• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Stories
  • Games
    • View All
    • FAQ
  • Encyclopaedia
  • About
  • Support TGIMM
  • Shop
  • Contact

The Ghost In My Machine

Stories of the Strange and Unusual

Encyclopaedia of the Impossible: The Bell Witch

July 7, 2014 by Lucia

Previously: The SS Great Eastern. 

Type: CC (corporeally challenged).

Period/location of origin: 1817, Adams, Tennessee.

Appearance: Unknown.

Modus operandi: Subject, termed the Bell Witch (see: Additional Notes), will first make its presence known to target through the creation of noise. Target will hear what they will believe to be someone knocking on the door of their home; however, upon answering the door, target will discover no one present. Around this time, target may also see unusual and unidentifiable animals on the land surrounding their property. Noise will then escalate to knockings on both the door and outer walls of the dwelling, followed by sounds heard within the house heard within the house: Items being dropped, chains being dragged along the floor, and sounds of whispering, gulping, or choking.

Illustration of the Bell family cabin
The Bell family cabin.

Once the noises have moved indoors, target may find items in the home to be moved suddenly and without warning, particularly during the night. Blankets and pillows may be yanked away from target while attempting to sleep, and the whispering, gulping, and choking noises may resolve into a disembodied voice. The voice may alternately sing, quote scripture, and carry out conversations with target.

Although all inhabitants of the home in question may suffer subject’s wrath, subject may also choose to focus on single individuals. Subject will regularly slap, pull the hair of, and throw objects at chosen individual; should the individual enter a romantic relationship with a person outside of target’s home, subject’s abuse of individual will intensify.

[Like what you read? Check out Dangerous Games To Play In The Dark, available from Chronicle Books now!]

Subject has been known to take credit for the deaths of targets, although whether subject is actually capable of killing targets remains unsubstantiated.

Containment: Unknown. Any attempts to exorcize subject have been aborted before completion. Further research required.

Artist's rendering, Betsey Bell.
Artist’s rendering, Betsey Bell.

Additional Notes: Subject first appeared in 1817 at the home of the Bell family in Adams, Tennessee. John Bell, the patriarch of the family, discovered one evening an animal in his field with the body of a dog and the head of a rabbit; shortly thereafter, subject commenced knocking on the door and outer walls of the Bell’s home.

Subject continued to torment the Bells for a number of years, focusing much of its ire on the youngest Bell daughter, Elizabeth (called Betsey). Subject’s abuse of Betsey intensified when she became engaged to one Joshua Gardner, a young man who also lived in the area. For reasons unknown, subject

In 1819, Major Andrew Jackson, ten years prior to becoming the 7th President of the United States, is believed to have visited the Bells with the purpose of investigating the disturbances in and around their home; however, when one of his men was attacked and beaten by an unseen force, Jackson is said to have fled the farm, stating, “I’d rather fight the entire British Army than to deal with the Bell Witch.” Whether or not this event actually took place, however, has not been proven.

John Bell’s health deteriorated over the course of subject’s occupation; he passed away in 1820, with subject claiming to have poisoned him.

Betsey Bell broke off her engagement with Joshua Gardner in 1821, at which time subject declared it would depart temporarily and return in seven years. True to its word, subject returned for a few weeks in 1828, only to depart again with the promise to visit in 107 years later. It is unknown whether subject returned in 1835.

Contrary to its widely known nickname, subject may not necessarily be a “witch.” Subject’s behavior more closely resembles that of a poltergeist. Although subject once claimed to be a woman called Kate Batts, the truth of this claim has yet to be verified.

Recommendation: The cabin formerly owned by the Bell family may be visited, although it is not recommended to do so. Nor should attempts be made to visit a cave on the property reportedly used by subject during its campaign of terror over the Bells. Subject may not have made its presence known for many years; however, it may still be active and searching for a new home—and new targets.

The Bell Witch cave.
The Bell Witch cave.

Resources:

The Bell Witch Haunting.

The Red Book.

The Bell Witch of Tennessee.

The Bell Witch Cave.

***

Follow The Ghost In My Machine on Twitter @GhostMachine13 and on Facebook @TheGhostInMyMachine. And don’t forget to check out Dangerous Games To Play In The Dark, available now from Chronicle Books!

[Photos 1, 2, 3]

Filed Under: Encyclopaedia Tagged With: Bell Witch, CC, Encyclopaedia of the Impossible, haunted locales, hauntings, poltergeists, witches

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Top Stories

‘Dangerous Games To Play In The Dark’ Is Now Available From Chronicle Books!

15 Creepy, Scary Phone Numbers To Call That Actually Work (UPDATED For 2023)

The Backrooms, Explained: How To Make Sense Of The Internet’s Favorite Non-Reality

About

The Ghost In My Machine is an internet campfire of sorts. Gather round, because it wants to tell you strange stories, take you on haunted journeys, and make you jump at unexpected noises.

Continue Reading >

Support

Like what you read? Support The Ghost In My Machine!

 

Support

Follow

Facebook Twitter

From the Vault

  • Bloody Mary & Other Games We Shouldn’t Play

    Scare Yourself Silly

  • This Man

    Creepy Things That Seem Real But Aren’t

  • The Dionaea House

    Creepy Things That Seem Real But Aren’t

  • The Noise Coming From Inside Children

    Scare Yourself Silly

  • NoEnd House

    Is It Real?

  • Killswitch

    Creepy Things That Seem Real But Aren’t

  • The “Lost” Mickey Mouse Cartoon

    Is It Real?

  • 200 Phenomena In The City Of Calgary

    Scare Yourself Silly

View All >

Letters from the Beyond

Enter your email to receive blog posts and updates by email

  • Stories
  • Games
  • Encyclopaedia
  • About
  • Support TGIMM
  • Shop
  • Contact

Privacy Policy

We use cookies to give you the best online experience. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of all the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT