The ancient, rolling Smoky Mountains are rich terrain for eerie legends. Throughout the hills and hollows, people and events of generations past are said to linger into the 21st Century.
The Greenbrier Restaurant, a mountainside log structure on the outskirts of Gatlinburg, is a favorite dining destination among locals and regular visitors to the Smoky Mountain resort village. The ascent up the shady, secluded, winding driveway is a pleasant prelude to a charming meal. From appetizers (escargot a la Bourguignon, French onion soup en crock . . .) to main courses (roast prime rib of beef au jus, mountain trout, lobster tails, stuffed pork tenderloin . . .), customers know they can expect fine dining in a cozy, rustic atmosphere.
Occasionally, they experience the unexpected: the ghost of Lydia.
The Greenbrier’s Romantic Tragedy
Lydia, according to the story, was a young woman engaged to be married. On her wedding day, her betrothed vanished, leaving her waiting at the church.
This allegedly occurred shortly after the Greenbrier opened as a lodge in 1939. Lydia, a resident at the inn, returned in anguish, swung a rope over a rafter and, still dressed in her wedding gown, hung herself at the second-floor landing.
That alone would have been the seed for a good ghost tale—but the plot thickened. Several days later, the corpse of her lover was discovered in the mountain forest. His body was horribly mangled, apparently by a bear or cougar.
Superstitious locals rumored that the wild beast was none other than Lydia. They held that her infuriated spirit had entered the physical form of the animal, stalked the man who had jilted her and exacted revenge.
Sightings by Customers & Staff
Staff at the Greenbrier attest that a “small, sad figure” often appears, usually on the landing where Lydia took her life. Curious customers sometimes ask about the strange young lady they saw as they passed by.
Juanita Baldwin, in Smoky Mountain Ghostlore, chronicles one report of a “transparent” woman’s figure—in the men’s restroom. The witness claimed he was terrified and complained that the proprietors should post a WARNING notice.
Others have vowed that although they saw nothing, they felt the presence of the tragic ghost.
The Smokies’ Supernatural Legacy
Countless ghost stories circulate throughout the Smoky Mountains of eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina. They vary from witchcraft to mysterious lights on distant slopes to the ghost of a slain revenue officer to the eerie wailing of workers who died while excavating a railroad tunnel.
The Greenbrier Restaurant is at 370 Newman Road in Gatlinburg. For more information, visit the Web site or phone (865) 436-6318.
Sources:
Baldwin, Juanita. Smoky Mountain Ghostlore. Suntop Press (2005).
Greenbrier Restaurant Web Site.
Daniel Harmon - Author of more than 70 books, mainly grade-level educational works for the library market. Topics include histories, biographies, ...
