The folklore
of the Appalachian people has been a great means of maintaining
their rich traditions. Another term, ghostlore, is also important
to their history. Ghostlore includes tales of the supernatural
and actual encounters with spirits, such as ghosts, goblins and
demons. Ghosts seem more likely to appear where there have been
murders, suicides, vengeful people, the lovelorn, or just plain
evil people. The entities may be normal people who died unduly
distressed or due to extreme circumstances, leaving their spirits
to roam restlessly. The Appalachian Mountains fit this requirement
easily, as they have been the location for several wars, massacres,
feuds, and other such life-shortening endeavors. Their remote
locations have provided havens for witches, hermits, outlaws,
and other socially-challenged people. It would be an anomaly of
nature if there were NOT ghosts in the region.
At the first
sign of bad weather, many of the workers claimed that they could
hear wailing sounds if they were in the shack. They swore that
it sounded like people in distress, and soon nobody would go near
the shack.
The construction
shack was torn down and moved to another location, and the sounds
were not heard at its new site. The former location became a paved
parking lot near the administration building.
Whispered
voices are heard when there isn’t anyone else around. The
girl’s bathroom on the third floor is haunted by a mischievous
male ghost. After taking a shower, their towels will be missing.
Items set by the lavatories mysteriously move around. Water faucets
will turn themselves on and off at random. The sound of a male
voice laughing commonly accompanies these unexplained episodes.
Before the
hikers had time to react, a small steam locomotive came careening
down the mountain heading directly toward the group. Back in the
logging days, the workers used small, powerful steam locomotives
specifically designed to work on the steep and rugged terrain.
Although none of these Shay locomotives had been in the woods
for many years, there came one running out of control down the
old rail line.
GHOSTS
OF THE GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS
