It may not be fall yet, but that doesn’t mean we have to wait to think about shady lanes, colorful leaves and…ghost stories!
As I mentioned last fall, I’ve been fascinated by the (local) legend of Vishnu Springs since I was a teenager. And, as I mentioned, I certainly haven’t trespassed on the property or, um, taken pictures while I was(n’t) there.
After that post, I heard from several other people in the area who find the place fascinating. I heard from an old friend who said his family had a strong connection to previous owners, and that somewhere in his family home an interesting Vishnu-related artifact is hidden away.
Now, I am happy to report that people who hear about the legend and want to know more can go to a new, professionally created web site (sponsored by a new-ish organization, Friends of Vishnu. )
It’s all there—everything and anything you might want to know. The creepy, troubled history of its previous owners. The 60′s resurgence / commune. The status of the place today.
Ponder this:
It might be true that, had something like this existed when I first heard about the place (back in the dark ages of the 90′s, when there warn’t no Internets), the whole story might have seem less ghostly, less like a legend, less fascinating—since such a huge part of what made it fascinating was its hidden status, something you only heard about through word of mouth.
But at the same time, having a professional site like this could help raise funds and support, and therefore keep the place protected.
If you, too, find the legend of Vishnu Springs interesting, be sure to visit the site and check out the photo collection, which contains images of the hotel and grounds from pre-1900′s all the way up through today.
Have you (not) trespassed to Vishnu? Do you know people who know stories about it? I wanna know.
Tags: Vishnu_Springs
My great grandfather, Albert Simmons, ran Vishnu for awhile back when it was still a hotel. My mother used to spend time there in the summers. My great grandpa always said that the spring water had healing power. My mom became ill when she was younger and was in the hospital for awhile, my great grandpa made her drink the water every day. She got better, and has never had that ailment again.
I was out hiking today in the Vishnu Springs area. I have yet to actually come across the Capitol Hotel. I can’t seem to pinpoint exactly where the trail is that leads back to abandoned village. I turned on County Rd 1100 and drove west an then turned south on County Rd 175. After pondering around in a field for almost an hour I then drove to County Rd 200. Drove till it turned into a dirt road of two tire tracks. County Rd 175 does the same thing and I drove on that until I hit a corn field. I lived in Hancock County most of my life and I never hear of Vishnu Springs until the explosion of the internet. Anyway I have hiked a lot in that area, mostly along Crooked Creek. All I can say is there are some spots that give me the creeps. I know when they built the 4 lane highway out going out of Tennessee they did a lot of archeological work in the area because of ancient Indian burial sites uncovered in the area. I often wonder if maybe Vishnu Springs itself was once such a burial site that was disturbed. I have heard over the years that the local area has been said to be haunted. I am glad that a lot of individuals are interested in preserving the area.
@Nick, I’ve heard people claim that Vishnu could be haunted, but never because of the American Indian connection! And yes, I too am glad that the area is being preserved. WIU now owns the property and is using it as a biological study area for students.