Visit Local Haunts in Greenwood and Beyond This Halloween Season!
Halloween is a special holiday, full of traditions that spark the imagination, encourage make-believe and bewitch even the most stubborn of skeptics! There’s something about the possibility of ghosts, ghouls and goblins that scratches the curious itch inside all of us, luring people in and making it easy to get caught up in all the frightful festivities. In Greenwood, we’re no different. In fact, we’ve got a few of our own spine-tingling haunted attractions in the Delta that make it the perfect destination for new Halloween traditions. Visitors, beware!
The Story of Robert Johnson’s Deal with the Devil
Everyone who’s been to Greenwood knows about Robert Johnson. Our markers on the Mississippi Blues Trail alone provide a glimpse into his life and the immeasurable impact he had on the blues as we know it. However, it’s next to impossible to talk about Robert Johnson without discussing the myth he’s most well-associated with: his rumored deal with the Devil.
Cloaked in mystery, legend has it that Robert Johnson, an aspiring but novice guitar player, mysteriously disappeared for a year. Upon his return, he amazed the Delta with his unmatched ability to play the guitar; an ability that rivaled his mentors. It’s been proclaimed that when Johnson played the guitar, it often sounded like three guitars were playing at once. Stunned and dumbfounded by his meteoric rise in ability and later his untimely death, many fantasized that Johnson had met with the Devil at a crossroads in Clarksdale, Mississippi, about 50 miles away from Greenwood, where he sold his soul in exchange for his mastery of the guitar. While the legend itself didn’t take off until the 1960s, it’s by far the most popular story associated with the man himself.
But it’s not just Johnson’s prodigious guitar playing that’s mystified generations, it’s also his tragic death. Johnson’s name was among the first added to the notorious “27 Club”; a club that has since amassed the names of some of the world’s most talented and inspiring artists, including Jimi Hendrix – a notable fan of Johnson’s – Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain, Amy Winehouse and Jim Morrison, all who also passed at the age of 27 years old. While his official cause of death is still unknown, it is widely believed that Johnson’s demise was a result of a jealous husband who poisoned his whiskey after he reportedly flirted with the man’s wife.
Greenwood fits into the legend, of course, for being the final resting place of Robert Johnson. Interestingly enough, where Johnson was actually buried was its own mystery for several years, as his official death certificate only listed his gravesite as “Zion Church,” despite the fact that there are multiple churches with “Zion” in their name in Greenwood. However, in more recent years, after extensive research, Johnson’s official burial site was found to be the Little Zion Church and, in 2002, he was given an honorary tombstone. Take a virtual tour of his gravesite here. Robert Johnson’s grave receives hundreds of visitors each year, but if you visit it during October, who knows what potentially ghostly experiences you may encounter. So what do you think? Did Johnson sell his soul to the devil, or is it all a bunch of hocus pocus?
Stay and Stray Haunts
Greenwood isn’t the only town with spooky sights to see! Come and stay in Greenwood for a weekend and check out what the rest of the Delta and surrounding area have to offer this Halloween season.
Grenada Masonic Temple – Grenada, MS (33 mile drive)
The Grenada Masonic Temple is built on the foundation of the historic Angevine Family’s old home. Rumor has it that Captain Angevine’s ghost has been seen on the top floor of the building, and some staff even claim to hear voices at night.
Mont Helena | Rolling Fork, MS (67.4 mile drive)
Mont Helena, a colonial revival home in Rolling Fork, has a long-running reputation as being haunted. Built as the retirement home for Helen and George Harris in 1896, the home sits atop a ceremonial Indian mound in the Delta region. Locals recount sightings of a lady dressed in a white gown peering out of windows or standing in the front yard. The property has been investigated by the Mississippi Paranormal Society, which recorded electronic voice phenomena, observed shadowy figures and captured orbs in photos.
Witch of Yazoo Grave Site | Yazoo City, MS (53.4 mile drive)
In the middle of the historic Glenwood Cemetery, there is a grave surrounded by a chain link fence called “The Witch’s Grave.” According to local legend (and in Willie Morris’s novel “Good Ole Boy,) the “witch” lived on the Yazoo River, teasing and torturing fishermen. Law enforcement caught on and chased her through the swamps where she half drowned in quicksand. As she sank, she swore to get revenge on Yazoo City. “In 20 years, I will return and burn this town to the ground!” No one paid much attention at the time. Then 1904…a fire destroyed more than 200 residences and nearly every business in Yazoo City – 324 buildings in total.
Outside the Delta, But Not Too Far
Rowan Oak – Oxford, MS (79.5 mile drive)
Rowan Oak, the legendary home of famous author William Faulkner, is supposedly still haunted by the author’s ghost.
Asbury Cemetery – Houston, MS (102.9 mile drive)
Asbury Cemetery is noteworthy for being the site of multiple accidents, with numerous visitors reporting paranormal activity in the form of mysterious voices and the feeling of being watched.
With all of this spooky history, it’s nice that you can always come back to Greenwood for some much-needed rest and relaxation. From local shops to fine dining, you’ll never be stuck with goosebumps for too long. However you choose to celebrate this Halloween season, we hope you’ll do it in Greenwood!
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