![]() ![]() Sherman Carmichael’s “Mysterious Tales of WNC” describes the tale that in 1788 Dr. Perhaps one of the oddest stories of our area involves a terrifying creature disguised as the town physician. The two men claimed to see the mule team at random times until they died. After lots of discourse and arguing, Swain was kicked out and never returned to the church.Ī few months after Swain died the two church members who accused him nearly got run over by a mule team in the churchyard… Only they were the only ones who saw or heard the mule team as the rest of the congregation laughed at their foolishness. In 1935, a man named Frank Swain was run out of church after well-known members of the congregation swore that Swain tried to run them over with his mule team. Allegedly, a man was found on the tracks after being hit by the train near the same spot.Īnother tale from Baldwin’s book is about the Phantom Mule Team of Toot Hollow. He thought he was losing his mind until he started asking around, and learned it was a well-known secret. In the early 1940s, a Great Smoky Mountains Railroad engineer was making his route from Judson to Bryson City when he saw a shadowy figure standing near the tracks, only to disappear a few seconds later. In one chapter, she tells of a railway worker's spooky encounter with a man trying to jump on the train. In her book “Smoky Mountain Ghostlore,” she includes several chapters about Swain County’s mysterious shadowy figures. Juanitta Baldwin of Bryson City has written many books about the secrets of the Smoky Mountains. U’tlun’ta or Spearfinger is a fretful character in Cherokee folklore and is said to be an old woman with stone-like skin and one long, sharp finger on her right hand who lured away children who wandered off. ![]() With some speaking of weird experiences in the tunnel, people have claimed to have experienced a glowing orb while hiking the nearby Noland Creek Trail and one particularly gruesome creature is said to prowl the shadows. Generations of history lurks below the depths of Fontana Lake as hundreds of people who lived in the area before the lake was created, were forced to leave their homes and the road accessing their family cemeteries was covered in water. The so-called Road to Nowhere is a significant part of Swain County history as it represents loss for many and the federal government’s unkept promise to the county. It is said to hold secrets, and many paranormal investigators have visited at night to try and find the answers. ![]() There’s something about the unexplained that fascinates people.Īt the end of Lakeview Drive, those who dare can get spooked even in the daytime as they walk through the dark tunnel. “I recently went through all the books and made a separate section for fictional books and with all the books about the train and dam, people love the folklore and mysterious section,” Holland said. Lance Holland local historian, owner of Appalachian Mercantile and newly created, Appalachian History Center in downtown Bryson City, said some seek out stories that explore the unknown and the macabre. In the mountains of Swain County, there lies many stories of spooks, haints, ghosts, even unexplained lights filling the misty, black sky. Something about the winding trails, the night that’s almost too quiet and woods so dark that swallow people up in their imagination. Hannah tales and legends swirl around the Smoky Mountains and Southern Appalachia. ![]()
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