Supernatural or paranormal events have long been a newsworthy topic, attracting the attention of believers and skeptics alike. It seems that when anything seemingly unexplainable happens, especially when mysterious circumstances like ghosts are involved, it isn't long before neighbors start talking, newspaper articles begin popping up, and soon enough the story has become something of a legend. Over the years, these stories become more and more embellished, and they are soon part of a community's lore. There are numerous fantastic examples of these supernatural tales, and following is an overview of three of the most well-known.

The Bell Witch - One of the most famous hauntings in America occurred in what is now Adams, Tennessee, on the land that was owned by John Bell in the early 1800s. The tale begins in 1817 when John, a farmer, was working in one of his cornfields and spotted a bizarre looking animal. The creature appeared to have a dog's body with a rabbit's head, and John wasted no time in trying to shoot the thing. After several shots, the animal simply vanished, and John returned to his home. That evening, a series of loud banging sounds began, as if something were beating on the outside of the home. John and his sons went to inspect the noises and found nothing amiss, but this was only the beginning of the bizarre and terrifying events that the family would suffer. Before long, the Bell children began experiencing strange sounds in their bedrooms, covers being yanked off them at night, and even painful pinching and slapping. Betsy Bell was the main recipient of these unwelcome events, but the whole family was being traumatized as well. Faint whispers, laughing, and crying sounds were also occurring, and soon John Bell was forced to tell his close friend and neighbor about the strange happenings. News of the haunting began to spread, and people as far away as Nashville began to take interest in what had begun to be called The Bell Witch. As the years passed, the entity's antics did not cease; rather, they became more frequent and severe. Betsy continued to endure the physical abuse of the Witch, and it wasn't until John Bell's death in December 1820 that the events apparently began to die down. Bell family descendants have reported the return of the spirit on a few occasions, and to this day, people in the area claim mysterious things still go on around the old Bell place.

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