The Bell Witch Haunting

Between 1817 and 1821, the Bell family of Robertson County, Tennessee experienced what would become America’s most famous and best-documented poltergeist case. An entity—which would come to be known as the Bell Witch—terrorized the family with physical attacks, spoke with visitors, correctly predicted the future, and ultimately claimed to have murdered family patriarch John Bell. The case drew national attention, including a visit from future President Andrew Jackson, and established a legend that persists two centuries later.

The Bell Family

John Bell’s Farm

John Bell (1750-1820) was a prosperous farmer and community leader who had relocated from North Carolina to the Red River settlement in Robertson County, Tennessee in 1804. By 1817, he had built a successful 320-acre farm and was respected throughout the community.

His family included:

Lucy Williams Bell — John’s wife, who would outlive him by many years

Jesse Bell — The eldest son, married and living on his own farm

John Bell Jr. — A son who would later document the haunting

Drewry Bell — Another son

Benjamin Bell — The youngest son

Esther Bell — A daughter

Elizabeth “Betsy” Bell — The youngest daughter, 12 years old in 1817, who would become the entity’s primary target

Richard Williams Bell — The youngest son, 6 in 1817, who would write a book about the haunting in 1846

The Beginning

1817 — First Signs

The haunting began with strange sights and sounds:

The Strange Animal: John Bell encountered a peculiar creature in his cornfield—described as having the body of a dog and the head of a rabbit. When he fired his rifle at it, it vanished.

The Birds: Unusually large birds were seen sitting on the fence, watching the house.

The Sounds: The family began hearing:

• Knocking and thumping on the walls
• Scratching sounds, as if an animal was clawing at the floor
• Chains being dragged
• Stones falling on the roof (but none found afterward)

The Invisible Presence: Bedcovers were pulled off the sleeping family members. The children felt their hair being pulled. Sounds of lips smacking and gulping, as if something invisible was eating, came from empty rooms.

The Family’s Response

At first, the Bells kept the disturbances secret, fearing ridicule. For about a year, they endured in silence. But as the phenomena intensified, John Bell confided in his neighbor and close friend, James Johnston.

Johnston spent a night at the Bell farm. He experienced the disturbances firsthand—his bedcovers were pulled, he heard sounds, and he felt an invisible presence. Johnston reportedly said to the entity: “In the name of the Lord, who are you and what do you want?”

The response was silence—for now. But the secret was out. Word spread through the community.

The Entity Speaks

1818-1819 — Finding a Voice

The sounds evolved into a faint whistling, then a weak whisper, and finally a clear voice. The entity could speak.

First Words: Initially, the voice was barely audible—a distant, feminine whisper. Over weeks, it strengthened until it could carry on conversations and be heard throughout the house.

Its Knowledge: The voice demonstrated impossible knowledge:

• It knew events from distant locations as they happened
• It could quote Scripture verbatim and discuss theology
• It knew private conversations that had occurred miles away
• It predicted future events with accuracy
• It identified visitors before they entered the house

Its Nature: When asked what it was, the entity gave various answers:

• “I am a spirit who was once happy but has been disturbed”
• “I am the witch of Kate Batts”
• “I am nothing more than Old Kate Batts’ witch”

Kate Batts was a neighbor with whom John Bell had a business dispute. She had been accused of witchcraft by some in the community. Whether the entity was actually connected to her, using her name as a convenient identity, or something else entirely, was never determined.

The entity became known as “Kate”—the Bell Witch.

The Attacks

Targeting the Bells

The witch was not merely mischievous—it was malevolent, and it had specific targets.

John Bell

The entity repeatedly stated its intention to kill John Bell:

“Old Jack Bell—I will torment him to his grave!”

John suffered:

• Facial tics and seizures (the witch claimed responsibility)
• A swelling of his tongue that made eating difficult
• Violent physical attacks—being struck by an invisible force
• A gradual decline in health that doctors could not explain

The witch would mock him during his suffering, laughing and singing while he writhed in pain.

Betsy Bell

Young Betsy received the brunt of the physical attacks:

• Slapped repeatedly, leaving visible handprints
• Her hair pulled violently
• Dragged across rooms by invisible forces
• Stuck with pins
• Tormented whenever she tried to court her suitor, Joshua Gardner

The witch was obsessed with preventing Betsy from marrying Gardner:

“Betsy Bell, don’t marry Joshua Gardner! Betsy Bell, don’t have Joshua Gardner!”

Eventually, Betsy broke off the engagement. She later married Richard Powell, a schoolteacher—someone the witch apparently approved of.

Others

While Lucy Bell was treated with relative respect (the witch called her “Old Luce” but rarely harmed her), visitors and neighbors sometimes experienced attacks:

• Slapping
• Hair pulling
• Objects thrown at them
• Verbal abuse

The Investigation

Community Response

The Bell Witch case became famous throughout Tennessee and beyond. Visitors came from across the state—and the nation—to witness the phenomenon.

Notable Visitors:

James Johnston and Family: The first outsiders to witness the haunting, they confirmed the reality of the disturbances.

William Porter: A neighbor who spent a night in the haunted house and was attacked by something under his bedcovers.

Various Ministers: Multiple clergymen attempted exorcisms. The witch mocked them, debated theology, and sent them away frustrated.

Dr. George Hopson: The family physician, who documented John Bell’s inexplicable decline.

Andrew Jackson’s Visit

The most famous visitor was General Andrew Jackson, hero of the Battle of New Orleans and future President of the United States. In 1819, Jackson and a party of men traveled to investigate the Bell farm.

The Account:

As Jackson’s party approached the Bell property, their wagon suddenly stopped. The horses strained but couldn’t move it. The wheels appeared stuck, though no obstacle was visible.

Jackson reportedly said: “By the eternal, boys, it’s the witch!”

A voice came from the bushes: “All right, General, let the wagon move on. I will see you tonight.”

The wagon immediately rolled forward.

That night, according to multiple accounts, Jackson experienced the witch firsthand. One of his men, who had boasted of being a “witch tamer,” was attacked, screaming and dancing as if being stuck with pins. He fled the house in terror.

Jackson’s party left the next morning. The General allegedly said: “I’d rather fight the entire British Army than deal with the Bell Witch.”

John Bell’s Death

December 20, 1820

On the morning of December 20, 1820, John Bell was found unresponsive in his bed, in a stupor from which he could not be woken.

Beside him was a small vial of strange liquid. No one knew where it came from.

As the family tried to revive him, the witch’s voice rang out:

“It’s useless! I’ve got him this time! He’ll never get up from that bed again!”

John Jr. gave a drop of the mysterious liquid to the family cat. The cat died almost instantly.

John Bell died on December 20, 1820. He never regained consciousness.

The Funeral

At John Bell’s funeral, the witch’s voice could be heard laughing and singing bawdy songs. As the coffin was lowered into the grave, the voice sang:

“Row me up some brandy, O!”

The community was horrified—but powerless.

The Departure

1821 — The Witch Leaves

Shortly after John Bell’s death, the witch announced it was leaving:

“I’m going, and will be gone for seven years. Then I will return and visit the family and the community.”

The disturbances stopped. The Bell family had peace for the first time in four years.

1828 — The Return

True to its word, the entity returned in 1828. It visited John Jr., carrying on conversations about the future and revealing various prophecies.

The Prophecies: The witch supposedly predicted:

• The Civil War (30+ years before it happened)
• The rise and fall of nations
• Events in the Bell family’s future

After a brief visit, the entity departed again, promising to return in “one hundred and seven years”—1935.

Did It Return?

There are no recorded manifestations in 1935. However, the Bell farm has remained active:

• Visitors report strange phenomena
• The Bell Witch Cave (on the property) is considered highly active
• Apparitions and voices continue to be reported
• Some researchers believe the entity never truly left

The Evidence

Documentation

The Bell Witch case is unusually well-documented for its era:

Richard Williams Bell’s Book (1846): The youngest Bell son wrote Our Family Trouble, detailing the haunting from his perspective.

John Jr.’s Writings: John Bell Jr. left extensive notes and correspondence about the case.

Community Testimony: Dozens of witnesses—neighbors, visitors, ministers, and officials—documented their experiences.

Andrew Jackson’s Accounts: Multiple Jackson biographers reference the Bell Witch visit, and family oral traditions preserve the story.

Historical Recognition

The Bell Witch case is unique in having been:

• Documented by multiple literate witnesses
• Investigated by the community in real-time
• Acknowledged by a future President
• Preserved through multiple independent sources

Legacy

The Bell Witch Cave

The Bell family property includes a cave where the witch was sometimes said to manifest. The cave is now a tourist attraction, and visitors continue to report:

• Unexplained sounds
• Photographs showing anomalies
• Feelings of being watched
• Physical sensations (touches, temperature drops)

Adams, Tennessee Today

The town of Adams has embraced its supernatural heritage:

• The Bell Witch Festival is held annually
• The Bell Farm site is a historical landmark
• The cave is open for tours
• The story is taught in local schools

Cultural Impact

The Bell Witch has inspired:

• Numerous books (fiction and non-fiction)
• Films including The Bell Witch Haunting and An American Haunting
• Television documentaries
• Stage plays
• Academic research into poltergeist phenomena

What Was the Bell Witch?

After two centuries, the entity’s true nature remains unknown:

A Human Spirit: Perhaps the disturbed soul of someone with a connection to the land or the family.

A Demonic Entity: Its malevolence, its mocking of religion, and its ability to cause death suggest something infernal.

A Poltergeist: Focused on Betsy Bell, it may have been a classic poltergeist manifestation tied to her adolescent energy.

Kate Batts’ Spirit: As the entity claimed, though Kate Batts was apparently still alive during some of the haunting.

Something Unknown: Perhaps it was something that has no name in human understanding—something that still waits in the Tennessee hills.

The Witch’s Final Words

Before departing in 1821, the Bell Witch made a statement to the family:

“I will never leave the Bell family. I will be with them always.”

Perhaps it was a promise. Perhaps it was a threat.

But if you visit Adams, Tennessee today—if you walk the grounds of the old Bell farm, if you enter the cave where the darkness seems to watch—you might feel that the witch kept its word.

---

For four years, something tormented the Bell family of Tennessee. It spoke, it struck, it prophesied. It claimed to have murdered John Bell, and those who watched him die believed it. The Bell Witch became America’s most famous poltergeist, and unlike most hauntings, it left bodies in its wake. The entity said it would never leave. If the experiences of modern visitors are any indication, it hasn’t.