Bell Witch

The Bell Witch is a ghost story from American Southern Folklore. The legend of the Bell Witch, also called the Bell Witch Haunting, revolves around strange events allegedly experienced by the Bell family of Adams, Tennessee, in 1817 and again in 1935 when the so-called witch had promised to return. John Bell Jr. also wrote a book about the events.

The story is the basis of the films "An American Haunting" (2006) and "The Bell Witch Haunting" (2004) and may have influenced the production of "The Blair Witch Project" (1999).

Legend

According to the legend, the first manifestation of the haunting occurred in 1817 when John Bell, Sr. encountered a strange animal in a cornfield on his large farm in Robertson County, on the Red River, near Adams, Tennessee. The animal, described as having the body of a dog and the head of a rabbit, vanished when Bell shot at it. This incident was quickly followed by a series of strange beating and gnawing noises manifesting around the outside, and eventually inside the Bell residence that did not stop until 3 a.m. Betsy Bell, the family's younger daughter and the only daughter still living at home (Bell's oldest daughter Esther married Alexander Bennett Porter July 24, 1817 when she was 17), claimed to have been assaulted by an invisible force.

John Bell Sr., later in life, suffered frequent facial seizures, often rendering him speechless. John Bell, Sr. died on December 20, 1820. A small vial containing an unidentified liquid he had apparently been given or ingested thinking it was medicine was found near the body. When some of the contents were force-fed to the family cat, the animal died immediately; the bottle was then thrown into the fireplace. At the funeral, people could hear the Bell Witch laughing and taunting the pastor.

Pat Fitzhugh's retelling of the Bell Witch legend concludes with a statement to the effect that many people believe that the spirit returned in 1935, took up residence on the former Bell property and remained there through the present day. He notes "the faint sounds of people talking and children playing can sometimes be heard in the area" and asserts that it is "very difficult to take a good picture there." Other sources have said that 1935, the year when the witch claimed it would return ("one hundred years and seven" past 1828), brought nothing out of the ordinary to the Bell descendants living at the home who'd been anticipating some great disturbance.

Published accounts

The earliest written account is in the "Goodspeed History of Tennessee" published in 1887 by Goodspeed Publishing. No author is given. Page 833 reads:

The most famous account is recorded in what has come to be called the "Red Book", the 1894 "An Authenticated History of the Bell Witch of Tennessee" by Martin Van Buren Ingram, which cites the earlier "Richard William Bell's Diary: Our Family Trouble". Richard Williams Bell lists several witnesses, including General (later President) Andrew Jackson. No mention of the Bell Witch was ever made by Jackson in any of his letters, journals or papers, however. [ [http://slate.com/id/2141069/?nav=fo Little Ghost on the Prairie] ]

The "Black Book" was written much later, and published in 1934 by Dr. Charles Bailey Bell, great-grandson of John Bell.

"Thirteen Tennessee Ghosts and Jeffrey" by Kathryn Tucker Windham includes the story of the Bell Witch.

The "Guidebook for Tennessee", published by the Works Project Administration in 1939, also contains an account that differs from Ingram's on pages 392–393.

In popular culture

*"Other Worlds," a book published under the name of Barbara Michaels (a pen name of Barbara Mertz) in 1999, includes a very detailed version of the Bell Witch events.
* "" starring Betsy Palmer (who played Mrs. Voorhees in "Friday the 13th"). First film about the Bell Witch Shot in 2002 in Tennessee but Released to video in September 2007.
* "The Bell Witch Haunting" is a 2004 film made by Willing Hearts Productions. Filmed near the original location, the director claims to have encountered production difficulties such as fires and thinks the Bell Witch was responsible.
* On May 5, 2006 a film based on the events of the Bell Witch legend, titled "An American Haunting", was released. "An American Haunting" is a thriller written and directed by Courtney Solomon. It is closely based on the narrative presented by author Brent Monahan in his novel, "The Bell Witch: An American Haunting". This movie's explanation of the phenomena, derived from the novel, was that John Bell sexually assaulted his daughter, and her repressed memories of the event were transferred to the "hauntings of the witch". Despite being based on a work of fiction, the film was marketed as a true story. [ [http://slate.com/id/2141069/?nav=fo Little Ghost on the Prairie] ]
*In October 2003, the Nashville Ballet and Nashville Chamber Orchestra premiered "The Bell Witch", a one-act story ballet with an original score by Conni Ellisor, choreography by Ann Marie De Angelo, and 3-D effects by renowned artist Gerald Marks. It is believed to be the first ballet ever to include 3-D effects.Fact|date=July 2008

References

The Bell Witch - promotional EP released by Mercyful Fate to herald the band's reunion album. It features two tracks off In the Shadows, of which one is based on the American legend of The Bell Witch, plus four live tracks. The EP was released in 1994.

External links

* [http://mtskeptics.homestead.com/BellWitch.html The Bell Witch Project] - Middle Tennessee Skeptics review of the legend.
* [http://www.bellwitch.org/ The Bell Witch] by researcher Pat Fitzhugh.
* [http://www.bellwitchcave.com/ The Historic Bell Witch Cave]
* [http://bellwitch02.tripod.com/ The Bell Witch of Tennessee] - website which includes the full text of "An Authenticated History of the Famous Bell Witch" - the book upon which the legend is largely based
* [http://www.prairieghosts.com/b-cave.html Prairie Ghosts - The Bell Witch]
* [http://hometown.aol.com/jcook56050/myhomepage/index.html "The Spirit of Red River"] , by Jack Cook A detailed paper covering the history behind the legend, compiled from official government, church, and family records.
* [http://www.bellwitchthemovie.com/ Bell Witch the Movie] - official website of the independent film
* [http://www.thebellwitchhaunting.com/ The Bell Witch Haunting] - official website of the independent film