Wheatland Plantation House
Case 20130216: Wheatlands Plantation
Location:
Background:
The host location is an 1820 Federal Style Plantation Home that has seen over 70 murders and deaths in the house itself. The plantation also holds a Burial Mound with the bodies of 27 Natives that were massacred before the Revolutionary War along with over 50 African Slave Grave Sites. It is a Revolutionary War Battle Site, a Civil War Headquarter and encampment and sits along an Indian Trail. The house, built by a Freemason was purposely constructed on top of a giant geode.
Wheatlands, named after its large annual wheat crop, was established as a family farm by Revolutionary War veteran Timothy Chandler in the 1790s. Chandler's son, John Chandler (1786–1875), inherited Wheatlands in 1819, and under his direction the plantation grew to become one of Sevier County's largest farms, covering 3,700 acres (1,500 ha) by 1850. Chandler's freed slaves inherited part of Wheatlands in 1875, and formed the Chandler Gap community in the hills south of the plantation
Legend Has It: Many sightings have been seen at this plantation house over the years. LIttle slave children have been seen running around on the grounds. A little blond girl in a blue dress has been seen within the house running up and down the stairs to name a few. Shadows and objects have been reported to move in the barn and gravesite areas as well.
Taken from Nashville Ghosts.com:
The plantation has witnessed a whopping 70 murders and deaths within its walls. Most of these murders have extensive reports backing them, which lends credit to the home’s gruesome history. The grounds were even battlegrounds during the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. An estimated 28 Cherokee people were massacred in the Battle of Boyd’s Creek, who are now buried in a mass grave behind the home itself. Fifty slave gravesites are also located on the property. When visitors walk into the parlor, they are greeted by the bloodstains on the floorboards from a father slain by his son, which has caused one of the most famous hauntings at Wheatlands. Visitors to the home report hearing the yells of a man, thuds, and then a sickening gurgling noise. It’s almost as if the murder is being played over and over again throughout history for all who are there to listen. Deceased members of the Chandler family are also said to linger here in the gorgeous home’s hallways and surrounding gardens. Many sightings of these forlorn spirits have been reported over the years. Spirits of slave children have been witnessed running about, playing on the grounds, even playing hide and seek with visitors who catch a glimpse of them. An apparition of a young girl in a blue dress has also been seen within the house, running up and down the stairs. Shadows and objects have been moved without explanation, and the gravesite areas are active with disembodied voices.
One account from an anonymous visitor to Wheatlands truly sums up the energies that reside within the home. This visitor arrived at Wheatlands in the autumn with her young children in tow. She wanted to provide them with a lesson on their vacation to Dollywood and remind them that history isn’t always positive. On their way throughout the home, her son started to mention how scared he was feeling. Not knowing the property’s past yet, she wondered what could be making him feel this way. Once they exited the home itself, the fear took him entirely over, and he felt as though he was going to faint. With not a drop of sweat on his body and the temperature of the day just under 70 degrees, he passed out with all heat stroke symptoms. Once he had come to and was cleared by local EMS, he mentioned to his mother that he had seen an apparition of a young African American boy dripping wet. The ghost seemed angry, and he ran towards the child, straight into his chest, causing him to lose consciousness and faint. It is a remarkable account that narrates the fear and physical feelings that the slaves here endured day in and day out. His mother mentioned that she couldn’t believe what she was hearing, as her son was a bit too young to understand what had happened at the home without her explaining it to him in simpler terms.
Indeed, history has not been kind to the Wheatlands property. It seems as if the land is a magnet for the dead, as the original builder, a Freemason, purposely built the home right atop a giant geode, which is known for its electromagnetic capabilities!
Team members: Keith, Jon, Price and Susan
Equipment Used: 2 K2 meters, 4 digital Cameras, 2 Frank Boxes and 2 digital Voice Recorders
Ghost Weather: Super cold!!! New Moon. Average temperature was around 10 F°
