The quaint community of Harriman, Tennessee in Roane County is like something straight out of another century. The Victorian architecture found throughout the Cornstalk Heights part of the historic section of the town is evidence that it was once a prosperous and thriving area. Economical and industrial development erupted into overnight growth of the town bringing in people from all backgrounds and status. The wealthy quickly purchased parcels of land to build Queen-Anne style mansions and the poor but skilled laborers sought out employment at one of the many mills located along the river. The town flourished up until 1929 when the Emory River flood annihilated most of the city’s industrial area. Today much of the town has been reduced to a handful of citizens and the remaining ghosts that lurk and linger from a past that was once full and vibrant. Cornstalk Heights is one of those areas that is haunted by these ghosts that still remain a part of the history and the buildings that have stood the test of time.
The Temperance Building on Roane Street, located just two blocks from the noticeably haunted area of Cumberland and Clinton Streets in Cornstalk Heights has in the last several years been reported as being haunted also. When walking through the historic district many people have claimed that angry faced male manifestations suddenly appear and reach out as though they are going to touch you and then they simply vanish. In fact it has been reported that the very touchy-feely type of dark and angry entities that possibly once harbored a more evenly tempered softer side found in most human souls is believed to be what lies behind the brazen ghosts found at the Temperance Building. Why some of these ghosts feel the need to reach out and touch live entities is anyone’s guess. The 121 year old building is a former jail filled with many different entities that have been known to openly reach out and let you know that they are seeking your attention. The full-bodied apparitions lurking within the building have been randomly caught on video at different times and most of the spirits enjoy conversation.
The council members of the city of Harriman have stated that they would like to see a spike in tourism and are even allowing the Ghost Hunters of Southern Tennessee, fondly known as G.H.O.S.T.S., to post a video on their online Paranormal Network with the results of the evening spent with the ghosts at the haunted Temperance Building. The paranormal group was completely able to establish that ghosts do exist throughout the building, and this could prove to be profitable to the old Temperance Building in that a set fee would eventually be charged for ghost tours with half of the profits going to a fund to completely restore the large antique red-brick building. Built in 1891, the structure is currently home to a museum with a few offices for local state lawmakers.
Equipment used to pick up on paranormal activity was brought into the building and caught an apparition hovering in the basement area. The icy cold air was thick with the promise of paranormal activity that included over 50 different voices being caught on the EVP equipment. One of the voices came directly from the spirit of a murderer who openly confessed to the investigators and the group concluded that the manifestations are purely mischievous, angry entities that live on from the energy from live spirits and from electromagnetic fields from electricity in buildings. Anyone entering the building is immediately drawn to the fact that something is amiss and the feeling of being watched never really leaves. Many visitors, past employees and hired help claim to have had the sensation of being touched by unseen icy fingers that simply makes your skin crawl by the mere thought of who or what it could be.
Many colorful characters have graced the halls of the Temperance Building, which serves as city hall, but has had everyone from bootleggers to prisoners residing within its very haunted perimeter. Tales of ghosts have been rumored for many decades as the town’s people have witnessed apparitions staring at them from one of the many windows embellishing the historic building. Slamming doors, heavy boots pacing the floor, strange voices and echoed walking are often detected by the occasional workaholic straggler or cleaning personnel while working late at night when nobody else should be inside of the upper part of the building.
Late at night when most of the town has settled down for the evening an unsettling blackness looms within the interior of the Temperance Building and the atmosphere is noticed by unsuspecting employees to be turbulent at best. This is one of those moments that you just know that the possibility of seeing a ghost standing right next to you is more than likely. The town of Harriman was named after Union General Walter Harriman, a New Hampshire mayor who camped out in the steel producing town during the war. Later Clinton Fisk became part of the building’s history when he founded Fisk University.
Many people have speculated that the ghosts roaming the halls are councilmen Fisk and General Harriman, along with quite a few Civil War soldiers still thought to be guarding the area, along with a few other unsavory entities, even though no identity of the ghosts has ever been established. Many visitors to the Temperance Building have witnessed male apparitions in Civil War attire that vanish when approached and many visitors have experienced the sensation of goose-bumps to the more extreme measures that involve the desire to quickly get fresh air or even to the extent of vomiting. This often occurs in the basement area and several of the offices located in the building.
Many less sensitive souls report feeling absolutely nothing at all during the appearance of a manifestation of a spirit while strong paranormal activity typically demands attention that can affect a person’s physical, mental or emotional state of being; inadvertently playing with one’s intelligence level which lends to toy with your belief system that plays out how you will handle a paranormal situation. The overwhelming feeling to run away from the situation is perfectly normal, however when a dead spirit reaches out and touches you, there is generally a reason for it. It is now your job to find out why if you dare.
Anyone who so desires to explore the paranormal activity found within the Temperance Building at 330 Roane Street, Harriman, Tennessee is openly welcome to do so. Visit http://www.cityofharriman.org/area_attractions/index.htm for more information.
Harriman Annual Ghost Tours, October 12-13 2012. Location: 330 Roane Street, Harriman, Tennessee
The ghost tour features a guided walking ghost tour through the Cornstalk Heights Historic District that includes the haunted Harriman Temperance Building. The annual ghost tour is held annually during the 2nd weekend in October.
Cost: $10.00 per person. Event tickets can be purchased by PayPal one month in advance at www.cornstalkheights.com. Time: Starting at 7:00 p.m. with 15 minute intervals between each tour group.
Sources:
http://www.roanetourism.com/events/show/95
http://www.ghosthuntersofsoutherntennesseelawrenceburg.webs.com/
http://www.johnnorrisbrown.com/paranormal-tn/temperance/index.htm
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/15/us-ghosts-tennessee-idUSTRE80E0GI20120115
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/jan/07/ghost-hunters-eye-harrimans-temperance-building/
http://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20120108/NEWS01/120108002/Ghost-hunters-eye-historic-Temperance-Building-Harriman