Delve into the mysteries and history behind this Chatham County landmark
By Morgan Cartier Weston | Photography by John Michael Simpson
Darkness falls over the Devil’s Tramping Ground on a muggy July evening, and the rhythmic hum of cicadas and frogs intensifies, their symphony punctuated by the occasional lowing of a cow or the startling yip of a coyote traversing nearby Falls Creek. The unsettling atmosphere has held a magnetic pull on both skeptics and believers for generations.
Paranormal investigator Wyatt Dowdy notes the eerie quiet within the circle itself is one of its most puzzling features. “It makes everything echo,” he says. “I’ve never seen a breeze blow through the circle, either. It’s especially spooky when the sun goes down.” Wyatt says he heard voices just beyond the edge of the trees on his most recent visit to the site in May; Kevin Saunders, another investigator, captured on video what looks like human-shaped fog walking through the woods a few years back. Wyatt’s mother, Amy Dowdy, says she saw water running uphill at the Tramping Ground after a storm when she was a teenager.
Amy was also present when Wyatt had his first paranormal encounter at age 4. “We were driving home from Siler City one day, and something darted across the road and scared us both,” Wyatt says. “We stopped, but there was nothing there.” He also experienced strange happenings in the 100-year-old Bennett farmhouse where he grew up (though Amy and his dad, Eugene Dowdy, never have). “There was this playful spirit – it would do things like tickle my feet when I was asleep,” Wyatt says. “He has always been sensitive to things like that,” Amy adds.
Wyatt made his first visit to the Devil’s Tramping Ground years ago as a student at Chatham Central High School in Bear Creek. “Growing up around here, my friends and I were familiar with the lore,” he explains, “[that] if you leave something in the center of the circle overnight, it will be gone the next morning. We snuck out of my buddy’s parents’ house to test the legend for ourselves, but when we got to the driveway, the pathway to the circle was pitch black. We all felt this overwhelming feeling of dread and got out of there without stepping foot inside.”
This past spring, Wyatt filmed a video on the spot for his YouTube channel, Deep Chatham Paranormal. He brought along friends and fellow content creators Isaac Craig and Jeff Dooley, both of Charlotte, to help out. “We experienced quite a bit of activity,” Wyatt says. “After the sun went down, it picked up, and I saw what looked like a girl in white running into the woods. Then, we clearly heard the word ‘run’ on the radio scanner.” They listened.
On our visit, Wyatt and his wife, Erica Dowdy, set up several pieces of equipment designed to detect anomalies: a REM pod and music box that respond to movement with a flashing light and loud tone, and a haunting melody, respectively; a Mel Meter and TriField meter to detect electromagnetic fields and temperature fluctuations; and an SB7 spirit box, which scans radio frequencies – the same tool that told Wyatt and his fellow investigators to run. “You could sit out all night and get nothing, or you might get something in five minutes,” Wyatt says. Over the course of the evening, he detects high EMF readings around a small metal cross tied to the gate, and the music box twinkles on and off mysteriously at various intervals, interrupting our conversations.
Tamara Owens’ family has owned the land where the Devil’s Tramping Ground lies for more than 100 years. She says soil tests performed over the years indicate the earth below the desolate circle is neutral to salty, but no copper or other materials that would prevent growth have been detected. Her late father, Robert “Bobby” Dowd Jr., relished the energy that surrounded the spot and even hosted a Woodstock-style music festival there in 1978. Today, Tamara refuses to go to the circle alone at night.
There is no unanimous scientific answer as to why nothing grows on the site, but there are plenty of stories. “Some people say this is a Native American battle site, while others say a UFO landed here or witches once used the circle to practice magic,” Tamara says.
The Devil’s Tramping Ground remains an enigma despite speculation and countless investigations over the centuries. Written records of the site date back as early as the 1700s, referring to it as “poisoned land.” An 1852 survey describes the area as “worthless.” Some attribute the lack of answers to the supernatural, while others look to the mysteries of nature and geology for explanations. Various accounts mention seeing apparitions, compasses malfunctioning and hearing strange noises. Others claim the circle itself is a portal between the dead and the living.
That is the space that intrigues Wyatt most. “I’ve been dealing with the paranormal my whole life, but I grew up going to church, and I believe in heaven and hell,” he says. “I’m interested in learning what’s in between.”
No matter your beliefs, Wyatt’s advice for those seeking experiences with the “in between” is to always ask permission from landowners before you visit any locale. Tamara, for her part, continues to maintain the site as the legend of the Devil’s Tramping Ground spreads, welcoming visitors who approach with respect, urging them to be mindful of the land’s historical and spiritual significance. She’s even set up a website where curious campers can book their own stay – if they dare.
So if you’re up for a spine-tingling adventure this spooky season and want to put the local lore to the test, the Devil’s Tramping Ground awaits, inviting you to step into the shadows and embrace the mystery that lies within its storied circle.
