Chester Inn

Tennessee's oldest town features this 1797 inn where Presidents Jackson, Polk, and Johnson all stayed — and where giggling phantom women are heard by male guests at night.

The Chester Inn was built in 1797 in Jonesborough, Tennessee's oldest town (founded 1779). The inn hosted three future presidents: Andrew Jackson, James K. Polk, and Andrew Johnson, as well as countless travelers on the Great Stage Road connecting Virginia to Tennessee. Named a Travel Channel Top Ten Haunted Town in America, Jonesborough's ghost stories center on this historic inn. Male visitors sleeping in the inn have reported hearing giggling women in the late hours of the night, particularly when a train passes by — female guests never hear the laughter. The phantom women are rumored to be spirits of 'ladies of ill-repute' who once entertained travelers at the establishment. Staff have also reported doors opening on their own, unexplained footsteps in the hallways, and cold spots in the upstairs guest rooms.