NORTHEAST TENNESSEE.
IT WAS FOUNDED IN 1880 BY
AUTHOR
THOMAS HUGHES......WHO WROTE THE
FIRST CHILDREN'S BOOK "TOM
BROWN'S SCHOOL DAYS"...AND
USED THE MONEY HE MADE FROM
IT...TO BUY LAND ON THE
CUMBERLAND
PLATEAU.
HE WANTED TO ESTABLISH A UTOPIAN
VILLAGE.
THAT IDEA DIDN'T WORK... AND
THEN TYPHOID FEVER TOOK THE
LIVES OF MANY.
TODAY RUGBY HAS A POPULATION OF
75
...MAYBE MORE IF YOU INCLUDE
THE
DEARLY DEPARTED WHO HAVE DECIDED
TO STAY.
IN THE SHADOW OF BIG SOUTH FORK
NATIONAL RIVER AND RECREATION
AREA ...THE TINY VICTORIAN
VILLAGE
IN HISTORIC RUGBY HASN'T CHANGED
MUCH IN THE LAST 120 YEARS.
PERHAPS THAT'S WHY SOME OF THE
SPIRITS OF THOSE LONG DEPARTED
HAVE APPARANTLY DECIDED TO
STAY....
SOT: HOWARD HAFFNER 10:01:11;06
" I THINK WHEN YOU WALK
THROUGH THESE HISTORIC BUILDINGS
UP HERE, YOU DEFINITELY
GET THE SENSE THAT YOU ARE NOT
BY YOURSELF"
ONE OF THOSE BUILDINGS...
THE OLD NEWBURY HOUSE--STILL
OPEN
FOR OVERNIGHT GUESTS.. THE SCENE
OF MANY UNEXPLAINED
EVENTS THROUGH THE YEARS...
RUGBY RESIDENT HOWARD HAFFNER
RECALLS THE DAY HE AND A FRIEND
WERE IN THE KITCHEN OF THE
HOUSE..THE ONLY ONES THERE...OR
,
SO THEY THOUGHT:
SOT: HOWARD HAFFNER 09:58:08;09
" WE HEARD CHILDREN LAUGHING IN
THE FRONT OF THE
HOUSE. AND BOTH OF US HEARD IT."
SOT: 09:58:29;21 " SO THERE
WAS NO
EXPLANATION FOR THESE CHILDREN
LAUGHING AND THEN I ASKED
AROUND IN THE VILLAGE AND OTHER
PEOPLE HAD EXPERIENCED THAT
SAME THING AT NEWBURY." "
WITH OUR GUIDE JORDAN HUGHETT
...WHO WORKS WITH THE HISTORIC
RUGBY VISITOR'S CENTER.. WE
VENTURED UPSTAIRS AT
NEWBURY HOUSE ....TO LEARN MORE
ABOUT ANOTHER GHOSTLY
ENCOUNTER MANY VISITORS HAVE
EXPERIENCED.
LONDON BUSINESSMAN CHARLES
OLDFIELD, DIED IN THIS ROOM
MORE THAN A CENTURY
AGO...WHILE WAITING FOR HIS WIFE
TO ARRIVE.
NATS LORI 10:39:37;27 WALKS
INTO ROOM "IT'S KINDA COLD IN
HERE"
SOME SAY...MR. OLDFIELD .. IS
STILL
THERE.
NATS JORDAN HUGHETT 10:40:27;24
" WHEN FEMALES STAY IN THIS ROOM
IF THEY FEEL A NUDGE OR A TOUCH
IT'S BECAUSE HE'S CHECKING TO
SEE IF IT'S HIS WIFE COME BACK
TO SEE HIM."
SO MANY VISITORS HAVE
EXPERIENCED
HIS PRESENCE...
THEY MAKE TIME TO VISIT LAUREL
DALE
CEMETERY ...WHERE MANY OF THE
TOWN'S EARLY CITIZENS ARE
BURIED..
CHARLES OLDFIELD'S GRAVE IS
THERE TOO - YOU'LL FIND PENNIES
ON HIS MARKER...PLACED
BY THOSE PAYING THEIR
RESPECTS.
OTHER GHOSTLY ENCOUNTERS:
CLOSER TO TOWN
ON AN OVERGROWN ROAD THERE HAVE
BEEN SOUNDS OF A PHANTOM HORSE
DRAWN CARRIAGE...
THERE'S A STORY TO TELL IN JUST
ABOUT ALL OF THE OLDEST
BUILDINGS IN RUGBY --17 OF THE
ORIGINAL
VICTORIAN STRUCTURES
REMAIN...HOUSING THE THOMAS
HUGHES FREE LIBRARY, WHERE
EVERY BOOK WAS PUBLISHED IN 1900
OR BEFORE...
BUT RUGBY ISN'T JUST A VILLAGE
STEEPED IN THE PAST...
THERE'S PLENTY OF LAND FOR
DEVELOPMENT, AND DOZENS HAVE
CHOSEN TO BUILD HOMES HERE
BUT...THEY MUST FOLLOW RUGBY'S
STRICT RULES.
SOT: 12:58:19;12 LORI
STANDUP"
RUGBY IS ON THE NATIONAL
REGISTER
OF HISTORIC PLACES SO EVEN IN A
NEWER DEVELOPMENT LIKE
THIS , EVERY HOME MUST BE
CONSTRUCTED IN THE VICTORIAN
STYLE. AFTER ALL, YOU WOULDN'T
WANT TO UPSET THE SPIRITS,
WOULD YOU?"
LORI
BACK AT NEWBURY HOUSE...WE
NOTICED IN THE ROOM WE
CHECKED...AN ELECTRIC CLOCK
WAS FLASHING....NONE OF CLOCKS
IN OTHER ROOMS DID
THAT...
JORDAN HUGHETT CHECKED WITH
HOUSEKEEPING...A ND THEY SAID
THEY
JORDAN HUGHETT CHECKED WITH
HOUSEKEEPING...A ND THEY SAID
THEY
KEEP TRYING TO REPAIR IT BUT IT
ALWAYS STARTS FLASHING AGAIN....
HMMMMM.....
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TO SET UP
A
TOUR OR STAY AT NEWBURY HOUSE IF
YOU DARE...
IT'S ALL ON OUR WEBSITE
WATE.COM.
BO:
OUR COVERAGE OF HAUNTED
TENNESSEE CONTINUES TONIGHT AT
5..