Is there ever a time when we are seeing an angel or a spirit rather than a flesh-and-blood human? In a time of need, have you ever had someone render assistance? Later on, did you justify that timely intervention with words or phrases that ranged from lucky break or timely coincidence to mystifying to miracle? I strongly suspect that some of us would discover that, in actuality, we “have entertained angels unawares.”
There are nine main rumors and facts about the Tennessee Bell Witch, a poltergeist who haunted the family of John and Lucy Bell from 1817 to 1821. Which rumors are based on fact? Which rumors are actually fiction?
Many Tales About Lucy Bell from My Past 8th-Grade Creative Writing & Research Class
In 2002, I conducted a 10-week Creative Writing & Research Class. Our primary focus was the Tennessee Bell Witch, the poltergeist who haunted the Bell family from 1817- 1821. This is a compilation of what my 8th-Grade students wrote about Lucy Bell.
Many Tales About John Black from My Past 8th-Grade Creative Writing & Research Class
In 2002, I conducted a 10-week Creative Writing & Research Class. Our primary focus was the Tennessee Bell Witch, the poltergeist who haunted the Bell family from 1817- 1821. This is a compilation of what my 8th-Grade students wrote about John Black.
Many Tales About John Bell from My Past 8th-Grade Creative Writing & Research Class
In 2002, I conducted a 10-week Creative Writing & Research Class. Our primary focus was the Tennessee Bell Witch, the poltergeist who haunted the Bell family from 1817- 1821. This is a compilation of what my 8th-Grade students wrote about John Bell.
Daniel found himself driving toward a stranger's house and knocking on a wide-open door at 2:00 a.m. until a woman comes down the stairs. She demands, "What is our door doing open?" He didn't know. He also didn't understand what he was doing there.
Click on GHOSTS & POLTERGEISTS to read the rest of the story called “Divine Home Security System.”
Back in 1817, when the story begins, Betsy's father owned about 1000 acres in Robertson County, Tennessee, 40 miles north of Nashville. Betsy was quite young when strange things began to happen to her family. Betsy will tell what happened.
There are nine main rumors and facts about the TennesseeBell Witch, a poltergeist who haunted the family of John and Lucy Bell from 1817 to 1821.
Here are the details about Rumor #1 of 9:
For those of you who are not familiar with the Tennessee Bell Witch, the family of John and Lucy Bell was haunted by a poltergeist from 1817 to 1821. Once the family revealed to relatives and friends the details of the haunting, no less than four people and sometimes as many as 50 people would crowd into the Bell house to witness the nightly haunting (1818 to 1821). Andrew Jackson himself was reported to have had a run-in with the poltergeist that many people either called Kate (with a K) or the Bell Witch.
Unfortunately, many people pointed the finger of blame at an innocent neighbor by the name of Cate (with a C) Williams Batts, often called Kate. They either accused her of being the poltergeist who was doing the haunting, even though she was a living woman at the time, or they accused her of somehow engineering the haunting.
Where did the term "Bell Witch" come from? At first they called this entity a spirit. They did not seem to know the term poltergeist; however, that is truly what this entity was - a noisy ghost. When the level of mischievousness increased, they took to calling the entity who was haunting the BELL family a WITCH or the BELL WITCH. Read my book entitled “The Bell Witch Unveiled At Last! The True Story Of A Poltergeist” written under my pen name of DJ Lyons to hear the true story of how many people gravitated to calling this poltergeist by the name of Kate (with a K).
DJ Lyons (pen name for Debbie Dunn) has been a professional storyteller since 1989, traveling the USA telling stories and teaching storytelling. Her repertoire includes ghost stories, a one-woman theater piece called The Bell Witch Unveiled, International & Appalachian folk tales, Inspirational, Conflict Resolution, and Original Stories for all ages. In March of 2008, her first novel was published entitled “The Bell Witch Unveiled At Last! The True Story Of A Poltergeist.” For more information about this book, go to http://www.bellwitchunveiled.com. Her second novel was published in December of 2009. It is called “White Reindeer, Kudzu Monster, & Other Tales of Wonder.” For more information about this boo, go to http://askdjlyons.com. DJ Lyons aka Debbie Dunn is available for book signings and storytelling gigs and workshops. Rates and travel expenses are negotiable. E-mail DJ Lyons at askdjlyons@yahoo.com to discuss a storytelling or workshop booking and with your comments, questions, and concerns.
