On the freezing cold morning of December 30th, 1882, a group of 30 convicts (belonging to a chain gang) entered a boat on the eastern side of the Tuckasegee River. The water was frigid, and heavy puddles from a rainstorm the night before sloshed on the boat as it began to make its way to its destination, the 700-foot-long Cowee Tunnel. The tunnel was constructed prior to the railroad line to keep up with construction.

As the men began to grow weary of the large puddles of water forming in the boat, and a cable line attached to the boat pulled them nearer to their destination deep within the wild and untamed mountains, some passengers became fearful the boat was beginning to drown. Police guards yelled at the men to calm down, but the panic had been sparked and the prisoners began to push towards the front of the boat. With constant, back-and-forth commotion, the boat capsized into the frozen river.

Sharon Soligny/ Google
Being bound together by a chain, the men tried desperately to keep their heads above water and swim to the shore. Onlookers watched from the banks, no one making a genuine effort to help the 19 terrified men besides one convict, Anderson Drake. Drake climbed out of the river only to jump back in and save prison guard Fleet Foster. One by one, each entangled in the other, began to sink to the bottom. As those still above the water cried and screamed for help, the 11 other convicts and guards left on the boat were swept down the river. Eventually, a still silence in the air, all the men drowned beneath the freezing cold water of the Tuckasegee River.

Everyone called Drake a hero, that he would certainly be released from the grueling labor. That night, instead of reaping the rewards of his heroic actions, he was whipped and sentenced to 30 years hard labor (after Foster's missing wallet was discovered in Drake's belongings). Drake went back to work immediately on the Cowee Tunnel.

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On New Years Day, the 19 bodies were pulled from the river and buried in shallow, unmarked graves on a hill facing the entrance of the tunnel (although recent investigations speculate they might have been buried elsewhere). The Cowee Tunnel was completed, but strange events kept occurring.
Richard/ Flickr
Over the years, Cowee Tunnel remained a spot for frequent disasters and mishaps. There were train derailments, cave-ins, a pitch black blind curve in the middle of the tunnel that jolted train conductors and caused severe accidents. Local folklore has attributed that the 1882 disaster was so tragic, that the 19 lives lay unmarked on a hillside, that Drake be sentenced to work after his heroic act...that the Cowee Tunnel was indeed cursed, and possibly by Drake himself.

Inside the tunnel, there's a constant moisture on the top. Streams of water fall down the sides, and some say it's the tears from the 19 deceased convicts.

Today, the Cowee Tunnel is somewhat hard to access but can be found along the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad. The Cowee Tunnel Disaster is indeed one of the greatest tragic occurrences in Western, North Carolina.

Do you have any experience with the Cowee Tunnel? Any stories or spooks you’d like to add?

If you love a good North Carolina ghost story and are looking for an easier-to-access haunted location, take a drive down this haunted road.

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More to Explore

Cowee Tunnel

Chris Dodge | September 01, 2022

What are some other bone-chilling locations in North Carolina? 

If you are looking through North Carolina for abandoned places, creepy locations, or horrifying haunts, then you have come to the right place. So, if you are brave enough, then continue reading. If the Cowee Tunnel tragedy allured you into the darkness of this underpass then check out more information on the horrifying tales found in this cursed tunnel. If you insist on returning to creepy tunnels then maybe we can entice you with this abandoned tunnel, simply in the middle of nowhere. You will have to hike to get there, and many people have claimed that this tunnel is haunted. Grab your hiking backpack and head out on a long and hard trek through the woods to a plane crash site. There is just something creepy about seeing the wreckage of a crash that claimed someone's life. Some people have claustrophobia while others have the fear of death. Both are pretty common; there is one story about a horseman that is truly chilling. This man was buried alive and tried to claw his way out of his untimely demise. Gave sites are classic places where you can go to find terrifying stories of the deceased. There is a story of a weeping arch that got its name from dripping a red liquid on visitors. Old Civil War gravesites are said to have whole armies of ghosts in them, even gunfire and battle cries can be heard from the cemetery. All of these tales and more can be found in these 7 haunted graveyards. 

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Cowee Tunnel Road, Cowee Tunl Rd, North Carolina 28779, USA