wilderness, a darker reality exists.
The grim truth of the matter is that Tennessee houses some of the country’s, and the world’s, most dangerously paranormal locations. For our purpose, however, we need only concern ourselves with the eerie building that sits on Lake Nickajack, Hales Bar Dam.
The Haunting Of Hales Bar Dam
When construction on the dam began in 1905, thousands of workers were brought into the area to help complete the project. Temporary homes were built on the water's edge to serve as living quarters for them all, but as time went on these temporary homes became far less crowded than they began. This fact is entirely due to the fatality rate of the dam's construction. Hundreds of men perished in the process of erecting the building and many, if not most of their bodies, are still entombed within the foundation to this day.
Believe it or not, though, the death toll associated with Hales Bar Dam isn’t to blame for its severe supernatural happenings.
The Hales Bar Dam Curse
Long before the dam was even theorized, back when the territory was a part of the Cherokee Nation, an Indian War Chief named Dragging Canoe cursed the land, condemning it to be unproductive and uninhabitable because of its “dark and bloody” nature. The dam's construction was society’s first glimpse of the power of the curse.
Those who didn’t lose their lives building the structure gave accounts of what they experienced. Their accounts told of dark figures seen walking around inside the dam at all hours of the day, inhumane screams, floating apparitions, whispering voices, moving tools and equipment, and the spirits of numerous children whose bodies are said to be buried underneath the water.
Paranormal Activity
Such paranormal activity continues to persist to this very day, driving the current owners of Hales Bar Dam to begin allowing paranormal investigative teams to visit the property in hopes that they might be able to shed light on the haunting. Over the years, many investigators have corroborated the claims of the staff, of general visitors, and of the original construction crew members. A number of investigators and experts in the field have also offered a warning, saying that the little girl who claims to be buried in the water could very likely be a malevolent spirit. While we certainly hope that’s not the case, it is worth mentioning that dark forces have a tendency to mask themselves as the innocent in order to fool the living.
Needless to say, if you venture to Hales Bar Dam, keep your wits about you and prepare to experience the afterlife like never before.