Ghosts, Legends, and Lore of Murfreesboro, NC

08/29/2024

Do you know why some stories are absolutely terrifying? Because they are TRUE! How about
- The Riverboat captain who alerted the town to ghosts he had just seen at Riverside Cemetery
- A headless haint that searches the historic district for his lost head
- An AWOL Civil War soldier that still roams our town.
- The terrible murder of one of our most inventive citizens
- A flirty ghost that blows gently in your ear and peaks into the baby's crib
- The scandal that was so mournful that the deceased is buried in an unmarked grave
- Mysterious fires that ended with one of Murfreesboro's most shocking arrests
- The Conjure Doctor who attracted clients from all over the country
- The ghosts that roam Chowan University... Yes, there is more than one!..and more...
The Murfreesboro Historical Association is going to lift the veil and rattle all of the skeletons of our historic haunt. There will be eight stops throughout the historic district. Bring a flashlight and join in the fun of learning all about the ghosts, legends and lore of Historic Murfreesboro. You will hear first-hand accounts from our tour guides, some of whom have seen or heard strange, unexplained things with their own eyes and ears. All of our stories and legends come from local historical records and folklore that have been passed down through the generations. In other works, we didn't make any of this stuff up!
The tour will start n the parking lot behind the Elizabeth S Parker Memorial Library in Murfreesboro on Saturday, October 5th at 7 pm with staggered groups going on a walk through time in our historic district. Tickets are $20 for adults, and $10 for children under 12...however we do recommend parental guidance as some of the stories have a truly gruesome edge to them. Buy your tickets online on our website. https://murfreesboronc.org/shop

Do you know why some stories are absolutely terrifying? Because they are TRUE! How about
- The Riverboat captain who alerted the town to ghosts he had just seen at Riverside Cemetery
- A headless haint that searches the historic district for his lost head
- An AWOL Civil War soldier that still roams our town.
- The terrible murder of one of our most inventive citizens
- A flirty ghost that blows gently in your ear and peaks into the baby's crib
- The scandal that was so mournful that the deceased is buried in an unmarked grave
- Mysterious fires that ended with one of Murfreesboro's most shocking arrests
- The Conjure Doctor who attracted clients from all over the country
- The ghosts that roam Chowan University... Yes, there is more than one!..and more...
The Murfreesboro Historical Association is going to lift the veil and rattle all of the skeletons of our historic haunt. There will be eight stops throughout the historic district. Bring a flashlight and join in the fun of learning all about the ghosts, legends and lore of Historic Murfreesboro. You will hear first-hand accounts from our tour guides, some of whom have seen or heard strange, unexplained things with their own eyes and ears. All of our stories and legends come from local historical records and folklore that have been passed down through the generations. In other works, we didn't make any of this stuff up!

The tour will start n the parking lot behind the Elizabeth S Parker Memorial Library in Murfreesboro on Saturday, October 5th at 7 pm with staggered groups going on a walk through time in our historic district. Tickets are $20 for adults, and $10 for children under 12...however we do recommend parental guidance as some of the stories have a truly gruesome edge to them. Buy your tickets online on our website. https://murfreesboronc.org/shop

10/02/2023

So many ghosts... so little time! Actually, take all the time you need with the Triangle Area's most haunting ghosts, legends, and lore and the Built Story App. Download the free app and purchase one of the tours. You get access for 30 days to start, stop, or retake the tour as often as you want. Take a crowd of friends with you!

Why take our Ghost Tours using the Built Story App?
- turn-by-turn directions take you from location to location
- audio narration, text, and (coming soon) video of these haunted locations will tell you each chilling story
- unlike tours with "live" hosts, you can take the tour at your own pace anytime you want
- take as many friends with you as you want for one very low price
- at sites that are open to the public (like Duke Chapel, the Joel Lane House, Mordecai plantation, the N.C. Capitol Building, Cabelands Cemetery, etc.,) you can get the lowdown on the ghosts from us, and then actually go inside!
- see historical photographs associated with the sites, including a few pictures that are purported to be ghosts!!

https://app.builtstory.com/tours/details/unc-chapel-hill-most-terrifying-and-mysterious-haunts-and-legends

https://app.builtstory.com/tours/details/ghosts-spirits-and-haunts-of-raleigh

https://app.builtstory.com/tours/details/durhams-most-terrifying-and-mysterious-ghosts-murdrers-and-legends

09/29/2023

- Which Murfreesboro historical figure is said to have been buried with his dog, horse, and sword so he could hunt down the devil?
- Which house has a flirty ghost who blows gently in your ear?
- Where in our town is the spirit of a deserter Confederate soldier seen?
- Which house is haunted by the spirit of a shoemaker?
- Who was buried in a casket with a glass window pane to ensure that the he had not been buried alive?
- You may think you know the story of The Brown Lady of Chowan University, but do you know about the 5 other ghosts on campus?
- What terrifying sight did Captain Joe Hendicks see down at Riverside Cemetery in the middle of a dark night?

Solve the mysteries of Murfreesboro by taking our "Ghosts, Legends, and Lore" tour using your smartphone on the Built Story app. The app is free. The tour is $10, and you can take it as many times as you want for 30 days. See historical photographs and listen to the stories as your phone guides you from location to location. Click the link for more information, and download the Built Story app from the Apple store or Google Play.

[https://app.builtstory.com/tours/details/ghosts-legends-and-lore-of-historic-murfreesboro](https://app.builtstory.com/tours/details/ghosts-legends-and-lore-of-historic-murfreesboro)

12/16/2022

10/15/2022

It's a great weekend to take one of the MHA tours! Here is the backstory behind how they were created.

Q&A with Built Story tour creator Al Parker

10/11/2022

Check out Talk of the Triangle Podcast where Murfreesboro native, Al Parker, discusses ghost stories from North Carolina including Murfreesboro!

We are joined by Nelson Nauss, Al Parker, and Kara Leinfelder from the Ghost Guild, Inc. We talk about paranormal investigation of cultural and historical significance in the Triangle from a science-based approach.

09/20/2022

https://www.hendersonvillelightning.com/news/12019-new-ghost-tour-opens-in-downtown-hendersonville.html

Henderson County (Sep 19, 2022) - The owners of a new downtown ghost tour are counting on the interest both local residents and tourists have in searching the city’s streets for what haunts Hendersonville.

09/19/2022

The Dr. Walter Reed House was built circa 1850 and was named for the notable army physician who discovered the cure for Yellow Fever in the early 20th century. His name might sound familiar to some as he is the namesake for the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center as well as many other institutions.

Dr. Reed lived in this home at two different times during his boyhood when his father, Lemeul Sutton Reed, served as minister of the Murfreesboro United Methodist Church. He met and married a young lady who lived across the street, Miss Emily Blackwell Lawrence. The couple had three children, Emily Lawrence Reed (also known as Blossom,) Walter Lawrence Reed, and their adopted daughter Susie Reed.

Interested in investigating this location? Want to learn more about what these walls might hold?
The Murfreesboro Historical Association, Inc.. is offering you a chance to win a Murfreesboro investigation package. In addition to joining us on one of our Murfreesboro investigations, the package includes overnight accommodations at theLittle Lodge in Murfreesboro and dinner for two. This is a great opportunity and you’ll be playing a part in helping MHA’s preservation efforts. Enter to win at this link: https://tinyurl.com/mhagiveaway

Have experiences to share from this location? Tell us about them!
https://tinyurl.com/DrWalterReedSurvey

09/16/2022

The Ghost Guild Inc. created a very interesting post about Dr. Jim Jordan, the Conjure Doctor from Maney's Neck. You can win a paranormal investigation with The Ghost Guild Inc. . Raffle tickets are only $5, and proceeds go to support MHA. Visit our website at www.murfreesboronc.org for details!

Conjuring has had some popularity in the South. It shifted in communal understanding, combining its West Indies origins with European beliefs around witchcraft and herbalism.

Some believe that conjuring can do many things, like establish good or bad luck, tell the future, retrieve lost items, induce sickness or death, or heal those afflicted with ailments.

In a “Southern Workman and Hampton School Record" article dated 1895, Miss A. M. Bacon stated:

“When it is once decided that the sufferer from mysterious symptoms of any kind has been conjured, there remains no hope except through the conjure-doctor. They must be sent for at once, as delay is always dangerous and often fatal.

The conjure-doctor has five distinct services to render to his patient. They (1) tell the patient whether they are conjured or not, (2) they must find out who conjured them, (3) they must search for and find the 'trick' and destroy it, (4) they must cure the patient, (5) they will if the patient wishes turn back the trick upon the one who made it.”

As a general rule, before doing anything for the patient, conjure-doctors demanded a large fee. When business was slow, some were known to secure patients by telling them they have been or were about to be conjured, but a large retainer could prevent it.

There are some well known names of North Carolina practitioners of conjure; Joe Sorrell of Bertie County, Murphy Harshaw of Cherokee County, William Moore of New Hanover County, and William Anderson of Nash County.

None of the North Carolina practitioners were as well known as “Doctor” Jim Jordan of Hertford County. On the ConjureDoctors.com website, Denise M. Alvarado wrote, “He was successful in gaining the admiration of medical doctors, business and professional people, and law enforcement authorities. He also garnered an impeccable national reputation among conjure clientele as an honest man and powerful conjurer.”

The Murfreesboro Historical Association, Inc. has a fascinating exhibit on Jim Jordan, which includes the original crystal ball that he used in his conjure practice— some believe it gave him his healing power. The exhibit is located in the William Rea Museum, and it is one of the seven locations you can investigate as the winner of the Murfreesboro Investigation Package Giveaway.

We thought we'd share this short WRAL Tar Heel Traveler segment about the doctor. Link below.

WRAL TV Story: https://tinyurl.com/ConjureDoctor

09/12/2022

Built by the Murfree Family circa 1800, the Murfree-Smith Law Office was used by William Hardy Murfree and later W.N.H. Smith. It has also serviced as a post office, school, and its basement as a jail. Noteworthy features of this structure are its Flemish bond walls and original dentil work. Some original interior woodwork remains.

Thomas Parramore, Professor Emeritus of History at Meredith College, wrote in NCPedia.org - "William Hardy Murfree, attorney and congressman, was born at Murfree's Ferry (now Murfreesboro), the son of Hardy and Sally Brickell Murfree. He graduated from The University of North Carolina in 1801. After reading law for a year at Edenton, Murfree opened a law practice in Murfreesboro, where he was also a partner in a mercantile enterprise. Murfree entered politics in 1805, when he was a successful candidate for the state House of Commons. He served a second term after his reelection in 1812. In the latter year he also served as Democratic elector in the Edenton District for the Madison and Gerry ticket. In 1813 he was elected to the first of two terms in Congress.”

Interested in investigating this location? Want to learn more about what these walls might hold?

The Murfreesboro Historical Association, Inc. is offering you a chance to win a Murfreesboro investigation package. In addition to joining us on one of our Murfreesboro investigations, the package includes overnight accommodations at the Little Lodge in Murfreesboro and dinner for two. This is a great opportunity and you’ll be playing a part in helping MHA’s preservation efforts. Enter to win at this link: https://tinyurl.com/mhagiveaway

Have experiences to share at this location? Tell us about them!
https://tinyurl.com/MurfreeSmithSurvey

09/09/2022

Join the North Carolina Museum of History in an online video meeting to discover ghost stories from across North Carolina, and yes, Murfreesboro is going to be represented!

Buckle up as The Ghost Guild takes you on an otherworldly journey around North Carolina on roads less traveled.

08/26/2022

Dying to experience a paranormal investigation? Here’s your chance!

This fall, you could win the opportunity for you and a guest to join The Ghost Guild Inc.. on a paranormal investigation of one of seven properties owned by The Murfreesboro Historical Association, Inc., Inc.! You could experience a museum full of 18,000 objects, each with its own story, or spend an evening exploring the legacy of the Conjure Doctor. Even better, the prize includes dinner for two at a Murfreesboro restaurant and overnight accommodations. We’ll work with the winner to schedule an agreeable date for spring of 2023.

You’ll have the opportunity to learn techniques used by an experienced paranormal team as you join them on the night investigation. During the adventure, you’ll have a chance to dive into the history of the property and see what personal experiences you have!

We continue announcing a new location every Monday, but why wait? Enter today and help a great cause! https://tinyurl.com/mhagiveaway

Curious about a museum full of over 17,000 objects with stories? Interested in what the Conjure Doctor left behind? Dying to experience a paranormal investigation? Here’s your chance! You could win the opportunity for you and a guest to join The Ghost Guild on a paranormal investigation in Histori...

08/26/2022

Did you know that Historic Murfreesboro is one of the most haunted towns in America?

Experience the haunted stories, legends and lore of Historic Murfreesboro anytime you want with our Ghosts, Legends, and Lore of Murfreesboro, NC Tour. We've got 20 tales of terror, mystery, and unexplained happenings, and almost all of them are within easy walking distance of each other. Our tours feature current and historic photographs, text, and recorded narration to guide you through the mysterious and spooky history of Historic Murfreesboro.

- Download the free Built Story App from Apple or Google Play.
- Create and ID and password.
- Search for "Murfreesboro" and select our tour.
- Each tour is $10. You may access the tour as many times are you want for 30 days. Take as many people as you want with you.