North Carolina has plenty of history and haunts, with one of our most haunted cities being Asheville. From an architect buried in the walls of his own creation to the Pink Lady of the Grove Park Inn, even to all the mysterious hauntings at the Biltmore Estate – things get both spooky and historic in this mountain city. Yet, there’s one place where if you stroll after dark, things might get extra frightening. This very well might be the most haunted street in North Carolina.

Flickr / Joe Clay
Chicken Alley is a small, narrow walkway found in downtown Asheville. The name is derived from the fact that chickens used to congregate here in the city's early days. Today, the main chicken here is the large mural by local artist Molly Musk. Yet, while the mural adds a bit of color and flair, something much darker lurks in this alley.
Flickr / mikecarrick
At the end of the 19th century, Dr. Jamie Smith was a prominent physician in the Asheville community. He was known for his odd attire: he frequently wore a wide-brimmed black fedora hat and long, duster-style coat. With him always were his medicine bag and a can with a silver pommel on it. During those days, Asheville was somewhat a more dangerous and rough around the edges city. Men working in the nearby logging industry would come into town on the weekends for a drink and a good time. Dr. Smith was no stranger to a good time either. Rumors swirled the majority of his clients came from treating various sexual and social diseases that derived from said good times.

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In 1902, though, the good times reached a terrible end when Dr. Smith entered Broadway's Tavern at Chicken Alley. In a wrong place, wrong time scenario, he had walked into a vicious bar brawl. While trying to break up the fight, he was stabbed in the heart and died instantly. A year after the stabbing, Broadway's Tavern burned to the ground, and Dr. Smith's killer was never found. For the past 100 years, people who live in Chicken Alley and those who are just passing through have reported witnessing a man lurking the alley late at night.
Reid Price/ Flickr
While Asheville has plenty of haunts, Chicken Alley is considered the most haunted area of the city. Many believe that the ghost seen is that of Dr. Jamie Smith. Usually, the figure appears wearing a long coat and wide-brimmed fedora, and the tapping of a cane on pavement accompanies his figure or is heard by itself. Locals have yet to decide why he still wanders around the place he met his end - some say to fight, others say he just wants a drink.

While those who now call Chicken Alley home have obviously had to make peace with Dr. Smith’s ghost (and frequent habit of tapping his cane) it’s also an eerie place where a few brave visitors will walk alone down on a dark night. Have you been to the most haunted street in North Carolina before or witnessed Dr. Smith’s ghost yourself?

If you’re looking to take your ghost investigation to a statewide level, we’ve compiled the 10 most terrifying, haunted places in the state.

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most haunted street in North Carolina

Chris Dodge | September 02, 2022

Are there other haunted streets in North Carolina? 

The Tar Heel State is home to some pretty terrifying tales. Whenever you have a long history there are bound to be legends that emerge. There is plenty of dark history in this southern gem. There is a story of a road in Whiteville where a young girl was murdered. It is said her heart was cut out by her killer and when you drive the road today you will hear the beating of a heart and it will get louder and louder as you get closer to the crime scene. A horrific accident in Richfield now has tales of ghosts that will push cars up the hill when you put it into neutral. These are just tastes of things you will find on these 7 haunted roads. 

What are some other creepy spots in North Carolina?

If you dare to continue down the road of the unknown then we have more horror for you. Check out the tragedy surrounding the Cowee Tunnel and see just why it is a terrifying place to go. Cemeteries are always a popular place when you want to find the active dead wandering around. These 7 cemeteries will tell tells of bleeding arches, angry ghosts, and whole phantom armies from old wars haunting the grounds. There is also an Airbnb you can share with a ghost. If spending a lovely night with disembodied footsteps, mysterious music boxes, and flickering lights doesn't bother you then this place can be yours for the night. We say it is yours, but you will have to share it with a ghoul. If you don't want to stay the night in a haunted house then perhaps a tour of one will be more to your liking. There is a coastal property that has been visited by some rather abnormal supernatural activity.

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Chicken Alley, Asheville, NC 28801, USA