HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena, as catalogued
A federal-era inn in Tennessee's oldest town where sequestered jurors' voices are still said to carry through the Jury Room suite
127 West Main Street, Jonesborough, TN 37659
Research updated September 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$
Standard rooms are $189 per night Sunday through Thursday (room only) or $229 Friday and Saturday (with breakfast included), for up to two adults per room. Additional breakfast is $15 per person.
Access
Limited Access
The Russell Room is on the first floor and is described by the inn as mobility-impaired friendly; second-floor rooms are accessible only by stairs. The Town of Jonesborough's listing names a wheelchair-accessible room, though exact features are not confirmed.
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1797 · Among the oldest lodging buildings in Tennessee · Built in Tennessee's oldest incorporated town (1779) · Served as jury sequestration house in early 1900s · Located in Jonesborough National Register Historic District
Jonesborough was established in 1779 and is recognized as Tennessee's oldest town, predating statehood by seventeen years. The Eureka Inn, built in 1797 on Main Street, is one of the oldest surviving commercial lodging buildings in the state and sits in the heart of the downtown historic district, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
In the early twentieth century, the inn served a practical legal function: the Washington County Courthouse, which stands a short walk away, used the Eureka Inn's upper rooms to sequester juries during deliberations—a common practice when jurors could not be sent home without risking outside influence. The room now marketed as the Jury Room suite retained that use for decades.
WATE-TV and WJHL-TV, both regional broadcast news outlets based in Knoxville and Johnson City respectively, have sent news teams to document the inn and its paranormal claims on separate occasions, giving the site two independent broadcast news sources. The inn has operated continuously under various owners and continues to take overnight bookings.
Sources
Regional television crews from WATE and WJHL—two separate Tri-Cities broadcast outlets—both investigated the Eureka Inn and came away with similar findings: unexplained sounds, particularly voices and movement, concentrated in the upper-floor Jury Room suite. The inn's owners have embraced the reputation, characterizing the building as a 'happy ghost place' where the spirits seem benign rather than threatening.
The theory the inn promotes is that the energy of twelve men confined to a room night after night during long deliberations left some kind of residual presence. Guests who book the Jury Room specifically report hearing murmuring voices in the small hours, sometimes timed to when trains pass on the nearby rail line. Whether the explanation is paranormal or acoustic, the inn's legitimately old bones—built the same decade George Washington was inaugurated—make it one of the more plausible settings for unexplained experiences in East Tennessee.
Media Appearances
The Jury Room suite was used to sequester courthouse jurors in the early 1900s. Guests report hearing voices and footsteps, particularly in the upper-floor suite. The inn markets itself as a paranormal-friendly destination and has been investigated by regional TV news teams.
See current room rates and availability at Historic Eureka Inn.
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