Shiloh Methodist Church served its community for 134 years. (Click on image for larger photo).
The Holy Bible sits on the pulpit where it was left after the last sermon in June 1999 at the Shiloh Methodist Church, Huntsville, IL. (Click on image for larger photo).
The Holy Bible sits on the pulpit where it was left after the last sermon in June 1999 at the Shiloh Methodist Church, Huntsville, IL. While I was working on a right of way project in Illinois, I passed by the church often in my travels, and if the light was right, would stop a shoot a frame, or two. One day, having a little extra time, I decided to open the door and look inside. Here, in these few images is what I saw. A church left as it was. A sign on the door said it had never been locked, and hopefully, never will be.
“It is believed this building has never been locked, and hopefully, it never will be.” (Click on image for larger photo).
“The church was built in 1868. The ground was deeded be Henery and Altin Alphin for the sum of $5.00,” a sign on the inside church door says.
“Good years and bad, it has served the community well, helping to make a neighborhood and a feeling of unity to the community. Despite snow, sleet, rain, and lots of mud for many years it was filled to near capacity people coming from far and near in wagons, buggies, sleighs, many walked, later Model T’s and finally Buicks and Oldsmobiles.
Hymn books still visible among the pews. (Click on image for larger photo).
Left from the last service in June 1999. (Click on image for larger photo).
Corn fields and clouds surround this old church on a hot August day. (Click on image for larger photo).
“Having served this NEIGHBORHOOD well for 134 years, due to many changes, it was officially closed June 1999. it is believed this building has never been locked, and hopefully, it never will be,” the message concluded.
One of the last times I drove by, the sun was setting and I could see the church had a new coat of paint. I stopped and shot a frame. (Click on image for larger photo).
I was glad to see that the community hadn’t abandoned this old structure that had served them. Frequently, I stop and take pictures of abandoned churches with doors padlocked, and a look through a window reveals that they are now used for storage, or have been pretty much gutted, or otherwise uncared for.
One of the last times I drove by Shiloh Methodist Church, the sun was setting and I could see the church had a new coat of paint. I stopped and shot a frame. The community still cares.
Adams, TN is best known for its historic Bell Witch haunting, where an evil spirit tormented the Bell family, and finally killed the family patriarch, John Bell, in 1820. I had heard the Bell Witch stories growing up in rural western Kentucky, living only a little more than an hour from the haunted Adams farm, where “Old Jack” Bell had been murdered by the ghostly presence.
A historic marker in Adams. (Click on image for larger photo).
Bell Witch Cave, on the old Bell farm, was closed for the winter. (Click on image for larger photo).
In a scene right out of a horror movie, I received a warning! As I walked around shooting photos in the old downtown area of Adams, an older man and a young boy pulled up and parked in front of an old dilapidated business, that had been rusting and rotting for years. They got out of the car and started walking toward me. The boy carried a large stuffed snowman in his arms. As we exchanged greetings, the little boy ran up to me, and gave a stern rebuke, “You shouldn’t be here.” I asked him why, and he said, “Ghosts.” About that time, the older man had caught up, and said that he and his grandson came there to walk. He added that he sees a lot of people shooting pictures of the old buildings.
The boy duly warned me about the haints. He said I shouldn’t be there, and that the buildings were full of ghosts. (Click on image for larger photo).
We talked for a few minutes, and he suggested a few places in the area that would offer some great photo opportunites, including an old church in Guthrie, KY, just a few miles up the road, that I could hit on the way back home. I thanked the man, and asked if I could snap their photo. He moved out of the way, and asked his grandson to lift up his stuffed snowman, and I snapped an image. He took the boy’s hand and they started walking away. The boy turned back at me and warned “Don’t go in there. Those buildings are full of ghosts.”
The north side of the old downtown area, Adams, TN. (Click on image for larger photo). I snapped a shot as the boy ans his grandfather walked away. (Click on image for larger photo). Robertson and CO., in the old downtown area, Adams, TN. (Click on image for larger photo).
I had been duly warned, and stayed out of the dilapidated, abandoned buildings, which had boards over the windows and graffiti spray painted all about. The warning, however, didn’t stop me from shooting some great exteriors in the old downtown area. I wondered how much longer the old church will be there before becoming a pile of rubble and a memory. The old brick businesses, with rusty tin awnings over the sidewalks, across the road from it weren’t faring much better. In the not too distant future, photos and memories will be all that is left.
The old church in the old Adams downtown area. (Click on image for larger photo).
Bob and Daisy in Adams. (Click on image for larger photo).
My wife got the dogs out of the truck and let them walk about for a few minutes. I got behind the driver’s seat, and Daisy, our pug, jumped in and sat in my lap looking out, as my wife snapped a photo of us together.
We moved on to the old Bell School, where some historic buildings from the area had been moved and restored, including an old barber shop and a doctor’s office. But, the main attraction for us was the old cabin that had been located on the haunted Bell farm. It’s not the main Bell family house that was haunted by the evil spirit, but one that was used by members of the Bell family on the farm at that time, and the only one that has survived.
A cabin from the haunted Bell farm. A preserved barber shop and doctor’s office are in the background. (Click on image for larger photo).
Old Electrical equipment on display at the town park in Adams. (Click on image for larger photo).
I’m not going into a long history of The Bell Witch, as space doesn’t permit, and many others have written about the events that occurred between 1817 and 1821. However, the story goes that the Bell family was visited by an invisible and very vocal spirit, claiming to be “Old Kate Batt’s Witch.” The haunting started with various family members seeing strange animals, which weren’t quite as they should be. That was followed by sounds in the house, such as knockings and chains dragging. As time went by, these progressed into voices and singing, and things became physical with hair pulling, hitting, scratching and other violence. The spirit, however showed kindness to John’s wife, Lucy, and referred to her as “the most perfect woman to walk the earth.” The apparition, now fully articulate and intelligent, objected strongly to a relationship of daughter, Betsy, and her boyfriend, Joshua Gardner, so much that their engagement was called off. There are numerous other stories, which include such historic figures as General Andrew Jackson. How much of these tales are true may never be known. However, the legend of the Bell Witch remains strong in parts of Tennessee and Kentucky.
As suggested by the old man, we headed back home through Gurthie, KY, right on the Kentucky-Tennessee line. I spied an old ghost sign advertising Coca-Cola, adjacent to the now defunct Longhurst General Store. Visually, the town probably looks much as it did 50 years ago, and is a back road photographer’s dream location
Longhurst General Store, Guthrie, KY. (Click on image for larger photo).
At the far end of town, we found Lane Chapel CME Church. I pulled in and we walked around. I was glad for the photo suggestions from the old man. Otherwise, I might have missed some wonderful historic destinations.
Lane Chapel CME, Guthrie, KY. (Click on image for larger photo).
The sky was filled with cloud cover, and I knew it would be gone by the early afternoon. I had been wanting a shot of one of Monroe County, WV’s best known haunted houses, Solitude Farm. I wasn’t sure of the exact location, or even what it looked like, but found an old 1990s auction ad from an newspaper with an online search, with directions on how to find it. It’s a 20 minute drive from our West Virginia home. The historic old residence appears to be lived in, and is beautifully restored. It’s said to be the quarters for the ghost of a Confederate soldier, a baby, the baby’s father, and a young lady. It was once owned by the Lowe family, of Lowe’s Hardware stores.
Solitude Farm, Cashmere, WV, is said to be haunted. (Click on image for larger photo).
I snapped a few images and we headed back toward the house. On the way back, we found a graveyard for old Jeeps, and a cattle farm with a beautiful old house far off the road. We could have stayed out longer, but the perfect light was diminishing.
Jeep Graveyard, Monroe County, WV. (Click on image for larger photo).
A cattle farm, Monroe County, WV. (Click on image for larger photo).
As I pulled into the driveway at home, I noticed the clouds were almost gone, and the sun was shinning brightly. The road trip had been timed perfectly. We were only gone for an hour, or so, showing great photo opportunities can sometimes be found close to home, and don’t necessarily take a lot of time.
