The Bell Witch Information Center

Review of TN Library and Archives Exhibit

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 09:20:00 +0000

Saturday morning I had the pleasure of visiting the Tennessee Myth and Legend Exhibit at the Tennessee State Library and Archives in Nashville.

The exhibit highlights not only Tennessee’s best-known myths and legends, but also some of its more offbeat ones. For example, visitors learn about the time blood fell from the sky in Wilson County, and about a woman who lived to be 149 years old. Opossums and giant catfish, the state’s most prolific folk icons, are also featured in the exhibit.

Ghostlore fans will enjoy tales about the Bell Witch, Tommy Knockers, the Hermitage, the Orpheum Theater, and other notorious haunts in the Volunteer state. The exhibit also delves into the lives of famous Tennesseans such as Casey Jones, Davy Crockett, Daniel Boone, Jesse James, Elvis Presley, and Jack Daniel.

Each carefully designed display reflects many hours of research and labor; those responsible for putting on the exhibit have earned my respect and appreciation.

I was particularly impressed by the Casey Jones display and the extensive collection of photos that accompanies it. One can learn the true legend of Tennessee’s most famous train engineer—who gave his life to protect his passengers—in five minutes or less. A history buff and a train fanatic myself, I was pleased beyond words. By contrast, the Elvis Presley display consists of nothing but Governor Buford Ellington's well-known "welcome home" telegram sent to Presley upon his return from the Army in 1960, and a short blurb about the myths surrounding Presley’s untimely death.

"The Bell Witch of Tennessee," which spans two entire panels, is the exhibit's largest display. Summarizing the legend’s key parts and featuring enlarged photos taken from the Ingram book and comparable sources, the display provides an accurate and concise account of the basic legend that newcomers will understand and enjoy. In addition to doing an excellent job of presenting the legend, the display’s creators also shed proper light on the Ingram book, the Charles Bell book, and Mrs. Kate Batts' alleged involvement in the disturbances. It has been nine years since anyone has done so, and I am pleased that it happened again—thank you very much.

I highly recommend the Tennessee Myth and Legend Exhibit to anyone who is interested in Tennessee’s varied and sometimes offbeat history.

The exhibit, which is free and open to the public, will run through April 29, 2010. The Tennessee State Library and Archives is located at 403 7th Avenue North, across from the State Capitol in downtown Nashville. The facility is open Monday through Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Central time, excluding state and federal holidays. Limited street parking is available for visitors.

- Pat Fitzhugh

This Weekend -- 11/6 and 7, 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:57:00 +0000

Friday, Novemeber 6th @ 8 CENTRAL
Two-hour radio discussion about the Bell Witch and other Southern Hauntings. The Paranormal Chattanooga radio show; listener call-in: (347) 677-0760.
Listen live at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/paranormalchattanooga

Saturday, November 7th, 9A-11P CENTRAL
Journey Into the Unknown Paranormal Convention
Mary Hardin Center for the Cultural Arts
501 Broad St.
Gadsden, Alabama

Will be giving lectures and signing copies of The Bell Witch: The Full Account and Ghostly Cries From Dixie. There will be a VERY limited supply of books available -- fewer than 10. Pre-orders will be taken if demand exceeds supply.

*Lecture Times:

Dixie Ghosts 1p - 2p
Making Sense of the Bell Witch 8:30p - 9:30p

* Other lecturers will also be giving presentations throughout the day and night. This is a 14-hour event.

The convention charges an admission fee of $10/person, payable in cash only.

Upcoming Events

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 03:13:00 +0000

Thursday October 22 -- Lecture and book signing at Cheatham County Public Library in Ashland City, Tennessee from 7 - 8P.M.
Will be signing "The Bell Witch: The Full Account" and "Ghostly Cries From Dixie." Admission to the event is free. Event sponsored by the Cheatham County Historical and Genealogical Association. The doors open @ 6:30. For map/directions, see: www.bellwitch.org/events.htm

Thursday October 29 - Radio Interview on the "Gator and Styckman Show"
WGSQ - 94.7 FM in Cookeville, TN, at approx. 07:15 A.M. Can be heard live at http://www.countrygiant.com/

Thursday October 29 -- Lecture and book signing at White County Public Library in Sparta, Tennessee from 6 - 8P.M.
Will be signing "The Bell Witch: The Full Account" and "Ghostly Cries From Dixie." Admission to the event is free. For map/directions, see www.bellwitch.org/events.htm

Saturday October 31 -- Blog radio interview with Craig Anderson of "Our History Project." Discussion will include the Bell Witch and several stories from "Ghostly Cries From Dixie." Listen any time at www.ourhistoryproject.com

Saturday October 31 -- Pat Fitzhugh joins Beth and Henry for a lively, informative discussion about Halloween myths and legends.
Does the "Bloody Mary Ritual" really work? Do most people really put razor blades in candy on Halloween, or is that mainly an urban legend? Tune in and find out! Listen here! 7 CENTRAL / 8 EASTERN.

Friday November 6 -- Radio interview and discussion about the Bell Witch and Southern Hauntings on the Paranormal Chattanooga Radio Show.
Listen here! 8 CENTRAL / 9 EASTERN

Saturday November 7 -- Will be lecturing and signing books at the "Journey Into the Unknown" Paranormal Conference in Gadsden, Alabama.
9 A.M. till 9 P.M. Admission to the conference is $10 at the door. For map/directions, see www.bellwitch.org/events.htm

Saturday November 21 -- Two-hour radio interview and discussion about the Bell Witch on the Dr. William Lester Show.
Listen at www.gameconradio.com 9 CENTRAL / 10 EASTERN

Lecture and Book Signing

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 18:50:00 +0000

The Bell Witch and Other Southern Hauntings.

Cheatham County Public Library, Thursday October 22nd, from 7-8 P.M. This event is sponsored by the Cheatham County Historical and Genealogy Association. The doors open at 6:30, and admission is free.

Click here for more information and a map to the venue.

Radio Discussion Reminder for this Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 14:12:00 +0000

Click here for the info.

The New Book's Front Cover

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 18:12:00 +0000

The days are counting down, and October 9th will be here before we know it -- and so will Ghostly Cries From Dixie!

Below is a sample of what the front cover will look like. It's not exact, as I have a little more designing to do, but it's close.

More information about the book can be found here.

Book to Release October 9

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 09:00:00 +0000

My new book, Ghostly Cries From Dixie, will be released October 9th. For those who might not be familiar with it, the book is a collection of ghostly and other unusual tales from the American South.

In addition to the stories themselves, the book contains photos, an appendix, a bibliography, and a comprehensive index. The retail price will be $14.95, and the book will be available through online retailers and most bookstores.

For more information about the book, and to order your own personalized, signed & numbered copy, click here. Excerpts are also available at that link.

Signed and Numbered Copies Running Out!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 03:36:00 +0000

Signed and numbered copies of "Ghostly Cries From Dixie" (first printing) are about to run out. Only the first 50 copies will be signed and numbered, and we've almost reached that number!

If you've thought about pre-ordering a signed and numbered copy, now is the time to do it! Once these 50 copies are gone, there will be no more. The web site might offer signed copies from later printings, but there will be no more signed AND numbered copies.

Pre-order your signed and numbered copy from the book's web page at:
http://www.bellwitch.org/ghostlycries.htm

Release Date and Pre-Orders!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 09:57:00 +0000

"Ghostly Cries From Dixie" will be released on October 9, 2009. Pre-ordering for signed and numbered copies has already begun at http://www.bellwitch.org/ghostlycries.htm

Some Upcoming Radio Discussions

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 16:11:00 +0000

Here are some more opportunities to learn more about the Bell Witch and your favorite Southern hauntings:

* August 11, 2009 (Tuesday) -- Radio Interview 7 Central / 8 Eastern
Radio interview and discussion about the Bell Witch and the upcoming book about Southern Hauntings, "Ghostly Cries From Dixie," on ParaChallenged Radio.
Listen at: http://asprn.com

* August 25, 2009 (Tuesday) -- Radio Interview 9 Central / 10 Eastern -- Encore Interview
Radio interview and discussion about the Bell Witch and the upcoming book, "Ghostly Cries From Dixie," on Moebanshee's Lair Para-Radio.
Listen at: http://www.gameconradio.com

* September 19, 2009 (Saturday) -- Radio Interview 7 Central / 8 Eastern -- Encore Interview
Radio interview and discussion about Tennessee hauntings and the new book,"Ghostly Cries From Dixie," on The Paranormal View Radio Show.
Listen at: http://www.para-x.com/view.html

Upcoming Radio Interview

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 05:13:00 +0000

Saturday July 18th -- 9:00 Eastern / 8:00 Central

Author Pat Fitzhugh joins hosts Beth Brown and Henry Foister of "The Paranormal View" radio show for an exciting, in-depth discussion about the Bell Witch and other Tennessee hauntings.

To listen, visit http://www.para-x.com/view.html or just click here!

Just Checking In

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 08:03:00 +0000

This is a really busy time; not only am I gearing up for the busy fall season, but I'm also finishing up "Ghostly Cries From Dixie," which is scheduled for release in October. All of the writing and most of the editing is done, so it won't be long now! One chapter is devoted to the Bell Witch, and the other chapters cover ghost stories from around the Southeastern U.S. If you haven't checked out the Myspace page for "Ghostly Cries From Dixie" yet, check it out! (i.e., add it!)

It dawned on me earlier tonight that every time I have to enter an upcoming event (lecture, signing, interview, etc.), I have to visit a total of about 30 different places and enter about 29 different passwords. It would be nice to enter the information in one place, only once, and then let it propagate to all the other sites, event listings, etc. Dream on. But look, I found the next best thing -- BookTour.Com! Their widgets don't do a whole lot along the lines of propagation, and their RSS setup isn't user friendly just yet, but the site has a lot of potential and I'm expecting many good, nifty things from them in the future.

So, from this point forward, I am going to use BookTour as my master entry page for upcoming events. Do this mean I'm going to stop entering events on Myspace? No way! But it does mean that I might not be able to enter EVERY single event here. If you're interested in learning of events coming to your area, just visit my BookTour page and subscribe to automatic updates via e-mail or RSS feed. YES -- Automatic updates delivered right to your e-mail box!

A situation on the homefront (illness in family) has forced me to cancel an appearance at a paranormal conference later this month (Eastern Regional, on the weekend of July 17th), so I'm pretty bummed out about that. I had been planning to do the conference for over a year now!

There are four, possibly five radio interviews in the works for July and August so far; I'll post something definite once things get ironed out. In addition to the Bell Witch, I'll be discussing many other Southern ghost stories and my upcoming book, "Ghostly Cries From Dixie."

I've also been asked to speak at the first annual "Journey Into the Unknown With S.P.I.R.I.T." paranormal conference in Alabama on November 7th. For more details, including directions, check my BookTour page.

That's all for now. Take care, and talk to you soon!

...........pf

Upcoming Radio Interviews - June, 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 21:26:00 +0000

Moebanshee's Lair Paranormal Radio
Tuesday June 9th @ 10P EASTERN / 9P CENTRAL
www.gameconradio.com

Encounters Paranormal Radio
WBZT AM-1230, South Florida
Sunday June 21st @ 9 EASTERN / 8 CENTRAL
The show may also be heard on the internet, at:
http://www.encounterslive.com

Myspace Page for Upcoming Book

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 10:42:00 +0000

There is now a Myspace page dedicated to my upcoming book, Ghostly Cries From Dixie! The page can be accessed at:

http://www.myspace.com/ghostlycriesfromdixie

Yahoo Discussion Group for New Book

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 20 May 2009 07:39:00 +0000

The new Yahoo discussion group for my upcoming book, "Ghostly Cries From Dixie," is now up and running. The group's purpose is to provide a place to discuss the various ghost stories and legends contained in the book. The book's tentative release date is September 2009.

Feel free to join the group and start a discussion! Here is the link:

Ghostly Cries From Dixie -- Discussion Group

Radio Interview Reminder

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 21:19:00 +0000

Just a reminder...

I will be discussing my research of the Bell Witch legend this Tuesday evening, April 28, at 9:00 EASTERN / 10:00 CENTRAL on Paranormal Python Radio.

You can listen at: http://www.shadowtalkradio.com/

Also, a recent pre-interview maybe read at:

http://paranormalpython.com/paranormal-interviews/interview-with-bell-witch-author-pat-fitzhugh

Now on Twitter!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 05:24:00 +0000

http://www.twitter.com/BellWitchAuthor

Radio Interview Reminder

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 22:06:00 +0000

Bell witch radio discussion/interview, as well as some discussion about "Ghostly Cries from Dixie."

Wednesday April 15, 2009 8 P.M. CENTRAL / 9 P.M. EASTERN
"The Night Breed Show"
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/the-night-breed-show

The Eastern Regional Paranormal Conference

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 20:17:00 +0000

The conference, now in its sixth year, will be held in historic Harper's Ferry West Virginia on the weekend of July 17-19, 2009.

Located in eastern West Virginia and a mere stone's throw from Maryland and Virginia, Harper's Ferry is a town deeply rooted in American history.

It was at Harper's Ferry, in 1859, that noted abolitionist John Brown conducted his infamous "raid" that, along with other events, would ultimately change the course of American history.

This year's conference, which promises to be the best yet, will feature lectures by the leading names in paranormal research, a trade show that will feature vendor booths, workshops for aspiring paranormal investigators and pros alike, historic ghost tours of Harper's Ferry, campfire ghost stories, a symposium for the paranormal community to brainstorm standards and protocols.

The conference promises to be both fun and informative, and the July weather in West Virginia will be "just right." I urge everyone to make plans to attend this conference if you haven't already done so. See you there!

The conference web site is: http://www.cosmicpantheon.com/conference/

A Few Upcoming Radio Appearances

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 19:40:00 +0000

During these interviews, I will be discussing the legend of the Bell Witch, as well as my upcoming title, "Ghostly Cries from Dixie," which is scheduled for release in mid-September. Excerpts from the upcoming title can be found here.

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Paranormal Python Radio

Tuesday April 28th @ 8 CENTRAL / 9 EASTERN

Link will be provided in the near future!

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The Ghost Mafia

Tuesday May 5th @ 7 CENTRAL / 8 EASTERN

Listen live at : http://www.para-x.com/

Listener Call-In Line: 334-328-3799

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Moebanshee's Lair Para-Show

Tuesday June 9th @ 9 CENTRAL / 10 EASTERN

Listen live at:

This site

Listener Call-In Line: 310-984-7600, Show ID: 137542

See you there!

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For a complete listing of Pat Fitzhugh's radio, TV, and in-person events and lectures, please visit:
http://www.bellwitch.org/events.htm

Bell Witch Radio Discussion

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 03:52:00 +0000

"The Night Breed Show"

Wednesday April 15th @ 8 CENTRAL / 9 EASTERN

Listen live at : http://www.ustream.tv/channel/the-night-breed-show

Radio Interview and Discussion

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 17:50:00 +0000

"Shadows of Doubt Paranormal"
Sunday March 29 @ 9:10 EASTERN / 8:10 CENTRAL / 6:10 PACIFIC

Listen live at: www.nhbradio.com

Upcoming Radio Interview

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 20:34:00 +0000

Get Shoked Radio
Thursday March 12, 11 P.M. Eastern, 10 P.M. Central

http://www.para-x.com/

Click the "Listen Now" link in the upper right hand corner to hear the interview.

New Page Added to Web Site

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 20:39:00 +0000

There have always been a lot of e-mails from people who missed Bell
Witch radio discussions, etc., wondering if they were archived so that
people can listen at their convenience.

Unfortunately, most radio interviews are either NOT archived, or you
have to pay a "fee" to listen. I have managed to find a 'few' free
archives of past radio interviews.

I have listed them on a new page, the "Interviews" page, for anyone
who might have missed out on the live episodes. The address of the
new page is:

http://www.bellwitch.org/Interviews.htm

Another Radio Interview

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 19:42:00 +0000

Para-Investigators Radio Show
Sunday January 18th, 4p PACIFIC / 6p CENTRAL / 7p EASTERN
Click here to listen!
See you there!