The City of Adams is hosting its first Fall Fest, celebrating the town’s spooky history with the Bell Witch, along with everything fall, fun and spooky.
The Bell Witch
Starting in 1817, Adams was the site of one of the most well-known hauntings in American history. It was so well known that it eventually caught the attention – and then the involvement – of a future president of the United States, Andrew Jackson.
Known as the Bell Witch, the strange and often violent poltergeist provoked fear and curiosity in the small farming community, and the haunting has remained unexplained for nearly 200 years.
Like most such stories, certain details vary from version to version. But the prevailing account is that it was the spirit of, or a spirit conjured by, Kate Batts, a neighbor of farmer John Bell. She believed she was cheated by him in a land purchase, and, on her deathbed, she swore that she would haunt Bell and his descendants.
The torment of the Bell house continued for years, culminating in the ghost’s ultimate act of vengeance: She took responsibility for John Bell’s death.
The Adams Fall Fest
Two-day festival will be Friday, Oct. 29, to Saturday, Oct. 30, at the Bell School and Omer Gene Brooksher Pavilion. This is a family-friendly festival with music, food trucks, a pumpkin patch and trunk-or-treating. Everyone is welcome.
Here’s the schedule:
Friday, Oct. 29
- 4-7 p.m.: Live music and line dancing
- 6 p.m. (sunset): Telling of the Bell Witch story
- 7 p.m.: Tractor pull
Saturday, Oct. 30
- Noon-7 p.m.: Face painting
- 4-7 p.m.: Live music
- 5 p.m.: Great Art Show awards
- 5-9 p.m.: Trunk-or-Treat
- 6 p.m.: Costume competition
- 6 p.m. (sunset): Telling of the Bell Witch story
- 6:30 p.m.: Silent auction and raffle ends
Admission is free, and donations are encouraged. Donations will help fund future community events.
