Thursday, May 11, 2017

Cave Spring, Georgia, full of legends, ghosts

There’s something spooky about caves. Could be the darkness, the relentless dampness or the threat of spiders and bats. Regardless of logic or explanations, ghost stories abound.

Take Cave Spring, Georgia, which dates back to European settlement in the 1820s and before that, the Creek and Cherokee people who were attracted to its delicious waters (you can literally drink from its source and many people bring jugs to carry it home). 

The historic town 16 miles south of Rome encompasses about 1,200 residents — plus a few who don’t show up on census records. The cave for which the town is named is reported to be haunted. In fact, several structures around the cave and its spring-fed Cedar Creek and neighboring park have full-time occupants as well.

On the day we visited Spring Cave, nothing appeared out of the ordinary but I caught a moving blue orb on the far side of the cave. I tried to remain as still as possible and shoot at the same spot and, at one time, set my camera to a fast shutter speed to capture numerous images in seconds. The blue spot constantly moved. At one point, it disappeared, then reappeared and floated about once more. In the first picture below, a friend saw a face. I saw it too. Do you?





Apparition? Could it have been someone behind me moving and causing a reflection to also move? I even tried to shoot repeatedly when no one was near. But still, you be the judge.

Other haunted spots in Cave Spring, Georgia, include:
The Georgia School for the Deaf, begun in 1846 and still active today, was once used as an infirmary during the Civil War. 

The Cave Spring General Store, where a Native American woman is believed to be buried. Legend has it that a chief named Big Rattling Gourd bit off his wife’s nose because she was unfaithful.

Naturally, in a town with this many legends, there are ghost tours in October. Click here for more information.

Haunted Deep South is written by travel writer Cheré Coen, author of Haunted Lafayette, Louisiana by The History Press. She writes the Viola Valentine paranormal mystery series under the pen name of Cherie Claire.

7 comments:

  1. The cave was a bar and a hangout in early times, some rowdyness went on there ....

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    1. Did not know that. Would make a cool bar except that it's terrible to the cave walls.

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  2. I helped put a metal roof on this building for the deaf,many many years ago (10/13 years ago) and we experienced several strange things happening the whole time we worked there! No one on the property but us two..... our generator kept getting unplugged!! Several times no matter what we tried to keep it plugged in, even tying knots in the extension cord,it was undone by the time I went back down to the first floor!!!!!! I would love to come back and visit this place again the whole lil town! This place was def spooky! I loved it! donnapendleton99@yahoo.com

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    1. Very interesting. I was there only a short time (I'm the Haunted Deep South writer but Google keeps posting me as Louisiana Book News, my other blog) and I really want to go back and check out the whole town. I only saw the cave.

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  3. Which cave is this? Is the name of it Spring Cave? I guess the words "Spring Cave Cave Springs" is giving google fits.

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  4. It's called Cave Spring, like the town. https://www.exploregeorgia.org/city/cave-spring

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  5. My daddy who passed away in 2017 is from cave spring, my grandparents currently still live there on buttermilk rd. Been since before I was born. My dad is buried at the New Rehoboth cemetery, I have spent my whole life roaming in cave spring. I haven't been to the Cave since I was a kid but would love to go soon. Cave spring definitely has a spooky vibe, but it's like a home to me.

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