A-Z Blog Hop: Tree Ghosts

Trees have been a favorite haunting place for restless spirits. In northern India, shrines are built under trees to honor some of these spirits. In America a well know story is of Mrs. Linnie Jenkins and her crying pecan tree.

On April 12, 1981, Mrs. Linnie complained to her relatives of her pecan tree making awful noises. When her brother, sister-in-law, and others went to inspect the tree, they heard the crying sound but couldn’t find the cause. Some claimed the house was built on an ancient Indian burial site and the sound was of an Indian warrior spirit crying.

Word spread and the story was reported to the media. People came to stand in Mrs. Linnie’s yard just to listen to the tree. As the numbers grew Mrs. Linnie began charge a fee to discourage the crowds. It was reported that more than 5,000 people came to visit Mrs. Linnie’s pecan tree. Within a month the noise began to weaken and a copper tube was drilled into the tree the serve as a megaphone. The noise died altogether by April 30^th.

Explanations were given, such as beetles or gasses produced by souring wood in the tree. One far-fetched one was that seals in a subterranean sea were making whimpering noises. However, no proof was given, so this remains a small mystery to this day.

A Pecan tree photo by Carabou

Have you had any encounters with tree ghosts?

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