The Ghosts of Rotherwood MansionSouthern Haunt and Appalachian Folklore
Rotherwood Mansion in Kingsport, Tennessee, is one of the South’s most haunted homes - a place steeped in sorrow, cruel deeds, and restless spirits. The most famous apparition is the Lady in White, said to be the ghost of Rowena Ross, who wanders the halls mourning a lover lost to the Holston River.
Man they sure are a bunch of haints in northeast Tennessee! Man they sure are a bunch of haints in northeast Tennessee! Origin
The mansion was built in the early 1800s by Frederick Augustus Ross, a wealthy plantation owner and Presbyterian minister known for both his power and his strict rule.
His daughter Rowena fell deeply in love, but the man she cared for drowned mysteriously in the river beside the property before they could marry. Rowena never recovered - and after losing a second love and then a child, she died young, her grief carving a mark into the house itself.
Later owners included a notoriously cruel slave owner nicknamed "Peck" who, according to legend, brought darkness and punishment into those walls - and whose wickedness is said to echo there still.
Notes
Visitors and ghost hunters report chilling encounters:
- A woman’s soft sobbing drifting from empty rooms
- Cold winds swirling on still nights beside the river
- The feeling of hands pushing near the stairwell
- A black hound with burning eyes prowling the grounds - Peck’s spectral companion
Legacy
Today, Rotherwood remains a private residence shrouded in legend - a place where heartbreak and cruelty linger in equal measure.
Porch lights flicker, curtains sway when the air is calm, and the Lady in White still keeps her sorrowful watch over the Holston River.
In the quiet of a Tennessee night, the living try not to look too long at the windows - just in case someone looks back.
Dislaimer
What you're reading here is old Southern folklore and storytelling - not medical advice, and not meant to guide health, or pregnancy decisions (especially pregnancy decisions!). These tales are part of how folks once made sense of the world, passed down from grandparents and midwives.
If you have any medical questions or concerns, talk with a qualified healthcare professional.
Learn more on the Folklore hub page.
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