The Haunted Heart of Huntsville

By Editor | October 28, 2025 |

The Haunted Heart of Huntsville

Photo by Jodi Bond
The Historic Scott County Jail, now an historic museum, has become a tourist venture all its own, proving the importance of historic preservations in small towns across America. Throughout the year, the jail’s proprietors offer ghostly nighttime tours, where visitors can ask themselves: is the past still with us?

By Shane Gilreath
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To locals, the story is known. For visitors, it’s a step into an eerie past that might go something like this: under a full moon, the fog rises over a Huntsville evening. Clocks strike, chiming in repetition. The streets are still and dead silent. Suddenly, a thump in the night can be heard rising from the old sandstone jail that’s stood on Jail Street since 1904. For locals, who have long known of its past, such sudden disturbances might be quickly dismissed as ‘just the wind,’ but, historically, those who’ve dared step inside tell a different story.
Surrounded by tales of the community’s past – paranormal and otherwise – the Historic Scott County Jail now serves as a museum and ghostly attraction, but it once was the site of local jurisprudence: where justice, punishment, and tragedy became intertwined into Scott County’s story. If walls could talk, the building’s historic limestone has seen laughter, tears, and bloodshed, a reason, perhaps, that some local have said it never actually sleeps.
In 2021, driven by a passion for historic preservation, travel, and haunting legends and lore, Scott County native Miranda Young and her business partner, Dr. Kristy Sumner, opened History, Highways, and Haunts, LLC, transforming the long-abandoned structure into a daytime history museum and after-dark paranormal experience. Their mission, they say, is to preserve the county’s history while exploring its ghostly past. “I always knew this jail had a historic and haunted reputation,” Young said. “Now, the public can experience both sides of its story.”
The building, owned by the Town of Huntsville and lovingly rented and maintained by Young and Sumner, has become a hub of tourism, even earning international attention. “We have had thousands of visitors from all over the country and the world visit Scott County to see our jail. We have been featured on internal radio shows, TV shows, podcasts, a Sony music video, and every major news station from Knoxville,” says Young. “The exposure and the tourism dollars that we have brought to the county and to Huntsville has been tremendous. We have won awards from the state of Tennessee for our museum exhibits also, which is exciting for us,” Sumner told SCN.
“Mayor Jeffers and the Aldermen have been so supportive,” she added. “We pay the town rent, cover all utilities, and in return, we get to bring new life to the building.” That “life,” however, comes with company.
Some spirits, it seems, have no intention of leaving. So, as the bright Tennessee sun filters through old windows and illuminates century old walls, spotlighting the painstaking work of Sumner and Young, when dusk comes, the air grows heavy as though the past leans in to listen.
The stories are many. “The walls of the building have seen a lot during its history, and we believe that some of the spirits are still here watching over the jail and interacting with us on a daily basis,” Young said.
By legend, the unsolved murder of Sheriff Richard Ellis, in 1925, still haunts the front steps. Shot dead at the jail’s entrance while escorting a prisoner, Ellis’s killer was never caught. Visitors have reported heavy boots pacing the floor near the door where he fell, often accompanied by a faint whistle echoing through the hallway. Then there are the restless souls of Jerome Boyett and Harvey Winchester, both lynched in 1933 after killing a sheriff in the line of duty. According to lore, Boyett’s cell door rattles without cause, and Winchester’s shadow still glides across the floors where he once awaited trial.
“We constantly hear footsteps, doors creaking, and whistling when no one’s there,” said Young. “We’ve even seen a picture lift off the wall during a tour.” Sumner adds that they’ve recorded the voice of a child, perhaps a remnant from the days when the jailer’s family lived on-site.
Their after-dark tours, offered year-round, have drawn thousands of visitors from across the country and beyond. International tourists have flocked to Scott County because of the Jail Museum and it’s more than just October. “People ask if Halloween is our busiest time,” Sumner told SCN. “But the truth is, our spirits are active all year.”
Even the owners have had unnerving encounters. One night, while locking up alone, Sumner heard a man’s voice behind her quietly ask, “Can I get a cup of coffee?” Another night at 3AM, Young heard a deep humming coming from the back staircase and she knew she was the only person in the building.
Yet despite its haunted reputation, gaining momentum by the day, the jail is also a symbol of revival and pride. “When we opened this business, we wanted to make the community’s history the heart of everything we do,” Young said. The daytime museum caters to history buffs, while the escape room and gift shop offer lighter thrills. In 2023, their success led to an exclusive partnership with the Historic Village of Rugby to run all its after-dark programs.
“Our after-dark tours keep the lights on,” Sumner admits. “But it’s the stories – the human history – that keep people coming back.”

And in a way, perhaps that’s what keeps the spirits there, too.

So, as Halloween creeps near and the nights grow colder, the old jail once again becomes a gathering place for the curious and the brave. Visitors will wander the echoing halls, their footsteps blending with those of the unseen. A cell door groans, a whisper drifts down the stairs, and for just a moment, past and present overlap.
If you listen closely, you might hear a voice for a bygone age.
The Historic Scott County Jail Museum and Gift Shop is open Thursday through Monday from 11AM – 4PM for daytime tours. After-dark tours and escape-room experiences run Thursday through Sunday and must be booked in advance.
For tickets visit www.HistoricScottCoJail.com.