Haunted nashville

Stones River, Franklin and Ft. Negley; just to mention three.
 
Make sure you see the sights at Franklin such as The Carter House and Carnton. Several good antebellum mansions that you can tour in Nashville.
 
Most tourists miss the best sites because the Nashville is not well coordinated since most of the battlefield has been lost to urban sprawl, but I recommend taking a hike to Shy's Hill in Nashville on your own. Easy to find if you have a car for the afternoon.
Directions:
Down Hillsboro Road south (going toward Franklin) to Harding Road; Take a left and go approx. 1.4 miles to road on right marked "Shy's Hill" on small street sign. This is at least five or six streets down Harding and doesn't look like it would lead to a civil war battle site but Shy's Hill was one of the most significant site of the battle.

I have friends who have family living around the base of the hill who have told me about a ghost named
"Too Tall", a little four year old girl "visited" with frequently at her house located near that road.

Confederate soldiers had to shoot down the hill and found their defences "too tall" to shoot over at various points during the battle, so I am told. Check it out for yourself. The climb winds around, is not exactly straight up, but do-able for those who are healthy enough. No wheel chair access, except at the base of the hill.

It was originally Compton's Hill but renamed in honor of Col. William Shy who was impaled to a tree there by a Yankee bayonet.
Family members claimed that his body was stripped of any clothing when retrieved but some local history "experts" contest that claim.

More significantly is the story of Brig. Gen. Thomas Benton Smith who was struck over the head by a drunken Yankee with a sword, AFTER he had surrender and was disarmed. Smith later recuperated even though he had not been expected to survive. His story is fascinating and worth exploring with follow up reading such as local author John Bridges, Three Cousins from Mechanicsburg.

You will be able to climb to the top of Shy's Hill if you wish for a spectacular view. All the information is on the signage at the bottom of the hill where you can park you car on the side of the road. Nice suburban neighborhood, safe and a great little side trip.

Likewise in Franklin, go to Winstead Hill and the overlook on top has a great old map in relief which showcases the where all the various regiments lined up for the bloody Battle of Franklin.

Note: The recent changes at Carnton Mansion on the Eastern Flank of the Franklin Battlefield make one think you have to enter at their Visitors Center and PAY to get in to see the Confederate Cemetery. NO! The cemetery is open to the public free of charge so if you don't have the time to go through the mansion on a paid tour to hear about the McGavock family who donated the land for the cemetery, skip the tour and just listen to the Audio Tour by calling on your cell phone at the marked stops near the Entrance to the cemetery where the First National Flag flies.

Those who have rearranged the traffic flow through the Eastern Flank want your tourist dollars so personally I'd skip the paid tour and just listen to the Audio tour as prompted on the signs.

Just don't forget, The Widow of the South, is a FICTIONAL book about the battle and the family and has made up some terrible outright falsehoods about Mr. and Mrs. McGavock in order to sell books. NOT worth the money to hear made up history that may be interesting, but never happened the way the author dreamed it up.
 
I spent an entire day in Franklin and had to pass on the Nashville stuff because of the family wanting to do other things. I think I made the right decision because the Franklin sites were awesome. I was bummed to see so much lost to development but they are buying back land and will be improving the history of the area.
 
Someone told me a personal account of encountering a soldier in blue who might have been killed at Franklin. Been a long time since I heard it, so I don't remember the details.

Two good cemeteries are Old City, near Fort Negley (about two blocks), and Mount Olivet on Lebanon Road, near downtown.
 
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It's a hop, skip and waddle down the road from Franklin to the Forrest Boyhood Home. It's not right on a major road, but if you hook up with the Elm Springs SCV group, you can get a tour. It's beautifully restored, right down to the plaque on the barn we put up for the late beloved Larry Cockerham. Well worth the effort.
 
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Carnton Plantation.
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Carter House
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Someone told me a personal account of encountering a soldier in blue who might have been killed at Franklin. Been a long time since I heard it, so I don't remember the details.

Two good cemeteries are Old City, near Fort Negley (about two blocks), and Mount Olivet on Lebanon Road, near downtown.
mt. olivet is freaky!!!
 
State House, capitol. President Polk's grave. He was moved a few times. I heard some weird stuff in the round forest at Stone's River. Garsche's death site at Stone's River. I wonder about where Sam Davis was hung.
 
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