In 1923 ghost fever swept through Knoxville when a local man named John Stiles began experiencing strange activity while he was in bed overnight in his home on the corner of McKee and East Cumberland. The spirit first got Stiles attention shortly after he moved in by shaking him while he was trying to sleep. The experience left an impression on him and he had a hard time sleeping. On more than on occasion Stiles would roll over and find the apparition of a man in a white robe or a gray suit standing over him. Oddly enough, after a while Stiles got used to the spirit and asked him to sit down and talk to him. The friendly phantom refused to speak and only stood there with a big eerie toothy grin.
After a while the ghost became too much to take and Stiles and his family moved out of the house. Naturally, early 20th century ghost hunters got wind of what was going on in the house and began sneaking into the house at night. Things got so bad the the police had to increase patrol in the area just to keep people out.
Sadly, as Knoxville grew the old house was torn down to make room for a freeway. Today nothing remains of the old haunted house but it鈥檚 believed to have been located somewhere around James White Parkway close to the Knoxville Civic Auditorium.
