“On a scale of ladybug to Texas Chainsaw Massacre, how scared am I about to be?”
Taylor Smith, a junior in pre-medical concentration, nervously fired off questions as the haunted lantern tour began and the anticipation grew. The group pulled out its flashlights and gave its full attention as the sun set rapidly over the quarry of Ijams Nature Center.
Last week marked the beginning of Ijams Nature Center’s fourth annual “Haunted Lantern Tour.” The event welcomes locals who are ready for some spooky fun and offers an hour-long tour through the woods around Ijams Quarry, providing both scares and Knoxville history.
Throughout the trail there are stops to hear of eerie tales involving the local area. Sabrina Devault, trail guide, started off with a few tales that involved figures reported to still roam the area, including “Railroad Jack.” The guide of the tour warned the group of Jack being seen still haunting the tracks that cross the trail.
Next on the tour was the tale of a gypsy caravan that came to Knoxville in the 1860s. After a prized white mule became ill and died, the gypsies put a curse on Knoxville, claiming the city was the reason they lost their mule. The curse has is blamed for the mysterious fires that have occurred around the Knoxville area, including the 1897 million-dollar fire on the 400 Block of Gay Street. It was said there was a white mule spotted leaving the scene of the fire pulling a caravan. The same mule has been spotted leaving three other historic Knoxville fires.
The trail concluded with the true story of the “Torso Murder” that happened in the ’80s. Devault described the tale of a “love triangle gone bad” that later morphed into the novel “The Jigsaw Man.” The trail ended just yards away from where the torso of the victim in the murder was found.
Are the stories real? Devault explains that all the stories have an element of truth.
“This area does have a history, after the mining of the quarry stopped, of a diabolical history,” Devault said.
The haunted lantern tours also serve as a nonprofit operation. Manned by volunteers, all of the proceeds from tours go to Ijam’s education department, which sets up field trips for students to come to the nature center.
Smith was excited to learn about some of her hometown’s ghost stories.
“You never really think about the creepy things that happen in your own city,” Smith said, “until you’re on a haunted lantern tour in the middle of the woods. Then it is all you can think about.”
Being easily spooked, Smith also enjoyed the minimal scares along the trail. Although hidden characters occasionally jumped out for a fright, the hike consisted of mainly ghost stories.
“It was nice to find a Halloween festivity that kept it PG – 13 for us that are screamers,” Taylor said.
If you missed out on the first outing, Ijams has two more lantern tours next Tuesday and Wednesday. Be sure to call ahead for your tickets so they can ensure your spot for a “spook-tacular good time.”
