Roaring Fork considered one of Gatlinburg’s most haunted roads

GATLINBURG, Tenn. (WATE) — On almost every street corner in Gatlinburg, there’s a spooky story to be told about a ghost, spirit or legend.

With Ghost Walk of Gatlinburg, guide Ashli Seagle helps visitors find the paranormal activity around town, while also teaching a little bit of the history of those spirits.

Some say the Roaring Fork Motor Trail is one of Gatlinburg’s most haunted roads, and that’s where we find one of the ghosts Seagle talks about on her tour: Lucy at Roaring Fork. She said the legend starts back in 1908.

“There was a man that came to our town. His name was Foster, and he was on a horseback. He was riding the trail, and so he came across Lucy. She was barefoot and just walking,” Seagle said.

Much similar to old fairytales, Foster fell in love with Lucy on that short ride to her cabin. So, the next day, he went to find her parents.

“He was going to go to her parents for their permission for her hand in marriage. But, unfortunately, when he got there, they informed him that she had died the year previous in a cabin fire,” Seagle said.

Lucy’s story is well-known with a lot of locals and through the ghost hunting communities.

Michael Smith, a ghost hunter, said he often visits Roaring Fork Motor Trail because he feels it’s one of the spookiest spots in town.

“The ghost of Lucy, a lady in white, a child-ghost on this tour,” Smith said.

Lucy, however, is not often seen. That’s because she mainly appears in the early morning fog, and just before the sun sets, and at night.

“Most people are afraid to drive this road at dark, so you don’t hear a lot. But, I do hear people that visit all the time and they go to certain spots at some of the cabins here and feel very uncomfortable and won’t go in the cabins,” Smith said.

When people do see Lucy, they always have the same description.

“She will always be young. She will always be beautiful and she will always be barefoot,” Seagle said.

Some locals said the story of Lucy was made up back in the 90s. However, others say they know they’ve felt her presence before, and they all describe a similar sensation.

“As cliché as this may sound, the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. You will experience a cold front. A portion of your body will be colder than the rest, you get cold chills, what have you, and most tend to claim they do experience that once they come in contact with Lucy,” Seagle said.

Smith said visitors often describe that feeling when they walk through some of the cabins along Roaring Fork, although the cabin Lucy supposedly grew up in is no longer standing.

“They feel weird. Their hair stands on the back of their neck, and then they turn around and go in their cars. They won’t go in the cabins,” Smith said.

Seagle said Lucy is one of the oldest ghosts in Gatlinburg, but definitely not the only spirit floating around.

As part of her tours with Ghost Walk of Gatlinburg, they don’t try to turn non-believers into ghost lovers. She simply tries to open their mind to the possibilities of the paranormal world.

With that, Seagle says, “Happy hunting.”