A Great American Haunting: Dark Hollow Cemetery
69Dark Hollow Cemetery
The Dark Hollow Mistress
This is a little piece of East Tennessee folklore. No one can say whether or not these events happened, but every legend starts with a piece of truth.
Located in Roan Mountain, Tennessee, just west of Asheville, NC, lies the Dark Hollow Cemetery. For years many people have reported seeing, hearing, and feeling a presence late at night. Could it be the ghost of Delinda trying to evade an angry mob or is it something else?
Legend states that in the early 1900's a woman by the name of Delinda had several affairs with married men across the area. She wasn't really an attractive woman, but that didn't stop the men from coming around. Delinda fell very ill, as did her gentlemen callers, and a local pastor told the wives of these men that this had to stop. The wives took matters into their own hands and formed a mob and were heading to Delinda's home to possibly hurt her, if not worse, but Delinda escaped without harm while the angry wives felt that they had scared her enough to cause her to not come around again. Oddly enough that was the last time anyone seen her alive. Another odd piece of the legend is that her favorite lover, a married man named Janken's, was murdered with a gun shot wound to the chest.
Was this an angry wife taking her aggression out on her husband, suicide, or possibly Delinda sending a message to the wives that it was a mistake to show up at her home? No one will never really know as there are holes that cannot be filled without anyone from the area really willing to open up about the stories that they heard growing up.
It is said that Delinda's home was tore down and became what is Dark Hollow Cemetary today. This would make sense considering many people have reported seeing someone running through the cemetery in a hurry and disappearing before they reach the wooded area behind the cemetery. Is this Delinda making her escape? Perhaps. One young couple was walking home one night after their car broke down on Dark Hollow Road. As they walked past the cemetary they both heard fast and heavy footsteps and the woman felt something brush against her shoulder as the footsteps faded into the night.
This is the most common story and most consistent that I've heard. Although I've heard many variations of the story over the last decade, one almost being along the lines of Bloody Mary. Which story could possibly be true? I guess nobody will ever know. This story is on my list to further investigate and I will post updates once I find something.
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Thank you Veronica! Not one of my best efforts, but it's difficult to come up with a decent story when you have to dig through so many different versions. I litterally have seven different stories about this legend and they all kind of led me in a circle scratching my head. I promise to do the foot work myself and try to research it deeper. There's a 94 year old woman in the area that agreed to be interviewed. She says her father was one of the men that visited Delinda often. Hopefully I can find out the story behind the legend for you and anyone else who reads this series.
Makes one wonder though...she may be searching for her true love.. trying to prove herself...not knowing what happened to him..oh dear...thanks for the interesting story will look for the next one...G-Ma :o) hugs
Just letting you know, her name was not Delinda, it was Victoria Carter, she was blonde haired, beautiful, and blue eyed. My grandfather and uncle knew her very well. It was a large group of the Roan Mountain women that led to her demise. Victoria was killed, tarred and feathered, and stuffed in a hollow tree on that cemetary. Several days later after fearing that the police would locate the body, the same women trekked back and moved her body to the boards under a church located in the area. The basement doors and windows were bricked/rocked up. I personally believe that is where her body is still located. There are some still alive that can be questioned, but may not have had direct involvement and they would never admit to everything that happened or relinquish the direct people involved. This community is close knit, they fight amongst each other, but when backed against a wall, they will become clannish and fight for each other.
Victoria was "supposedly" having affairs, she had taken up odd jobs in the women's homes and their husbands found her attractive. Her virtue became questioned when the men came up with VD "sexually transmitted diseases."
Hello Dvargas, thanks for the comment and shedding new light on the investigation. Although the hundreds of stories that have been told to me have referred to her as Delinda and that she was very unattractive could be a small cover up made by the angry wives to erase her from the history books. Thanks again for the information as it gives me another direction to go in to find answers. If she is buried inside a church, I now believe it to be St Thomas Apiscople church, considering a blond haired aparition wandering around the church on occasion.
You're welcome for the info. My grandfather was born in 1912 and from what I can piece together, he said he was a boy of about 12 - 14 when he first saw Victoria. She came to Roan Mountain on the back of a wagon and never mentioned where she came from or her family. My grandfather said that she was extremely beautiful, her hair was silvery blonde, and she had bright blue eyes. He said she had good clothing, like she came from a wealthy family. He said she was young, probably about 17 - 18. He said his older brother liked her very much, he was about 16 at the time, but she wouldn't show him the time of day.
There was a police investigation about her disappearance, lives were threatened, people were hushed. Most of the people that were directly involved are probably dead by now, but their children may know what happened or who ultimately planned her murder. They had considered her a witch of some sort. The police department (I'm assuming Carter County) had relatives of the people in that area. I'm sure if you could research the courthouse as that is public record in the 30's you will probably find some record on her, how much I wouldn't know, but there has to be something. I've pondered it myself.
You might want to look up a group called the Seven Devils as well. Again, I had family involved in that altercation as well. I guess we were a stubborn group of people. I long ago left Roan Mountain and moved to Washington DC for a while and just recently moved back to Jonesborough, the cultural affluences did me some good.
Happy information hunting!
Great Job on the story ,I have been to this Cemetary a few times with friends ,we have seen a women running across the graveyard ,a ghost dog and a small child playing,the last time we went we didn't see anything but when I checked the video there was a strange sound almost like the ticking of a clock.
Do you know the exact day she died..?? I'm doing research for school and need some informatin on when she died and what year?
I am recently doing research on Victoria Carter.. I spoke to someone from Roan Mountain whos family was familiar with Victoria. I was told she was indeed Blonde Hair, Blue eyed and very pretty. I was told she came from Virginia and settled in Roan Montain after the deaths of her parents... It is said that she was invited to a party at a house on dark hollow below the cemetary were a bunch of jeaolous girls had invited her... That night she was the guest of honor because she was tarred, feathered and barried some were behind cemetary.. I recently visited the house were the murder took place.. I gathered multiple EVPs..saying Help me! Help me get out of here. In a womens voice.. I also got a males voice on evp at the barn above the house saying take the girl back!!!! I am doing this research because I feel Victoria is not at peace... Spirits need the proper barrial to be at peace... Lets help Victoria get that..
Lexy I am part of a group in Roan Mountain that is currently investigating Victoria’s Death. Our interest was spiked when it seemed some of our family members knew a little too much. This has been one of our on going projects. If you would like more information you can contact me at SgrCole@aol.com.
I have grown up hearing this story.I was always told my great grandmother was walking to school the day after the incident.The school children found bundles of switches and hair combs next to the cemetary.Also the cemetary was there when the incident occured.The church where he body is supposed to be is off of Sugar Hollow Rd.Trust me on this,I have been studying this story since elementary school,getting answers is tough.The locals that were alive during the time will only answer so much,then they get very agitated and won't reveal anything else.I have also heard of people being threatned for looking into.Btw help Victoria ,I would love to join your group,I will send you a email.My email is pooh_18_1977@yahoo.com
my 15 year old has to write on a local "ghost" tale and I remembered the dark hollow story I heard in high school. I had several friends from there and one night we drove up dark hollow and I actually heard someone jump on the back of the car. this is supposedly something this poor girl does. I was wondering if anyone else had reported this experience.
I,ve lived in Roan Mtn my whole life and i've also heard that she was very beautiful and that all the women were jealous of her.Alot of people say she was tarred and featherd at least thats what i,ve always heard and yes i have heard of her jumping on peoples cars as they passed by there.My great uncle said that one night he.my great aunt,and thier 2 girls were passing by there and she jumped on thier car.She would hang on to the bumper or get on top of the car,but it would only last for a minute and she would be gone.So after she stopped my uncle got out to look but did'nt see a thing,but you could see what looked like someone had been jumping on the roof because there were dents on top of his car.I believe Victoria Carter is real,but i've never seen her myself.
my dad is from roan mountain tn.my grandmother lived there and i stayed with her some when i was a boy.i never heard of dark hollow till recently.on saturday may 15th 2010 i went to tn. for a visit.i went to a childhood friend of mine.we decided to go visit the cemetery saturday night.we took pictures.we got to my friends house uploaded the pics on his computer.some of the pics had orbs.we blowed them up so we could see closeups and some of the orbs have faces looking at us.blows my mind!now im a true believer in ghosts.
I have lived on Dark Hollow Road my entire life and honestly what you have is "Somewhat" the truth but the story goes (because those involved are now dead an buried (a couple of which are in the Birchfield Cemetary) the one in the picture. Her name was Victoria Carter. She was a prostitute who came to this area on Tweetsie. She being a woman of the night had what women in this area & time called the "bad woman's disease" which my grandmother told me was nothing more than the clap.
Ms. Carter was invited to Sugar Hollow by the wifes of the husbans she'd slept with under the ruse of a "corn shucking" as an attempt to shed her "bad" name. The husbands under the instuctions of their wives followed her because at the time Dark hollow was nothing more than a foot path to the next road. When she got about half way across they ambushed her. There deep in the woods she was tarred & feathed & burned alive. The legend goes that her ghost still haunts this road..which is absured. I live in the mobile home directly adjacent from the cemetary and there has been no "other worldly" in my home. I welcome anyone who wants to visit the cemetary for themselves to stop by my house and i'll take them over and show them a couple of the folks who were said to be involved in this' graves. or if you like you can contact me via mail or email
Khristina Hicks Cardwell
196 Dark Hollow Road
Roan Mountain TN 37687
khristinac@hotmail.com
I lived in Roan Mountain off of Hampton Creek Road in a two story white house when I was a small child. We had a large family and several of the children, including myself saw a lady who had long dark hair and was very beautiful, she was dressed sort of like a gypsy. Only children saw her and I saw her inside the house myself. The house also had some other haunts such as someone walking up the stairs with what sounded like a cane and it also had a door that would not stayed closed even when it was completely changed. Does anyone know anything about this house?
there are so many versions to this legend i have heard the mall. and khristina hicks cardwell is right about the name her name was victoria carter. not delinda. i live in roan mountain my self and have been on dark hollow and in the cemetery.
I've been to this cemetery to survey it a few times. I have never come across anything paranormal but this could be because I was only there in the daytime. I'm going to go up there at night sometime soon.
i be with evrything me that there are resless spirits among the living.ive seen and heard thins i cant explainfrom living in a haunted house to hearing strange things in the woods deer hunting.ive seen full appritions in the old house.the up stairs was the worst.when a 200 pound chest of drawers fall over sitting on a level floor to feel like you are being watched the whole time you were upstairs.we lived in that house for over 10 years.i have talked to people who have lived there since,and they say that they to have had the same things happen to them.one said he refused to go up stairs for anything.about a year ago i went back to the old house and decided to go upstairs one more time and it was during the summer but it was alt colder upstairs than it should have been so that was clue to leave and not go back!!!!
I personally have never had an encounter with a ghost. I've had some "strange" things happen before, but I wouldn't write them off as being paranormal. I'm always confident that something can be explained. Khristina is right, her name was Victoria Carter, Vicky for short. I think all of the original members responsible for Vicky's death are now dead as well. Their children and grandchildren are probably ashamed of what happened and would rather not tell the truth, even if they know it. I know when I questioned some of the original suspects involved, I was met with anger, threatened, and I left it at that. To be honest, 99% of what was said about Victoria's philandering ways could be completely untrue because of the way Southern people like to create drama. Once they get so wrapped up in this drama, someone always gets blamed and if embarrassing enough and with enough prompting a mob could ensue. I personally believe that her death should have came to light. I think people should have been named, there could be no harm in it now. Those people are dead, but it could give closure to the poor woman. She was switched, beaten, tarred, feathered, possibly hit with a fence post or club, then dragged to a hollowed stump large enough to stuff her body in, left there for several days, when there was an investigation into her death her body was moved under the floor boards of a church, any openings were rocked up to the basement of the church and her body was left there. The church that I think it is definitely has what appeared to be a door and windows in the basement that have been rocked up. But, who is going to tear a church apart to find the evidence? Also, there are still people that know the absolute truth about her, because that body is still there, including the members of said church, seems a pretty unchurch like thing to do. I still say someone needs to blow this case wide open!
THERE ARE TWO GRAVEYARDS ON THIS STREET. One is the Birchfield Cem. And the other is the Gibbs Cem. I knew people who had known her. My grandmother talked about how beautiful she was and told me story of her life as follows. She came west from somewhere with her friend Carrie who ended up married. She had given some men the "bad disease" wich was really VD and had no cure at that time. People of Sugar Hollow Road and Hampton Creek Roan were angry and decided to kill her. They invited her to a party, along with her friend Carrie and Carrie's husband over on Hampton Creek knowing she would take the trail through Dark Hollow for a short cut. They were riding a wagon when a mob of woman and men surrounded them and drug her from the wagon. As this was happening, Carrie escaped and Vicky shouted, "Little Carrie, Don't leave me! I would not leave you!" They killed her and no one would tell what was done with her body. From that moment on, it was said that one could hear screams and she would jump on the backs of people's horses when it was just a trail and would jump onto cars once the road was built.
Everyone at school said she was feathered.
My great aunt claimed to have dated a guy who had admitted to her he had killed Vicky. (She would be 106 if she had lived, and he died long before she had.) Her stroy went like this: "We had done all we could and she still was not dead. I then decided to pick up a fence post and kill the b--- and get it over with." I fear my great grandparents may have been involved as well. I know a few of the names of some said to have been involved but will not give those names because I do not want wish to bring disgrace to their families. (None of those involved would be living today.)
Dark Hollow Road isn't so dark any more. Most of the trees have been cut and homes have been put in there. Those graveyards were there long before she was killed. My grandfather said he heard the screams and went looking for the source and found two trees rubbing together as the wind blew. I have been through there at various times of day and night and have seen and heard nothing. If she was buried under a church it would be Sugar Hollow Freewill Baptist on Sugar Hollow Road or Grays Chapel Presbyterian but I don't think either church existed at that time.
Veronica Bright 3 years ago
Excellent! I love these stories!