KINGSPORT, Tenn. (WJHL) It has been called by some one of the most haunted tunnels on earth. Sensabaugh Tunnel lies in Kingsport in Sensabaugh Hollow.
“I’m a Sensabaugh, I was born here, my father was born here. His father settled here and we have been here for as long as I can remember,” said Jo Sensabaugh.
Local legend takes us back to the 1900s and Edward Sensabaugh. It is said he discarded the bodies of his young family in the creek in the tunnel shortly after he shot them.
“The story goes that he killed his family and his wife and baby and their spirits haunt the tunnel,” said Jo. “I’ve also heard that when they were building the railroad tracks over the hill there was a huge explosion and several workers were killed. I do know for a fact that they’re buried in the church in the parking lot. There’s nothing to identify the graves but some people say they haunt it as well.”
Rumors of death, satanic rituals and hauntings lead locals to believe this is an evil place.
“People have heard screams, they’ve heard loud noises, they’ve heard gunshots. Some people have actually said they saw a ghost,” said Jo.
People come here from all over looking for a scare. Many say if you turn off your car engine inside the tunnel, you will find the scare you seek.
“The car won’t restart and you hear babies crying or women screaming. That’s what I’ve always heard my whole life,” said Jo. Some even report seeing old man Sensabaugh walking toward their car in the mirrors while they are trapped in the tunnel.
For Jo, she thinks the local legends might be fudged by the family over the years to keep people off the property. But, it has not slowed anyone down.
“They still keep coming, yes they do,” said Jo.
With hundreds of local stories of screams, crying, and handprints left on cars, Jo says even she has never been here at night.
“It gave me the creeps when I just pulled in here. Oh yeah.”
