The bell witch is a famous legend in American folklore that has been passed down through generations. The story revolves around the Bell family, who lived in Tennessee during the early 19th century. According to the legend, the family was plagued by a vengeful spirit known as the bell witch. The bell witch was said to be the spirit of Kate Batts, a neighbor of the Bell family who had a dispute with John Bell, the patriarch of the family. It is believed that Batts cursed Bell and his family, leading to the haunting that lasted for many years. The haunting was characterized by strange occurrences, such as loud knocking on the doors and walls, objects being thrown across the room, and invisible forces tormenting family members.
As time passed, the Bell family became the target of the Bell Witch's torment. The entity, known for its cunning and ability to communicate, would whisper, shout, and sing, often mimicking the voices of family members or neighbors. It exhibited a vast knowledge of the family's secrets, often revealing them in chilling detail. The Witch's malevolence extended to physical assaults, leaving family members battered and bruised, and its wrath seemed to focus primarily on John Bell and his daughter Betsy.
In the early 19th century, the Bell family found themselves entangled in a nightmarish ordeal, plagued by an entity that would come to be known as the Bell Witch. Demonstrating an exceptional aptitude for literary pastiche, Monahan Blood of the Covenant invites a willing suspension of disbelief by presenting this tale of supernatural horror as an unpublished manuscript written during the early years of the American republic.
The haunting was characterized by strange occurrences, such as loud knocking on the doors and walls, objects being thrown across the room, and invisible forces tormenting family members. The bell witch also had the ability to speak and interact with people, often delivering messages or taunting them with her knowledge of their personal lives. The Bell family sought help from various experts, including local clergy and even renowned figures such as Andrew Jackson.
Visiting professor to deliver lecture on ‘The Bell Witch of Mississippi’
Amy Fluker, visiting assistant professor of history, will deliver a lecture titled “The Bell Witch of Mississippi: Slavery and the Supernatural” at noon today in the Faulkner Room of the J.D. Williams Library.
Amy Fluker is primarily interested in the 19th-century United States, and two of her main focuses are collective memory and the Civil War era. She learned of the legend of the Bell Witch when she was a child, but it was not until much more recently that she became familiar with the part of the narrative that takes place in Mississippi.
“This is a story I grew up hearing about and was always fascinated by, so when I began teaching history a few years ago, I decided to include it in my lectures on the early republic,” Fluker said. “I hoped it would shake up the routine of lecture and introduce a little cultural history into my course.”
Fluker recalls an Ole Miss student asking her if the story she told had any connection to Long Branch Cemetery in Water Valley, which the student said locals believed to be haunted by the witch.
“I had never heard of it — but after a little digging, I uncovered an alternate narrative of the Bell Witch legend passed down by Bell descendants living in northern Mississippi,” Fluker said.
The story of the so-called Bell Witch of Tennessee’s Adams County is well-known. In fact, there is a historical marker in Adams, Tennessee, near what was once the farm of John Bell, the man around whom the haunting allegedly centered.
Photo courtesy: USA Today
“According to the legend, his family was harried during the early 19 th century by the famous Bell Witch,” the marker reads. “She kept the household in turmoil, assaulted Bell, and drove off Betsy Bell’s suitor.”
The legend says Bell, his family and his guests were tormented physically and psychologically starting in 1817. The hauntings apparently continued in full force until shortly after Bell’s death on Dec. 20, 1820. After this, few appearances of the Bell Witch were reported.
This is the famous part of the story, and it overshadows the portion of the legend that’s set in Panola County. Betsy Bell, the daughter of John Bell, moved to Panola County in 1874 to be closer to her children, and some say the witch followed her. Descendants of the Bells who still live in the area kept this version of the narrative alive.
A main focus of the lecture is slavery — a part of the narrative that is often glossed over. However, slaves and slavery are important parts of the story, both because many alleged eyewitnesses were enslaved and because, according to Fluker, slavery underlies the reasons the Bells were supposedly haunted.
“The legend highlights key aspects of life in the slave society of the antebellum South,” Fluker said. “It can help us better understand the experiences of the enslaved and of slaveholders, too.”
This intersection of collective memory and the Civil War era makes the topic extremely relevant to Fluker’s research interests.
“As a historian of collective memory, it matters very little to my research if hauntings are real or not,” Fluker said. “It does matter that people believe they are. As a result, they can help us understand the perspectives, in this case, of 19th- and 20th-century Americans.”
Many people, including former President Andrew Jackson, were fascinated by the Bell Witch during the time the haunting supposedly took place. This fascination continues today. In fact, people can pay to tour John Bell’s farm and a cave on the property. “The Historic Bell Witch Cave” is on the National Historical Registry.
Fluker’s lecture is free and open to the public. The Faulkner Room, where it will take place, is on the thi rd floor of the J.D. Williams Library in the Department of Archives and Special Collections.
After a neighbor’s visit, tales of the haunting spread throughout the community.
Neighbors came from far and wide to talk to the spirit and see the poltergeist powers at work. They would ask it questions that could be answered in numbers (How far is the church from here? How many cows are in the field?) and receive the answers in knocks on the wall. It was reported to be correct without exception in all of its answers. Lights appeared, flashing through the trees, across the yard, and through the fields.
Despite their efforts, the haunting continued and became more intense over time. It is said that the bell witch took a particular interest in John Bell, often targeting him with physical and mental torment. The bell witch's presence in the Bell family home became so infamous that it attracted the attention of the entire community. Visitors from near and far would come to witness the haunting for themselves. Many reported witnessing the bell witch's presence and her eerie abilities. Despite the terror inflicted by the bell witch, the exact motives for her tormenting the Bell family remain a mystery. Some believe that the spirit was seeking revenge for the dispute with John Bell, while others speculate that she was simply a malevolent entity drawn to the family's energy. The haunting finally came to an end when John Bell passed away in 1820. It is said that he died as a result of the bell witch's torment, leading many to believe that the spirit had achieved her ultimate goal. After Bell's death, the bell witch claimed she would return in seven years and did so, but the presence was not as intense as before. The legend of the bell witch has fascinated people for centuries, with many books, movies, and documentaries depicting the haunting. Whether the bell witch was a real entity or a product of folklore and imagination, one thing is certain – the Bell family's ordeal at the hands of the bell witch is a haunting tale that has stood the test of time..
Reviews for "Supernatural Events Surrounding the Bell Witch"
1. Jane Doe - 2 out of 5 stars
I was really disappointed with "Lamented the bell witch". The plot was confusing and hard to follow, and the characters felt one-dimensional. The writing style was also quite lackluster, with clichéd dialogue and predictable twists. I was expecting a thrilling horror story, but instead, I found myself bored and uninterested. Overall, it was a letdown and not worth the time or money.
2. John Smith - 1 out of 5 stars
I truly regret reading "Lamented the bell witch". The book was poorly edited, filled with grammatical errors, and had a plethora of typos. It was distracting and took away from the reading experience. Moreover, the story itself was unoriginal and lacked any real suspense or scares. The pacing was slow, and I found myself struggling to finish it. I would not recommend this book to anyone looking for a good horror read.
3. Emily Wilson - 2 out of 5 stars
Unfortunately, "Lamented the bell witch" did not meet my expectations. The characters were underdeveloped, and their actions often felt forced or unrealistic. The author's attempt at creating suspense fell flat, and the plot twists were far too predictable. The dialogue was also quite stilted, making it hard to connect with the story or the characters. Overall, I was left unimpressed and dissatisfied with this book.