HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena — as catalogued
+ 1 further entry on record
The 1850s plantation where a 21-year-old Confederate soldier refused to talk — and was hanged for it.
1399 Sam Davis Rd, Smyrna, TN 37167
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$
Admission fee for house tours; see website for current pricing.
Access
Limited Access
Rural plantation grounds; gravel paths and uneven terrain around outbuildings.
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1855 · Antebellum Tennessee Farmstead · Confederate Intelligence Operations · Civil War Execution Site History · Tennessee Heritage Landmark
The Davis family farm outside Smyrna was established in the mid-1850s on land that Charles Davis — Sam's father — had worked since the 1820s. The farmhouse, which still stands largely intact, is a typical Middle Tennessee vernacular structure expanded over time with outbuildings, slave quarters, and agricultural infrastructure common to mid-scale antebellum farming operations in Rutherford County.
Sam Davis enlisted in the 1st Tennessee Infantry Regiment in May 1861 at the age of nineteen. He later served as a courier for Captain Henry Shaw's Confederate intelligence operation. In November 1863, Union pickets captured Davis near Minor Hill, Tennessee, finding him in possession of sensitive military papers regarding Union troop dispositions. Union General Grenville Dodge's headquarters offered Davis his life in exchange for identifying the source of the intelligence — an offer Davis refused, reportedly saying, 'If I had a thousand lives, I would lose them all here before I would betray my friend or the confidence of my informer.' He was hanged on November 27, 1863, in Pulaski, Tennessee, at the age of 21.
Davis's body was returned to the family farm, where it lay in state in the front parlor before burial. Tennessee enshrined him as a Confederate hero — 'Boy Hero of the Confederacy' — a framing that persisted through the twentieth century in state monuments and schoolbooks. The home became a state historic site in 1927 and is now administered as a museum preserving the antebellum farmstead along with Davis family artifacts, military equipment, and documentation of his capture and trial.
Sources
The Sam Davis Home has attracted paranormal investigators for decades, drawn partly by the documented historical tragedy and partly by firsthand accounts from museum staff. The Rutherford County Historical Society has published accounts from site workers describing a young male figure seen near the smokehouse and outbuildings — some guides have identified this figure with Oscar Davis, Sam's brother, based on family resemblance as described by longtime staff, though no primary documentation confirms the identification.
A separate recurring report involves the front parlor — the room where Sam Davis's body lay in state after being returned from Pulaski. Staff members have described hearing a woman crying in that room when it is unoccupied, accompanied by cold temperature drops that differ from the rest of the house. The pattern is consistent enough that it is addressed explicitly in staff orientation materials.
WKRN's Haunted Tennessee documentary feature included footage from the Sam Davis Home, capturing interviews with staff who recounted EVP recordings taken by paranormal investigation groups granted overnight access. Davis's documented history — the willing acceptance of death to protect an unnamed informant — gives the site an unusual emotional weight that sets it apart from more ambiguous haunted landmarks.
Notable Entities
Media Appearances
Guided tours of the 1850s farmhouse and grounds covering Sam Davis's family, his Civil War service, capture, and 1863 execution by Union forces at Pulaski, TN. Includes the outbuildings and the room where his body lay in state after being returned home.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
Charles City, VA
Benjamin Harrison IV built the current mansion at Berkeley Plantation in 1726, making it the oldest three-story brick structure in Virginia. The plantation became the birthplace of President William Henry Harrison in 1773 and the ancestral seat of a family that produced a signer of the Declaration of Independence and two U.S. Presidents. During the Civil War, General McClellan used the mansion as his headquarters and the cellar held Confederate prisoners.
Murfreesboro, TN
Built in stages from 1818 to 1858 by the Maney family, Oaklands Mansion is one of Middle Tennessee's finest Italianate antebellum homes. It witnessed the opening shots of the First Battle of Murfreesboro in July 1862 and hosted Confederate President Jefferson Davis in December of that year.
Macon, GA
Built between 1855 and 1859 for businessman William Butler Johnston at a cost of approximately $100,000, the Italian Renaissance Revival mansion at 934 Georgia Avenue has been called the 'Palace of the South' and is a National Historic Landmark. The Felton family held it through the Civil War period; Confederate general Henry Gray Felton occupied it during the war. The Hay family acquired the house in 1926 and donated it to The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation in 1977.