First United Methodist Church

Before white settlers arrived, the land where the church now stands was part of the extensive Cherokee territory that encompassed much of the southern Appalachian region. The Cherokee considered the mountains themselves to be sacred—the dwelling place of powerful spirits and the gateway between the physical and spiritual worlds.

Specific locations throughout the Smokies held particular spiritual significance. Natural rock formations, caves, and high peaks served as sites for ceremonies, vision quests, and communication with the spirit world. While it's unclear whether the exact site of the church held ceremonial importance, the broader area was undeniably sacred Cherokee land.

When Andrew Jackson's Indian Removal Act forced the Cherokee to leave their ancestral homeland in 1838, thousands died on the brutal journey west that came to be known as the Trail of Tears. But some Cherokee managed to hide in the remote mountains, refusing to abandon their sacred ground despite the government's demands. Their descendants still live in the region today, maintaining connections to the land and to the spirits of their ancestors who never left.

Among Cherokee legends, few figures inspire more dread than Spearfinger—known in Cherokee as U'tlun'ta. According to the stories passed down through generations, Spearfinger was an ancient witch whose body was made of stone, making her nearly invulnerable to weapons. She had the ability to shape-shift, appearing as a kind old woman to lure victims close before transforming back into her monstrous form.

Spearfinger's most distinctive feature was her right index finger, which was long and sharp like a spear—hence her name. She would use this finger to stab her victims in the liver, then consume the organ while her prey slowly died. The Cherokee believed she had an insatiable appetite for human livers and was particularly fond of targeting children.

The legends describe Spearfinger as dwelling in the high mountains, particularly areas with significant rock formations. She would build stone bridges across rivers and gorges, using her supernatural strength to move boulders that dozens of men could not lift. These stone structures served both as monuments to her power and as traps for unwary travelers.

According to Cherokee oral tradition, Spearfinger was eventually defeated when the people discovered that her one vulnerable spot was her hand. In a great battle, Cherokee warriors distracted the monster while a strategically placed archer shot an arrow through her palm, killing her. But some storytellers whisper that Spearfinger was never truly destroyed—that she simply returned to the stone from which she was born, waiting for the right moment to emerge once more.

Church members and visitors have repeatedly reported seeing Native American figures on the church grounds, particularly in the early morning hours or at dusk. These apparitions typically appear as Cherokee men and women dressed in traditional clothing, sometimes accompanied by children. They are described as appearing translucent but distinct, moving silently across the churchyard or standing near the stone walls as if examining them.

One of the most frequently reported encounters involves a Cherokee woman who appears to be searching for something. Witnesses describe seeing her walking slowly across the grounds, bending down as if looking at the ground, her movements suggesting profound sadness and loss. When anyone approaches her, she fades away without acknowledgment, as if the living world is invisible to her.

Some church members have reported hearing Native American chanting or singing, particularly during evening hours when the building is empty. The sounds seem to emanate from multiple directions at once, creating a haunting harmony that doesn't quite match any Cherokee songs that can be found in historical records. Some believe these are spiritual songs that were never written down, traditional melodies that existed only in oral tradition and died with the people who sang them.

The Cherokee spirits seem particularly active during times when the church community gathers—weddings, funerals, and major holidays. It's as if these gatherings remind the displaced spirits of their own lost communities, drawing them to witness celebrations they can no longer participate in. Their presence is not malevolent but profoundly melancholic, expressing a sadness so deep it seems to permeate the very atmosphere of the church grounds.

Far more unsettling than the Cherokee spirits are the encounters attributed to Spearfinger. While sightings are less frequent, they are considerably more terrifying. Witnesses describe a figure that appears to be made of stone or covered in stone-like skin, standing motionless near the church walls. The figure is typically described as an old woman of enormous size, towering over normal humans, with one hand held oddly—as if concealing something within the closed fist.

Those who have seen this entity report an overwhelming sense of malevolence and hunger. Unlike the sad Cherokee spirits, Spearfinger's presence feels predatory and threatening. Witnesses describe feeling watched by something that sees them not as people but as potential prey. Some have reported experiencing a sudden, inexplicable pain in their right side—near where the liver is located—when they encounter this apparition.

The stone witch seems particularly drawn to the church's walls, as if the limestone and crab orchard stone call to something within her stone nature. She has been seen running her hands along the church's exterior, sometimes appearing to merge partially with the stone itself before pulling free. On several occasions, witnesses have reported that the stones seem to shift or move slightly when she touches them, as if responding to her presence.

Most troubling are accounts involving children. Multiple parents have reported their children pointing to the church walls and saying they see "the stone lady" or "the old woman in the rocks." These children, too young to have heard Cherokee legends, describe a figure that matches traditional descriptions of Spearfinger remarkably well. Some parents have refused to bring their children back to the church after these encounters, frightened by their children's insistence that the stone lady "wants to come home with us."

Inside the church itself, the paranormal activity takes different forms. Members of the congregation report cold spots that appear suddenly during services, concentrated in specific areas of the sanctuary. These cold zones move slowly, as if an invisible presence is walking through the pews. Some sensitive individuals claim to feel the presence of Cherokee spirits attending the services, standing respectfully at the back of the church or along the walls.

The church's basement—which houses meeting rooms and storage areas—is considered particularly active. Staff members who work alone in the basement describe hearing footsteps above them when they know the main floor is empty. Others report the sensation of being followed as they move through the basement hallways, accompanied by the feeling of hot breath on the back of their necks despite being in a cool underground space.

Objects in the church occasionally move on their own or are found in different locations than where they were left. Bibles have been discovered open to specific passages, particularly those dealing with displaced peoples or divine judgment. Candles light themselves or extinguish without any draft or human intervention. And more than once, the church's piano has been heard playing in the middle of the night when the building is locked and empty—haunting melodies that no one recognizes but that sound distinctly Appalachian in character.

One of the most disturbing phenomena associated with the church is what some members call "the warning in the stone." On several occasions, people touching the church's exterior walls have reported receiving vivid, disturbing visions or feelings. These experiences typically involve images of Cherokee people suffering—scenes of forced removal, illness, and death. Some witnesses describe seeing the mountains as they once were, covered in ancient forests with Cherokee villages dotting the valleys.

Others receive darker visions connected to Spearfinger. They describe seeing through the eyes of the stone witch as she hunted the mountains, feeling her hunger and rage. These visions are accompanied by the sensation of stone grinding against stone and the metallic taste of blood. Those who experience these visions often report feeling physically ill afterward and describe having nightmares featuring the stone witch for weeks or months following their encounter.

Some Cherokee elders from the area have suggested that the stones themselves carry memory—that limestone and crab orchard stone quarried from the sacred mountains retain the spiritual energy of the land they came from. By building a church from these stones, the settlers may have inadvertently trapped Cherokee spirits and awakened something ancient that should have remained sleeping in the mountains.