The Walking Horse Hotel

Posted: 03.05.2025 | Updated: 03.12.2025

The Walking Horse Hotel stands at the heart of Wartrace, Tennessee. Birthplace of the Tennessee Walking Horse, it plays a crucial role in the town’s equestrian history. It’s also known for any number of restless spirits that have lingered in its rooms for over 30 years, including one trotting spook that’s aching for one last ride. 

Musical tunes fill the streets of Nashville,  but listen closely and you can hear the cry of restless spirits carrying through the air. Take a ghost tour through the darker side of Nashville with Nashville Ghosts! 

Hear the stories of the dead and who knows, you may even come face to face with one of this city’s haunting specters. Make sure to also check out our blog for more chilling stories from America’s most haunted locations.

Is the Walking Horse Hotel Haunted?

The Walking Horse Hotel is a centerpiece of adornment for Wartrace’s proud equestrian history. It’s also rumored to be haunted by several spirits who once walked its halls when they were alive. One in particular is tied to a tragedy that remains a subject of debate surrounding the hotel to this day. 

History of the Walking Horse Hotel

Wartrace, Tennessee is loaded with history going back to the 1700s. As its name suggests, several of its natural paths were used as wartrails by the Native Americans. A beech tree also stands at nearby War Trail Creek. It bears an engraving from 1813 by Andrew Jackson saying, “This is Wartrail Creek,”  the name it still uses to this day. 

It wasn’t officially incorporated until 1853, however. Rice Coffey donated eight acres of land to the newly chartered Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad (N&C). Its completion marked the beginning of the Wartrace Depot which was given a formal charter on October 3, 1853. Its name was shortened to Wartrace soon after. 

The Civil War soon came to Wartrace in 1862; Confederate soldiers had no choice but to endure the harsh winter elements here after their defeat in Murfreesboro. A bloody skirmish broke out in the town in April that same year. 

Wartrace continued to develop and became home to its own horse breed in the 1920s and 30s – the Tennessee Walking Horse. Local breeders and trainers came together at the Hotel Overall with the idea to hold an annual celebration in appreciation of their new-found breed.  Among them was the hotel’s owner, Floyd Carothers. 

Carothers horse, Strolling Jim, won the National Grand Champion Walking Horse Award that year. He also decided to change the name of his hotel to The Walking Horse Hotel. Strolling Jim remains buried right behind the hotel. 

The Walking Horse Hotel continued to operate until it suffered heavy fire and water damage in 2016. Today, its brick structure stands as an isolated landmark right in the heart of Wartrace. It remains closed at the time of this writing, but that hasn’t stopped its spectral visitors from hanging around. 

Hauntings Overview

Just the sight of The Walking Horse Hotel is enough to send heebie-jeebie vibes crawling through your skin. Perhaps it’s the overwhelming amount of spiritual energy that emanates from the hotel — home to several spirits who have a special connection to it in one way or another.

The earliest encounter happened to George Wright, the hotel manager, from 1980 to 1993. A photograph was taken of him sitting with a guest at the dining-room table. George wanted to use the picture in a brochure for the hotel, but he couldn’t. Two shimmering figures appeared in the photograph behind him and his guest.

Wright continued to experience more inexplicable activity: malfunctioning security cameras, noises, even a perfectly timed strange feeling to check on a prize horse in the stables with a life-threatening pregnancy.

With hindsight, Wright couldn’t help but suspect the spirit behind all these occurrences was none other than Floyd Carothers; his widow died sometime later, and with her death, the hauntings ceased — at least Carothers’ did. 

The trotting specter of Carothers’ former prized horse, Strolling Jim, has also been seen. Several local residents were spending the night to ring in the new year with drinks, laughs and good company. 

They were already off to an eerie start when they saw Strolling Jim’s ghost prancing around his grave in the back of the hotel. Could it have been the booze, or did they actually see Strolling Jim coming back to look for its former owner? 

Hotel Massacre

The wartime days of the town of Wartrace were long gone by the 1970s. Rumor has it that a Vietnam War veteran staying at the hotel wasn’t quite so fortunate. He was haunted by flashbacks to the hellish scenes he witnessed during the war. 

They became so intense one night that he supposedly went on a homicidal rampage, shooting and stabbing four other guests. Several years later, guests started to report hearing phantom sounds: disembodied voices, gunshots and footsteps running up and down the hallway at night. Anyone staying in Room 11 reported feeling like they were being watched. 

Haunted Nashville 

The country music capitol of the U.S., Nashville, Tennessee, lights up the night; an endless variety of entertainment, from the Grand Ole Opry to the endless music-filled honky tonks of Lower Broadway. However, something else hides in the background of this melodic cacophony. It’s where ghosts and phantoms hum a tune of their own…watching from the shadows. 

However, Nashville isn’t the only place in Tennessee with a boatload of haunts. Located an hour away is the peaceful town of Wartrace, known for its booming railroad past and proud equestrian reputation. It’s also home to the Walking Horse Hotel, a hotel filled with as much history as it has otherworldly tenants. 

There’s a more chilling side to Nashville, filled with haunting stories and lingering spirits. Brave enough to explore it yourself? Join us for a country-filled ghost tour through famous “Music City” with Nashville Ghosts! Be sure to stay connected with us through Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. You can also read more chilling stories from America’s most haunted locations on our blog!

Sources:

• https://nashvilleghosts.com/
• https://books.google.com/books?id=Fh11WlwYe9wC&dq=walking+horse+hotel&pg=PA342#v=onepage&q&f=false
• https://wartracechamber.org/history
• https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=152103
• https://starcasm.net/haunted-live-walking-horse-hotel/
• https://books.google.com/books?id=mSLiFwJzOH4C&dq=Strolling+Jim&pg=PA23#v=onepage&q=Strolling%20Jim&f=false