Historic Haunt: the U.S. Marine Hosptial in Memphis, TN
Indigenous People’s ceremonial land, a Civil War & Yellow Fever hospital and asylum that will soon be… luxury apartments?
While originally located in Napoleon, Arkansas, the formerly abandoned U.S. Marine hospital, located right next to the National Ornamental Metal Museum, is currently perched hilltop overlooking the Mississippi River in downtown Memphis, Tennessee. The original building was established to serve the mid-South military in July of 1798, but it was destroyed by flooding in the 1870s and relocated to where it stands now. During the Yellow Fever Epidemic, the hospital was utilized as a treatment and cure research facility. Unfortunately, due to the pretty unsophisticated medical care of the time, many who went into the hospital seeking help eventually died there.
Neighboring the other side of the Metal Museum are the mounds belonging to Chief Chisca that the Civil War armies hollowed out to use for gun and supply storage. They are a part of Fort Pickering; a Union outpost, then independent city before being incorporated into the city of Memphis. Fort Pickering was also built on Chickasaw Indigenous American ceremonial land.
Anywhere people are ailing, injured, dying, and dead, there is speculation of ghosts and residual energies. The establishment has been drenched in lore and supernatural rumor since its opening in 1884 and well passed its final days as a medical facility in the mid-1960s. Most common paranormal reports from the museum visitors and staff, plus those who have ventured into the abandoned part of hospital, are disembodied voices and feelings of being followed or watched. It was reported on an episode of Destination America’s Ghost Asylum that there is a Confederate solider’s ghost stuck there. They even seemingly caught video evidence of an apparation. I, personally, had never heard that legend until watching the episode for research.
Over the years many people have explored the long-abandoned buildings, myself included. A group of friends and I went one year for Friday the 13th (of course). We went during the day and stayed until sunset. It was fairly difficult to get in, but it was well worth it. We didn’t have any paranormal experiences outright, but I did capture, what I believe to be an orb. Here are two photos taken in succession on my, then, iPhone 5:
more photos from our day there:
The building has been uninhabited since closing officially in 1979. Until NOW! It’s currently being remodeled into luxury apartments, which I assume to be lofts because those are trendy for downtowns right now. The complex is an $18million project that was started in 2019. The “Marine Residence” (a name taken from the fact it was a Marine hospital or for overlooking the scenic Mississippi River) is now taking leasing applications for anyone who wants to live in revamped hospital and asylum thats built on sacred ceremonial and Civil War grounds!
Most in the area are rightfully concerned about the gentrification that will come from such expensive housing being there. There is low income housing not even two miles away from the Metal Museum and Downtown has the highest concentration of low income and unhoused people in the city. We’ve seen this happen around Graceland as well. The city builds hotels and apartments to attract tourism, but leaves the area around to decay. Gentrification is certainly a major issue the city is going to have to deal with, but I’m wondering what will happen when reports of hauntings start rolling in.
Whether or not you believe in ghosts, there’s no arguing that the land has seen a immense amount of suffering and ties to this city’s history with racism, the Civil War, and disease epidemics. Even before this remodel, the reports of apparitions, voices, and typical things related to hauntings proves that energy definetely remains.
Plus, ghosts never really seem to be huge fans of remodels and rebuilds!
