HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena, as catalogued
Greek Revival capitol designed by William Strickland (1845–1859), where Strickland and building commissioner Samuel Morgan are interred in opposing walls — and where their ghostly quarrel is reportedly still heard around 9 p.m.
600 Dr. M.L.K. Jr Boulevard, Nashville, TN 37243
Research updated October 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Free to enter; security screening at public entry. Free guided tours offered on weekdays.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Temporary mobility entrance: Cordell Hull building tunnel at 425 Rep. John Lewis Way North while Motlow Tunnel is closed. Guards direct Capitol visitors.
Equipment
Photos OK
National Historic Landmark · Greek Revival civic architecture by William Strickland · Interment site of architect Strickland (1854) and commission chairman Samuel D. Morgan (1880) · Burial site of President James K. Polk and First Lady Sarah Childress Polk on the grounds · Continuously occupied state capitol since 1855
William Strickland, a leading American Greek Revival architect, was hired to design the new Tennessee capitol and relocated from Philadelphia to oversee its construction. The cornerstone of the building was laid on July 4, 1845, and the final stone was placed on July 21, 1855, after roughly a decade of construction on Cedar Knob — the prominent limestone hill above downtown Nashville.
Throughout construction, Strickland and the chairman of the state's building commission, Samuel Dold Morgan, were at sustained odds over costs, design decisions, and pace of work. Strickland died on April 7, 1854, before construction was finished. By legislative direction his remains were interred within the building itself — in a vault in the northeast corner of the structure, accessible through the limestone walls.
When Morgan died on June 10, 1880, his remains were interred in the corresponding southeast corner vault of the same building, so that the two men who had feuded throughout construction would remain on opposite sides of the Capitol in death. Two other interments — President James K. Polk and his wife Sarah Childress Polk — are located on the Capitol grounds in a tomb beside the building.
The Capitol was occupied by Union forces during the Civil War and survived without significant damage. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1971 and continues to house the Tennessee General Assembly, the offices of the governor, and other state functions.
Sources
Nashville Ghosts and Ghost City Tours both center their Capitol coverage on the Strickland-Morgan story. Per the lore: architect William Strickland and building-commission chairman Samuel Morgan 'disliked each other severely, and would often be seen screaming … back and forth' throughout the nine-year construction. After Strickland's 1854 death and Morgan's 1880 death, both were interred in the limestone vaults of the building — Strickland in the northeast corner, Morgan in the southeast, deliberately placed on opposing sides of the structure.
Local lore holds that their feud continued in death. 'One of the best-known ghost stories of the Capitol' is the clearly audible quarrel between the two, typically reported beginning around 9 p.m. when the wind is right. Nashville-area police have reportedly been dispatched to investigate the noise and 'overhear the bickering themselves,' only to find the building empty when they enter.
Secondary reports collected by Ghost City Tours and Nashville Ghosts include: a Confederate guard apparition said to have been shot defending the flagpole and now seen pacing the exterior; a figure resembling President James K. Polk reported kneeling at the Polk tomb on the grounds (Polk's remains, along with First Lady Sarah Childress Polk's, are interred there); and a woman in antebellum evening wear seen walking the cupola tower late at night.
Notable Entities
Media Appearances
Free guided weekday tour of the Tennessee State Capitol; includes the chambers and the exterior vaults where architect William Strickland and commission chairman Samuel Morgan are interred.
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This Nashville tour includes Tennessee State Capitol on its route.
This Nashville tour includes Tennessee State Capitol on its route.
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