Nashville Haunted Handbook. Jeff Morris
popular with the weary men who had just traversed the Natchez Trace, which ended four miles from her property. Her ingenuity and business savvy allowed her and her grandchildren to survive. Granny White eventually passed away in 1816 and was buried on her property. The nearby road leading into Nashville was named after her.
ghost story
The spirit of Granny White lives on despite the fact that she has been dead for almost 200 years. While her memory may have inspired many older people never to give up, in a more literal sense people have encountered the actual spirit of Granny White even today.
The story goes that if you were to approach the grave of Granny White at any time of the day or night, you will experience this ghost. Her ghost takes the form of a simple sound. If you stand near the grave, you will supposedly be able to hear the sound of a heartbeat coming from the ground. Sometimes, if you’re standing close enough, you can even feel that beating heart through the ground. Granny White’s story speaks of an unwillingness to give up despite age and adversity. Perhaps her will still hasn’t given out and her heart continues to beat audibly to this day.
visiting
The grave itself is fenced off, but you can still walk close enough to experience its unique ghost. This area near the grave where the ghostly heartbeat can be heard does not close at night. If you want to experience the added creepiness of approaching the grave after dark, there is nothing to stop you from doing so.
This doesn’t mean that the ghostly heartbeat will only manifest at night. You are more than able to approach the grave during the day as well. Just stand there for a few moments being as still as you can. Most people who try this will eventually hear the sounds of her heart still beating beneath the ground.
HENDERSONVILLE MEMORY GARDENS
353 East Main St., Hendersonville, TN 37075
directions
Take I-65 North for 12 miles to Exit 95, the Vietnam Veterans Boulevard exit. Follow Vietnam Veterans Boulevard for about 7 miles to Exit 7, Callender Lane. At the end of the exit ramp, turn right onto Indian Lake Boulevard. Follow Indian Lake for almost a mile, and then turn left onto North Anderson Lane. Follow this road for a little more than half a mile, and then turn left onto East Main Street. The Hendersonville Memory Gardens are in the Woodlawn Cemetery, which will be on your right just after the turn.
history
Younger cemeteries are rarely reputed to be haunted, but there are always exceptions. This cemetery has been around for only about 50 years and has been called Hendersonville Memory Gardens for an even shorter time. The cemetery was originally known as Woodlawn Memorial Park East, but its name was changed in 2003 to Hendersonville Memory Gardens.
Some of the more famous country music stars in Nashville are buried in this cemetery. June Carter Cash, the beloved wife of Johnny Cash, was buried here in 2003 when she died of cancer. Crushed by the death of his wife, Johnny Cash died later that same year and was buried next to her.
ghost story
It is no wonder that Johnny Cash who was called the “Man in Black” in life would retain that moniker even after death. On the same note, is it really any wonder that people have seen a man in black roaming through this particular cemetery at dusk?
The ghost story that is repeated most often here is that people will see a man dressed in a black suit walking along the sidewalk beside Johnny Cash’s grave. When people glimpse this man in black, they are typically across the cemetery and just happen to glance up to see him. When they go to investigate, there is no sign of the man.
visiting
The cemetery itself closes at dusk, so you are unable to enter after dark. Johnny Cash’s grave site lies at the highest point in the cemetery, so it is visible from almost anywhere else on the grounds. At night, though, it would be impossible to see a figure on the hill from outside the gates, especially if he were dressed in black.
Your best bet for encountering the ghost of Johnny Cash is to enter the cemetery during regular visiting hours and go to an area across the cemetery from the Cash grave. This is where people typically are when they see the man in black.
MCGAVOCK CONFEDERATE CEMETERY
1345 Carnton Ln., Franklin, TN 37064
directions
Exit downtown by taking TN 6 South/US 31 South/8th Avenue South/US 70 Scenic East, and continue to follow this road for the next 18 miles. When you reach the traffic circle, continue straight onto Main Street and then turn left onto 5th Avenue South. Follow 5th Avenue slightly to the right as it becomes Lewisburg Avenue. A little more than half a mile down the road, turn right onto Carnton Lane. The cemetery is across the parking lot from the mansion and gardens.
history
After the brutal night of the Battle of Franklin in November 1864, dead and wounded Confederate soldiers littered the entire city of Franklin. The larger houses in the area were used as hospitals, and Carnton Plantation was no exception (see Carnton Plantation chapter). When the house filled up with the wounded, the dying were laid upon the mansion’s grounds. Hundreds died in and around the house.
John and Carrie McGavock, the owners of the plantation, donated the two acres abutting their family cemetery to bury the Confederate dead. Due to the large number of dead that had to be buried there, the Confederate Cemetery at Carnton (also called the McGavock Confederate Cemetery) is the largest privately owned military cemetery in the country.
ghost story
Both the McGavock Family Cemetery and the Confederate Cemetery here at Carnton are reputed to be haunted. Most of the time, the ghosts are described simply as strange sounds which rise from within the gates of the cemetery. Moans and sighs will often be heard. It will sound as if someone is writhing in pain here in the cemetery, even when it is empty.
There are three other ghosts that haunt this particular cemetery. If you were to enter the Confederate Cemetery from the family cemetery side, in one of the rows on the right twin brothers are buried directly beside one another. Many times when people are walking past the graves of these twins, they will feel something rub against their ankle. Occasionally they will actually feel a hand grab their ankle.
The other ghost here is perhaps the most famous one. A ghost of a little girl walks both the Confederate Cemetery and the family cemetery immediately adjacent. The little girl will always be seen walking or running up and down the fence, pulling a stick across the metal bars. Sometimes the little girl isn’t seen at all but people will still hear the sounds of a stick hitting each bar of the fence.
visiting
Going into this cemetery after dark is illegal. The property is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day of the week except Sunday when it is open from 1 to 5 p.m. The cemetery is free to visit during these hours. Since the grounds are closed at all other times, the only time to explore the cemetery and look for these ghosts is during its open daytime hours. Luckily, this is when the reports of the ghosts commonly occur.
MOUNT OLIVET CEMETERY
1101 Lebanon Pike, Nashville, TN 37210
directions
Head out of downtown by taking I-40 East toward Knoxville.