Get your spooks on in Memphis
From the Victorian Elmwood Cemetery to haunted brothels and theaters, the home of blues, soul and rock 'n' roll contains spirits who refuse to leave.
I’ve often wondered why people equate cemeteries with hauntings. I can understand a person crossing over who wishes to remain in a house that they loved or a theater where they performed. But a dark creepy cemetery? Surely not.
Is it because the physical dead exist beneath the earth? Or is it those creepy tombstones covered by cedar trees (read on to find out more on the cedar reference), often shrouded in mist on cold winter nights.
I’ve written more ghost stories than I can count, plus “Haunted Lafayette, Louisiana” by The History Press which relates some of the best ghost stories of Cajun Country. And then there’s my Viola Valentine paranormal mystery series under my pen name of Cherie Claire.
However, I still puzzle over the cemeteries. Are they really haunted?
Over in Memphis, many believe that the massive 80-acred Elmwood Cemetery just might be. If it is, may we have some tunes, please!
The historic cemetery dates to 1852 and is on the National Register of Historic Places so be sure to visit this impressive site anytime to view Victorian-era monuments, elaborate tombstones and burials of both free people and enslaved, local and international residents, victims of crime, wars and a horrific yellow fever epidemic of the late 19th century.
Sure sounds like some of those peeps may still be around.
Some of the famous people buried here include Robert Church, the South’s first black millionaire; suffragette Lide Smith Meriwether, who founded suffragette chapters throughout Tennessee; Marion Scutter Griffin, Tennessee’s first licensed female attorney and Civil Rights leaders the Rev. Dr. Benjamin Hooks and Maxine Smith. For those tunes we mentioned, look for the town’s many music makers among the 80,000 graves who have lived and died in Memphis. No, Elvis isn't buried here—you can find his resting place at nearby Graceland.
“Elmwood has always been open to all people from all walks of life,” Kimberly Bearden, executive director of Elmwood, told me when I interviewed her in 2023. “So, it’s been open to the richest and the poorest. It represents the whole history of the city. I think that Elmwood is absolutely a perfect patchwork quilt of our history.”
Elmwood includes 1,400 gorgeous trees, 13 private mausoleums and unique Victorian cradles that resemble tiny bathtubs that volunteers have adopted as specialty gardens.
Events abound at Elmwood, including Shakespeare and musical performances, tram tours, mausoleum tours, the costumed Soul of the City Tour, and, of course, a Spirits with Shadow of the Past on Halloween. Click here to view more events (and there are plenty).
If you visit Memphis looking for more haunts
The Orpheum Theatre is said to be haunted by the ghost of a 12-year-old girl named Mary who likes to join audiences at performances. Cast members, crews and guests have reported seeing the young girl in attendance.
Enjoy spirits of a different kind—the liquid kind—at Earnestine and Hazel’s, which used to be a working brothel. Spirits of the living are said to haunt this establishment, as well, who may linger to enjoy the live music. Earnestine and Hazel's was named the fourth most haunted spot in America by Yelp in 2021.
The music city sits on the Mississippi River and owns loads of unique history. Tennessee tourism recommends the Memphis Ghost Tour, which points out the eerie legends at some of the city’s oldest sites, including the South Main Arts District they label a notoriously haunted neighborhood.
Want more?
About an hour’s drive from Memphis is the site of one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. Visitors to Shiloh National Military Park have experiencing apparitions, phantom gunshots, drums, footsteps and voices associated with the thousands who died there. When we toured the cemetry, we picked up soldier-related words on our ghost app. Hike the grounds of Shiloh National Military Park, follow trails that lead you to monuments or take the self-guided driving tour.
Want a haunt with that catfish? Stop for a bite at the nearby Hagy’s Catfish Hotel, which also features the haunting legend of Elmo, a 19th-century steamboat crewmember who drowned in the Tennessee River and was recovered at what is now the restaurant’s parking lot. Elmo was buried in a makeshift grave on the property.
Did you know?
Memphis anchors southwest Tennessee, marked by bluffs that rise from the Mississippi River. Founders named the town after the ancient Egyptian city of Memphis, which sat along the Nile River.
Weird, Wacky & Wild South is written by travel writer Cheré Dastugue Coen who always loves a great ghost story. She is the author of "Haunted Lafayette, Louisiana" by The History Press and the Viola Valentine paranormal mystery series which has its share of Southern ghost stories.
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