Nashville may be best known for its music, but the echoes of the past linger in more ways than just the resonances of song. Beyond the bright lights of Broadway and the soulful tunes of Music Row, eerie shadows dance in the darkest corners of its history. Let’s take a deeper dive into the haunted beats of Music City and uncover its hidden haunts.
Printer’s Alley
Printer’s Alley, despite its name, is no longer a center for print shops but rather a popular nightclub district. At one point, though, it had numerous print shops, newspapers, and publishing houses. It’s one of the most famous alleys in Nashville and quite busy on weekend nights.
Shops on the alleyway started serving alcohol when selling booze was still illegal in Nashville, claiming that the alcohol was brown bagged – brought in by customers. By the 1960s, however, Nashville legalized the sale of alcohol, and more clubs and bars started opening in the alleyway.
Tragedy arrived at Printer’s Alley when, in 1998, David “Skull” Schulman, a businessman who owned the Rainbow Room bar in the alley, was bludgeoned to death in a suspected robbery.
The Rainbow Room had opened back in 1948. In those days, Printer’s Alley was quite a seedy part of town and a center for debauchery, according to Nashville Ghosts. As I mentioned, bars were operating there illegally, with a popular brothel by the name of Climax Saloon among them.
Schulman, a Nashville native, was highly regarded in the Nashville music scene. Willie Nelson himself appeared on America’s Most Wanted in an attempt to help catch Schulman’s killers. It was only many years later when two drifters were arrested for his killing.
By that time, the Rainbow Room had already closed — it didn’t stay open long after Schulman’s death. But in 2015, it reopened again. Some things had changed, but one thing didn’t – Schulman’s presence. The Nashville entrepreneur’s spirit still hangs around the Rainbow Room.
Schulman had always been a kind soul, and none of that changed. His ghost doesn’t hurt anyone, but it does make its presence known. The second to last barstool had always been reserved for Schulman, and if you happen to sit there, your drink will be moved to the side. Take this as a sign that you should get up and give up your seat for him.
The Grand Ole Opry Curse
One of the biggest mysteries in Nashville history is the Grand Ole Opry curse, an alleged curse that has killed dozens of country music singers and celebrities.
The Grand Ole Opry is Nashville’s pride and joy. The country music broadcast, which has delighted the country with the latest country music hits since the 1920s, was once housed in the Ryman Auditorium, a large auditorium in Nashville where concerts are often held.
Built in the late 1800s by Thomas Ryman, it was designed as the Union Gospel Tabernacle. For over a decade, prayers took place there regularly. However, to make some extra money to pay off the costs of building the structure, concerts were later held there. After Ryman’s death in 1904, it was transformed entirely into a concert hall and auditorium.
Did this anger Ryman’s soul? Some believe that it did and that, in his ire, he cursed the building, which is where the legend of the Grand Ole Opry curse came from. –
A series of sudden and horrific deaths struck the country music community, killing off several stars one by one. There were a couple of car crashes, a couple of plane crashes, and other deaths. In one month alone, March 1963, five Grand Ole Opry stars died in different ways. The most jarring was that of Texas Ruby’s death, who died as her husband was making an appearance on the Grand Ole Opry.
The Grand Ole Opry eventually moved out of the Ryman Auditorium. Today, the Ryman Auditorium is said to be haunted by several characters, including Thomas Ryman himself.
President Polk’s Tomb
President Polk’s grave is a popular stop on any Nashville ghost tours. President Polk died of suspected cholera at his house, Polk Place, in Nashville.
Although his will specified that he be buried in the grounds of Polk Place, this did not happen – at least not right away. Because of his suspected cholera, his body was buried in a mass grave in Nashville City Cemetery, as per city regulations. It wasn’t until the next year that his body was moved to Polk Place. His wife, Sarah, was later laid to rest next to him.
Later, Polk Place was sold, and both Polk and his wife were reinterred at the Tennessee State Capitol, where a lovely tomb was built in their honor.
You might think that the former president finally got some peace, but no – the Tennessee Senate, in 2017, approved a resolution to move the President once again, this time to his former home in Columbia, Tennessee. This plan is currently in limbo, as it has faced opposition from the Tennessee Historical Commission.
The suspense has probably upset the former president, who has no say in his soul’s future. He does not know if he can finally relax or if he will be moved yet again. Many believe that his body's constant movement disturbed his peace in heaven, preventing him from enjoying paradise.
A slim, dark figure can often be seen knelt over the tomb. It is believed to be President Polk himself, apologizing to his wife for the constant disturbances. No longer able to sleep in peace, he sometimes wanders the grounds of the Tennessee State Capitol, where he is currently buried.
