Tales from the Trail: Ghost House Trail
Ghost House Trail will take your run past an old family cemetery and the abandoned Hutchinson family home.
Location: Big Ridge State Park in Maynardville, Tennessee
Trail: Ghost House Trail
Ghost House Trail is a 1.2-mile loop in a remote part of the Appalachians in the heavily forested Big Ridge State Park. The whole park is home to the remnants of 17th century settlements making it fertile ground for rumors of supernatural occurrences and bone-chilling legends.
But Ghost House Trail travels past an old family cemetery and the abandoned 1800s home of the Hutchinson family. Which is, of course, haunted.
The oft-repeated story is that of the Hutchinson family’s daughter, Mary, who died young in the mid-1800s of tuberculosis. After the family moved, neighbors reported hearing Mary’s wails coming from her room after she had died, and seeing figures moving about in the vacated house.
In more modern times, hikers, runners, and others visiting the area have claimed to have heard sounds similar to that of a panting dog charging in their direction. Other local lore claims that Maston Hutchinson, Mary’s father, wanders the desolate woods seemingly searching for something.
It’s also been said that silhouettes of occupants have been captured in photographs taken near the Norton Cemetery. So don’t forget to bring a camera if you decide to brave a run on this trail this fall.
