HurstNation.com

In the spirit of Halloween, I am posting a couple of stories sent to me by Alan Murray. This one is by Russell Ingle and ran in the Independent Appeal on 10/24/2007. While some facts in this story may be off (myth and mystery concerning Col. Hurst is not new) or confederate propaganda and the Hitler reference is way over the top. Fiction or not, it’s a good read on Halloween for sure. Hurst moved from the Hurst Mansion in later life, sick and broke, and died in Mt. Gilead. Also, my camera worked fine in all rooms back in 2004 when I visited the Hurst Mansion and the Purdy Cemetery.

See all pictures from that day here

I can attest to the fact that the old cemetery in Purdy is ONE OF THE SCARIEST PLACES ON THE PLANET. I would not be caught dead there at night or even with nightfall approaching. The tiny dirt road to the cemetery is also scary and I was terrified of having my car break down and have to approach one of the also scary mobile homes along the road for help.

Great job by Russell Ingle on this story. Thanks Alan Murray for sending these stories to me and giving me permission to post them (keep them coming everyone!)

Ghosts of Purdy: Local lore elicits frightful thoughts By RUSSELL INGLE Staff Writer

It’s a dark, cool October night and you find yourself in a haunted cemetery or near a haunted house. Are the hairs on the back of your neck standing yet?

There’s just something about the supernatural that either scares people senseless or intrigues them completely. Every small town has its urban legends or “haunted sites.” The scenarios may be the same, altered a bit depending on who’s telling the story, but regardless, every town has its stories, its tragic places and its unresting spirits. The subject of ghosts has fascinated people for hundreds of years, as it still does today.

The south, with all of its history, is known as one of the most haunted or spiritually active states in the nation. Tennessee is home to one of the most disturbing ghost stories of all time, the Bell Witch. There are several books about the witch, but many Americans heard the story for the first time in the movie An American Haunting. The Bell Witch is a story about John and Elizabeth Bell and their children, who lived in Adams, Tenn. in the 1800’s.

According to history, the story of the Bell Witch started in 1817 when the Bell family began experiencing strange phenomena in their home. First, the house was plagued with knocking and rapping noises and scratching sounds. As the spirit grew stronger, blankets were pulled from beds, family members were kicked, scratched and their hair pulled.

According to many reports, the spirit identified itself as the witch of Kate Batts, a neighbor of the Bells, with whom John had experienced bad business dealings over some purchased slaves. Though never explained, the Bell Witch story continues to fascinate. The Adams community isn’t the only Tennessee town to suffer the wrath of wayward spirits though. McNairy County is home to its own ghosts and possible hauntings.

Just down the road from Sullivan’s 1 Stop in Purdy sits not one, but two of the county’s oldest and scariest landmarks. For decades, the cemetery located at Purdy has been rumored to be haunted. Over the years, the location has been popular amongst thrill seekers and teens looking for a fright. One of the oldest cemeteries in Tennessee, the graveyard has supposedly been the site of floating apparitions and sounds. Some say the sounds of playing children can be heard at night. Others claim the sounds of Confederate soldiers can be heard after sunset. People have also reported that if you park on the left side of the circle drive your car will not start until dawn.

History dictates the real horror of Purdy was not centered only in the cemetery, but rather embodied in an individual that once called Purdy home. In fact, this individual, and many of his family members, didn’t refer to Purdy as Purdy at all. To them, the booming little community was called the Hurst Nation. The individual known as Colonel Fielding Hurst spread so much terror and destruction during his life, that many, then and now, would rather forget him altogether. Because of his horrific exploits though, Fielding Hurst will never be forgotten.

According to history, Colonel Fielding Hurst was a monster, some even referred to him as a demon. Demon he may not have been, but demonically inspired could have been closer to the truth. Factually speaking, Hurst was a Union sympathizer that committed many brutal crimes during the Civil War and built a sour reputation and a legend that would far out live him.

According to the McNairy County Independent, June 13, 1924, “Some time after the battle of Shiloh, April 6 and 7, 1862, Andrew Johnson, then Governor of Tennessee, authorized and commissioned Fielding Hurst to recruit and organize a regiment, and this regiment was known as the Sixth Tennessee Cavalry. About the first of October in that year, companies A, B, C, D, and G, were organized by Col. Hurst.” To Johnson’s regret though, Hurst proved more murderer than soldier.

According to legend, Hurst said he was driven by divine mandate to cleanse the land of Rebels. Just like Hitler slaughtered the Jews, Hurst spread a bloody trail and left mutilated bodies wherever he traveled. The story is told how, on a patrol to LaGrange, Hurst carried with him a band of Confederate prisoners and, at every mile post, killed one, cut their head off and hung it on a post.

On April 16, 1863, Col. E.W. Rice wrote to his commander Major General Oglisly concerning Hurst’s activities saying, “Colonel Hurst’s 1st W. Tenn. Cavalry is at Purdy for the purpose of destroying property. He has ordered the furniture removed from some of the houses and threatens to burn them. The colonel passed through line this morning but did not report to my headquarters, and I do not know by what authority he destroys the property.”

The letter went on to say Hurst destroyed homes and churches saying, “It was Hurst who played the role of Nero in Purdy, even singing songs and praying while the churches were burning.”

One of Hurst’s most notable murders was the killing of Lt. J.W. Dodds. Dodds was an officer in Colonel F. Newsome’s 18th Cavalry. A dispatch of General Forrest reads “Private Silas Hodges . . . states that he saw the body of Lt. Dodds very soon after his murder, and that it was horribly mutilated, the face having been skinned, the nose cut off, the under jaw disjointed, the privates cut off, and the body otherwise barbarously lacerated and most wantonly injured, and that his death was brought about by the most inhuman process of torture.”

Hurst’s Wurst, written by Kevin D. McCann, describes Colonel Fielding Hurst and the Sixth Tennessee Cavalry as monsters saying, “Fielding Hurst raised a regiment of fellow Southern Unionists called the Sixth Tennessee Cavalry with men from Decatur, Gibson, Hardin, McNairy, Perry, Wayne and Weakley counties. It was described by one Confederate soldier as ‘an ignorant posse of men led by vicious and unprincipled leaders’ who were’ the scourge and terror of the lower Eastern Counties of West Tennessee, and were as thoroughly detested and hated as any band of marauders who ever disgraced the name of soldiers’.”

In one of his more ambitious acts, Hurst attempted to destroy the city of Jackson, Tenn. by fire. He was unsuccessful, but not because of a lack of effort.

Hurst’s reputation was dark to say the least. His murderous ways led an unknown writer to pen this poem that was the apparent sentiment concerning Hurst:

“Despair for the children who lie now in bed.

The widow, the aged, the soldier who bled.

For out of the “Nation” comes a sickness and curse -

God save us all From the demon called Hurst.

Like vandals of old through our land they did ride

With Hunger and Death always close by their side.

Came Terror, his herald, but the wailing comes first . . .

We know he is coming, that demon called Hurst.”

Hurst was born in 1818, the son of Elijah Hurst, and moved to the McNairy County area in the 1830’s. Before the Civil War, he made his living as a surveyor, farmer and slaveholder. The Hurst home, located just off what is now known as Gann Road, was built before the war. Some say it is the oldest standing structure in McNairy County.

The house, which was a mansion when it was first built, is rumored to be haunted. According to some, Hurst died there after being shot by one of his many enemies. Some suggest Hurst died at the top of the stairs on the second floor and that on the anniversary of his death, the blood reappears and he can be heard screaming.

Hurst is buried in the Mt. Gilead Cemetery. The original gravestone simply reads Colonel Fielding Hurst, 6th Tenn. Cav. Though there are some conflicts, Hurst died in 1871.

The last known residents at the house were Miss Bessie and Miss Mary Dodds.

Today the house is owned by Tim Cathers of Memphis. Cathers purchased the property hoping to restore it to its former glory. Cathers says the way the house has been treated over the years has discouraged him. He is especially displeased with the damage caused by vandals.

Cathers gave the Independent Appeal permission to enter the old mansion and view the property. Once inside, the wear and tear of time along with what was apparently numerous break-ins, the real monster showed its face. Over the years, vandals had broken out windows, left trash and destroyed what furniture that remained in the house. The stairs’ railing had been ripped away and a large hole torn through the hardwood floor. Based on the number of beer cans at the cemetery and the house, the sites have long been a party destination for the disrespectful.

Cathers hinted he may be inclined to move the house if it is not left alone. “I just want to restore it, but it’s hard when people are more interested in tearing it up than just looking at it. If I have to move it to protect it, I will strongly consider it.”

More than a century has passed since Purdy was a booming community with a major university and Hurst terrorized the area. Once the seat of McNairy County, Purdy leadership would not allow the railroad to go through their town, thus sealing their fate. Many citizens left Purdy for communities near or on the railroad for economic reasons. That in turn resulted in a move to relocate the county seat to Selmer.

Much like the cemetery and the old Hurst house, there isn’t much left at Purdy today. With the exception of those that hope to catch a glimpse of the ghost of Fielding Hurst or the troubled spirits in the local cemetery, all is quiet.

The strange little cemetery and the Hurst house just may have the last word though. Down the narrow road that is home to broken tombstones, raught iron fences and a decaying old house, the spirits want to be left alone. While in the house last Friday, a strange occurrence took place. When attempting to take photographs in the upstairs bedroom, the room purported to be where Hurst died, the camera being used mysteriously stopped working. In every other room and location inside and outside the house, and in the cemetery, the camera worked. Could this have been Hurst’s way of saying stay away? Sounds like good advice. Heed the posted signs and avoid the haunting of Colonel Fielding Hurst and the ghosts of Purdy.

(Photos by Hunter Cashdollar)

Filed under: Ghosts, Ghost Hunters, Haunted, Ghost of Fielding Hurst, That Demon Called Hurst, Purdy, Col. Fielding Hurst, Hurst Mansion, TN