Case file · Haunting
Hales Bar Dam
A leaky hydroelectric dam on the Tennessee River below Chattanooga, finished in 1913 and replaced by Nickajack Dam in the 1960s. Its surviving powerhouse is sold as one of the most haunted sites in the South.
1913 CE · 35.05, -85.54 · status: legend
The account
Legend says Dragging Canoe cursed the land when it was sold under the 1775 Sycamore Shoals treaty. Workers died during construction and the area had a whirlpool feared by river men.
The sceptical view
The curse is a modern addition; the hauntings come from ghost-tour operators and TV shows.