Update: The Mystery of Haunted Green’s Caverns Existence Solved?

Almost 10 years ago I wrote a post wondering where Cleveland, Tennessee’s, haunted Green’s Caverns were. Legend had it that a reaper-like shadowy figure lived in the caverns and could often be seen around them.

A reader named Christy had left a comment asking for help locating it:

Can someone plz tell me where Green’s Cavern is located at in Cleveland, TN? I have lived there my entire life and have no idea where it is nor does anyone I know have a clue as to where it is. Directions, a street name, anything would be of great help to me. Thanks!

I had seen the listing on the Shadowlands Haunted Places Index also and knew I wanted to jaunt there someday too. I figured it’d be relatively easy to find, but here was a local saying she couldn’t find it. Hmm… time to start digging.

I didn’t turn up much except this was most likely a case of an urban legend.

And that’s where I’d left it until recently, when another Tennessean and para pal of mine, who has contributed a few posts to HJ over the years, William Uchtman (who mostly writes as William Collins), sent me an email about my Green’s Caverns post.

William’s Email

At the end of April William sent me this:

Speaking as someone who has EXHAUSTIVELY researched the locations in the Shadowlands site, I have found locations on the wrong streets, in the wrong cities, the wrong states and the wrong countries. There are locations I have found NOTHING on, all of this among bad grammar, extraneous info, repeated locations and irrelevant data. 

I have used the Shadowlands pages as a template for my own lists. I have worked hard to update their submissions into something more coherent, more detailed and more accurate.

As the message board on the page says, Green’s Cavern may exist, but I have serious doubts it’s where these responses think it is. The Chattanooga Ghosthunters Society has never heard of it.

W, Uchtman

My Reply

It took me a couple of weeks to respond but here’s what I wrote back:

Thanks for weighing in. I’m not sure where this is either, BUT I do have a ghost hunting friend in Cleveland, TN and I’m going to make one last check with her to see if she knows. She finds out about all kinds of crazy things so if she has any info, I’ll write an update.

But this is good to know even you’ve researched it and…nothing. Some legends really are just make believe aren’t they?

Always good to hear from you.

Checking with Miranda

The friend I referred to in my reply to William is Miranda Young of Ghost Biker Explorations.

I knew she had either grown up in Cleveland or lived not too far from there, or maybe both. I also knew if anyone maybe could shed some light on Green’s Caverns, she could. As a paranormal investigator, she’d investigated that area extensively.

So I reached out and asked what she knew. Here’s what she had to say:

Hmmmm, Greens Cavern…I’ve honestly never heard of it. I went and checked with several Cleveland natives and those results came up nada, too. Of course, I may be missing something, but im not aware of any caverns like that in this area and I’ve not heard the story either. If it’s a real place, it sure sounds interesting. Maybe it’s some private caverns on someone’s property?

Justin’s Mysterious Messages

Other than my emails with William and Miranda, I hadn’t mentioned Green’s Caverns to anyone else or on any socials. So imagine my surprise when an email appeared in my personal Facebook messages about the subject in early June. Talk about synchronicity hard at work!

The messages came from Ryan K.’s Facebook account, but the person writing identified himself as Justin. He shared at least Part 1 of the emails. But then perhaps Ryan shared the others?

When I share this post with them I’ll get confirmation and leave any more info I find in the comments.

Part 1

I don’t know if you even remember but I don’t think the Green Caverns in Cleveland are real, they’re just a local myth.

Part 2

Hey there! My name is Justin, and I’m a resident of Cleveland, TN, I have been my whole life. My cousin Richard and I became interested in ghost hunting about 6 months ago, and have really enjoyed it so far.

Since we started ghost hunting, we’ve heard all these stories and such about Greens Cavern, and have tried to locate it for what seems like forever, but we always come up short. I’ve talked to many people here in Cleveland, and the general consensus is this: Many people don’t know where it is, or some people have actually been to Greens Cavern before when they were younger, but forgot where it’s located, and how to get there.

I’m here to tell you that Green’s Cavern does actually exist. My girlfriend and I were talking about ghost hunting and such, and when I brought up that I’ve always been frustrated because I can’t find Green’s Cavern, she tells me this: “I’ve been to Greens Cavern before! My brother took me there about a year and a half ago, it was pretty damn creepy!”

At first I was skeptical, because it seemed too good to be true. But then I thought to myself: “She’s never lied to me before, so why would she start now about this?”

So, according to my gal, the location of Greens Cavern is as follows. It’s not an exact, pin point location, but it’s close enough to that:

1. It’s some where in the area behind Toby McKenzie’s (local millionaire) new house that is currently being built. His new house is enormous, you really can’t miss it. (His new house is near a rich housing community called Anatole.)

2. You have to travel on a gravel road for a bit (1-3 miles, she said she couldn’t remember the exact mileage). She said they had to park their car and walk some of it (Not sure why, since it’s a gravel road. Maybe some part of the road was blocked, or under construction or something, may not be the case now)

Aside from that, she just said it was a really spooky place (they went at night), she didn’t really give any more info on the location/directions, so I’m assuming that’s all of it. I’m actually going to check it out myself (hopefully this weekend) to see if her directions are accurate.

Part 3

I lived on the other side of that ridge from the community he mentions. Growing up through middle school and high school I and every other person my age in the nearby neighborhoods were in those woods constantly.

We’d go out miles from our homes in the summer months and not once did we stumble upon any sort of cave.

and we would have.

My Reply, Part 1

Hey Ryan! Thanks for writing about this. It’s really odd you did because someone else recently brought this to my attention again, and then I asked another ghost hunting friend from Cleveland if she knew anything about this legend and she asked everyone and no one knew of it or of these alleged caverns.

So did you end up finding them based on the directions you had?

Part 4

I didn’t go off the directions, I didn’t even know about the myth at the time, but his directions would put you right in my old stomping grounds in those woods.

The neighborhood he was talking about is circled in green, and the areas where the local kids and I explored is circled in red.

His directions would have placed you right in that red circle which is a horse breeding facility. I would assume those gravel trails you see are where they’d ride the horses or something.

My Reply Part 2

Oooo! You’ve done some excellent research and I’m so psyched –yet also freaking out– you wrote right now because it was literally just within the last 10 days I was talking with my other friend about this!!!! I’ll be sure to credit you and share the update post when I have it. THANKS for reaching out like this. Love it!

Part 5

No problem, and again if you want some real Cleveland TN lore to write about there’s the mausoleum at St Luke’s Episcopal Church.

Stains that are claimed to be blood show up on it and no matter how many times they clean it they show back up.

Conclusion

Granted, parts of Justin’s email are a little confusing. The messages actually come from Ryan K.’s account. Then someone identifying himself as Justin writes, then I’m not sure who’s writing in Part 3 on.

I actually didn’t notice all of that until I started copying & pasting here.

However, I think it’s safe to say the gist is this: Green’s Caverns don’t exist and are an urban legend.

Bonus: The Bleeding Mausoleum

Funny Justin or Ryan or whoever it was who wrote mentioned the Bleeding Mausoleum. That’s also been on my list of places to jaunt to.

I haven’t been yet, but my friend Miranda? She has.

Her exploration of the Craigmiles Mausoleum, a.k.a. the Bleeding Mausoleum, was the first video she ever shared for Ghost Biker Explorations.

Until I can get there myself, at least I can jaunt there this way and so can everyone else!

Courtney Mroch

Courtney Mroch is a globe-trotting restless spirit who’s both possessed by wanderlust and the spirit of adventure, and obsessed with true crime, horror, the paranormal, and weird days. Perhaps it has something to do with her genes? She is related to occult royalty, after all. Marie Laveau, the famous Voodoo practitioner of New Orleans, is one of her ancestors. (Yes, really! As explained here.) That could also explain her infatuation with skeletons.

Speaking of mystical, to learn how Courtney channeled her battle with cancer to conjure up this site, check out HJ’s Origin Story.