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Old 03-20-2010, 12:00 PM   #22 (permalink)
Wes Mantooth
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Location: Tennessee
Poppinjay DANG, that would have given me chills. Suicide ghosts huh? Just out of curiosity, along with the suicide ghosts were there a lot of stories passed around workers about the suicides themselves? Usually, I find with stores like this not only do you get a good ghost tale but you get lots of creepy stories about the causes as well...curious to see if the trend holds up. Good one, thanks for posting.

Jove Hahah I always wondered that too but I think it comes down to just wanting to creep yourself out. Its nowhere near as fun listening to a good legend and then walking around in broad daylight to see if its true. Sometimes the danger and "what if' is often times the best part. But I know what you mean, it probably would make a lot more sense if you really wanted to get the bottom of something.

Okay so this next story isn't really local...and in fact it may be 100% true. Sooooo I don't know why I'm posting it. No, I kid. I've heard its true from some sources and from others I've heard its based on fact but highly embellished and ultimately just an urban legend. I actually wanted to make a thread about this awhile back and never got around to it, might as well put it here.

It takes place in the small town of Vernon, FL also nicknamed "Nub City", but why such an odd name you might ask? Because apparently in the 1950's-60's Vernon, FL was known for having an inordinate amount of people filing insurance claims over lost limbs. According to what I've read about this town. whose population hovers around 700, it accounted for nearly 2/3 of all lost limb claims nationally! This of course sparked rumors that the locals were purposely dismembering themselves for insurance money...bizarre. The stories I've heard or read tells of people intentionally blowing off hands and feet with guns, chopping off limbs with axes and more or less doing anything that could deprive you of a vital appendage for insurance money.

The story does get a little stranger. in 1981 film maker Errol Morris filmed a documentary called "Vernon, FL" which essentially is just a string of footage with eccentric locals talking about...well whatever happens to come to their minds. However according to Morris his original intention was to make a film about the legend of Nub City...or at least until a large number of locals threatened to kill him if he went through with it. I don't know, the film does look like it was slapped together at the last minute and it does make you wonder.

So I'm not sure if this is 100% legit or just an embellishment of a bizarre story that led to creepy urban legends about towns people intentionally dismembering themselves...either way its very strange.

Here's a link to an article about the town of Vernon which covers the story pretty extensively.

Life: Dismembered again

EDIT: Well what do you know the Eroll Morris film is on youtube! Check it, its pretty interesting.

Part 1: (I guess it looks like they just have the first 15 min or so in two parts so...yeah)
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Last edited by Wes Mantooth; 03-20-2010 at 12:22 PM..
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