Haunted Spaces and Spooky Places: Wells House

This is the final installment in the Haunted Spaces and Spooky Places series.

Staff Photo by Elizabeth Lane

Even the spookiest of places can have a quaint, small town feel. We conclude our favorite haunts around the county with a look into the historic Wells House, located in Dandridge. It should be noted that Wells House is currently a private residence and should in no way be trespassed on without the express permission of the owners.

Wells House has served the community through a vibrant historical presence. The house was built in 1845 by Shadarach Inman, and would dwell 30 years in the hands of another family until it eventually came to rest with the Wells family in 1878. Since then, descendants of the family have owned the house right up to the present day.

Current owners Jim and Janie Slaton are all too familiar with the haunted history of the house. During the Civil War the home was used as an infirmary for union soldiers; injured were taken to the attic of the house for treatment and care. Wells house was even used at one time toward the turn of the twentieth century as a birthing center where women within the community would come to have their children.

Staff Photo by Elizabeth Lane

The reputation of the Wells House once led it to be a social and cultural hub in the community, as it resides on Wells Spring road, which, in fact, did used to have a spring that people would go to. There they could catch up on the social and world news of the day every Saturday and Sunday afternoon.

The Slaton’s bought the house in 2001 and have been remodeling to bring it back to its former glory. During its renovation, Mrs. Slaton shared a particular incident with one of the painters working on the house. In the middle of the night, she saw lights on in the house. Coming over to investigate, she found a painter shaking with fear going on and on about cold air. He was so uneasy that he had even called his wife for support. The painter was so afraid that he refused to come back to the house, leaving the Slaton’s to finish the rest of the painting.

Janie and members of her family have experience incidents like these for themselves. Her great grandfather told stories of a ghost that lived in the house, a woman dressed in green that was always reaching for him when he saw her. She recalls incidents of hearing noises throughout the house, and even at one time swears she heard Jimmy Roger’s music (a famous musician from the turn of the 20th century) being played upstairs. Mrs. Slaton explained that when you walk through the house you can feel the history and the presence of something.

Staff Photo by Elizabeth Lane

The something to her has always been friendly. She explains that the spirits of the house are selective. If they like you the house tends to hug you. If they don’t like you they tend to run you off and make sure you never come back. Despite these stories, scores of people, even descendants of former slaves, have returned to the house and asked to see inside.

Whomever the spirits of Wells House may be, it is clear that their collective presence, although sometimes spooky, is welcoming to a special few that have a respect for the house. These few and other visitors continue to contribute to a lasting structure of a society long past and well missed.

Staff Photo by Elizabeth Lane