"In that tiny, kinda scary house by the woods"

If Hollywood has taught us nothing else, it's taught us to beware the cabin in the woods (or near the woods, or by the woods, or made of wood).  It's that remote sense of isolation and the constant rustling of wildlife all around that makes a cabin in the woods a prime source of paranoia (and a good place for serial killers to hang out, apparently).

This particular cabin is located on about 400 acres of prime woodland in Humphreys County, Tennessee.  It's used primarily as a hunting cabin for people who come to hunt deer and turkey (or fish in the 12 acre lake that's located way back (in the dark and scary woods. . .)

More importantly, this cabin sits on some land with historical significance.  During the Civil War, the surrounding land was occupied by Union troops who were encamped here to guard the railroad after the fall of Forts Henry and Donelson while the rest of the Union troops went farther east to occupy Nashville.  The rifle pits dug by the soldiers can still be seen on the property behind the cabin.

One of the old rifle pits behind the cabin

So what brought us to this cabin and its surrounding woods on a (very) hot summer night?  Like other historical properties, tales of paranormal activity spring up through the years.  On this particular property, there were reports of mysterious campfires showing in the darkness (around the area of the encampments), and the ghostly apparitions of the soldiers appearing here and there.  A lot of soldiers died due to illness in the camps and were buried on the grounds (but were later moved to a proper cemetery). 

We set out for a quick tour of the woods and the area around the cabin and were taken back to where  an old cistern was located.

The remains of the cistern at the site of the main Union camp

 This cistern area was supposed to be one of the "hotspots" on the property.  It was near the location of the mysterious campfires that could be seen in the distance.  We also walked through the rifle pits (where we later caught an interesting E.V.P. that hopefully we can post later) of what sounds like rifles clicking, as if being primed to fire.

The rifle pit where we caught the sound of "rifles clicking."

 One of the most difficult things about an outdoor investigation in Tennessee in the summer is the sound of the bugs interfering with recording.  You also get a lot more insects flying through your photographs and dust floating through the air.  In fact, recording outside is almost impossible.  Nevertheless we set out in teams to explore the property later that night.  A few of us went to the cistern, some of us went up to the rifle pits.  

Then the exciting part happened near the cistern closer to midnight.  As we stood with our recorders ready, conducting our E.V.P. session (despite the bug noises)  there was a tremendous rustling that started through the trees.  As we continued asking questions, the rustling grew closer and louder.  Were we about to make contact?  Was something about to materialize out of the woods?  Was it. . . an armadillo?

Two armadillos crashing through the woods

 After the shock of seeing not one, but two, armadillos coming through the woods wore off, we started the long hike back towards the cabin to review our evidence.

Returning to the cabin after dark

 As we sat in the cabin later that night reviewing our recordings, it was apparent that we didn't really catch that much in way of paranormal activity.  The rifle clicking E.V.P. will undergo further scrutiny, but overall, a nice hot summer night with good company once again showing that investigating sites around the area is more about the experience, rather than the results (which are not always promising).  Still it was a good time, and as always, we want to show our appreciation to the owners of the property for letting us tramp around for a night.