HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena — as catalogued
1886 Romanesque-and-Gothic-detailed courthouse in downtown Knoxville, on the site of an earlier county jail (1845-1873) reportedly tied to Knox County's only legal hanging, where workers describe shadow figures and slamming doors after hours.
300 West Main Street, Knoxville, TN 37902
Research updated May 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Government-office building; lobby and grounds free to view
Access
Wheelchair OK
Paved sidewalks and accessible entrances; some historic interior areas restricted
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1886 · Fourth Knox County courthouse on the site · Designed by Palliser and Palliser, built by Stephenson and Getaz (1884-1886) · Served as primary Knox County courthouse until 1980 · Grounds include monuments to the 1790s federal blockhouse and the 1791 Treaty of Holston · Site of a former county jail (1845-1873)
The current Knox County Courthouse was built in 1886 at a cost of $82,000, designed by the architectural firm Palliser and Palliser with construction overseen by Stephenson and Getaz. It was the fourth courthouse to serve Knox County, following earlier buildings from 1793, 1797, and 1842. Construction began in 1884 on a lot across the street from the third courthouse, which at the time was occupied by a hotel known as the Mansion House.
The building is best known for its prominent clock tower and was marketed as fireproof, featuring a 2,500-pound bell. The grounds include monuments to Dr. John Mason Boyd, a marker for the 1790s federal blockhouse, a stone commemorating Knoxville's status as the first capital of Tennessee, a Treaty of Holston (1791) memorial, and 'The Hiker,' a Spanish-American War memorial.
The earlier county jail on or near the site operated from 1845 to 1873, before the present courthouse was constructed. Local history sources, including ghost-tour writeups, associate the site with Knox County's only legal hanging and additional executions at the nearby 'Gallows Hill.' Specific named-defendant primary-source detail on these executions is not readily available in our verified sources.
The courthouse remained the county's primary judicial seat until 1980, when court functions moved to the City-County Building. The building continues to operate as a government services center: passport, vehicle registration, voting, and county clerk offices serve the public Monday through Friday.
Sources
Paranormal accounts at the Old Knox County Courthouse, primarily collected by ghost-tour operators, focus on the site's historical use as a county jail prior to the present 1886 building. According to the US Ghost Adventures Knoxville Ghost Tour writeup and the New2Knox '7 Most Haunted Spots' listing, workers report shadow figures dancing along walls, disembodied footsteps in the old hallways, and slamming doors after hours.
The site is locally associated with Knox County's only legal hanging, with additional executions reportedly carried out at nearby 'Gallows Hill.' Ghost-tour material claims county employees avoid entering the building at night, though we did not locate named first-person testimony from county staff in published, verifiable sources.
The courthouse is a recurring stop on the US Ghost Adventures Knoxville Ghost Tour. Because the documented lore is concentrated in ghost-tour writeups rather than independent first-person testimony, the paranormal claims here are best treated as traditional tour narrative anchored to a real, historically documented site of incarceration and execution.
Independent corroboration: Lizzie Borden's Haunted Knoxville Ghost Tour, Visit Knoxville's Haunted Places feature, Haunted Knoxville Ghost Tours' Paranormal Adventures, and a UT Daily Beacon article on Knoxville's haunted historic houses each independently treat the Old Knox County Courthouse as an established haunted site. Shadow figures along the east and west wings, after-hours footsteps in the oldest section of the building, and lore tied to the former jail period (1845-1873) and to the area's hanging history are cited consistently across sources.
Notable Entities
Walk-around tour of the 1886 building, its clock tower, and the surrounding monuments commemorating the federal blockhouse site, the 1791 Treaty of Holston, and Knoxville's status as Tennessee's first capital.
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