Glass Elevator

The Glass Elevator is a gruesome urban legend about an observation tower called the Space Needle in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. It is said to be haunted by the ghost of a workman who died there in a horrific accident many years ago.

Gatlinburg, Tennessee, is famous for the Space Needle, which is a steel observation tower. There are two glass elevators that run all day, transporting tourists up and down the tower. It is 407 feet tall and from the top, you can get a 360 degree view of the city of Gatlinburg and the Great Smoky Mountains.

Many years ago, according to the urban legend, there was some construction work being done on the Space Needle. Two workers were performing some simple tasks at the top of the needle. To complete the work, they had to go up and down the stairs, because the elevators were reserved for tourists.

One of the workers was tired of using the stairs and decided on a faster and easier way to get to ground level. His plan was to jump on the top of the elevator as it went down the shaft and ride it to the bottom. So, as the glass elevator began its descent, the man timed it right and made the jump.

However, when he landed on top of the elevator, something went horribly wrong. His leg got trapped in the gears. As the elevator continued to descend, he was unable to free himself and the mechanism slowly dragged the screaming worker into the gears. The machinery made mincemeat out of him, crushing his bones and squeezing the blood out of his body. It wasn’t a pleasant death, by any means.

The tourists in the elevator listened in horror as the dying man shrieked in agony. Blood began dripping down the sides of the elevator and the tourists started screaming as well. As the worker was ground up by the machinery, his blood and guts formed a pool on top of the elevator and it began to drip through the ceiling, onto the tourists who were trapped inside, showering them with gore.

The elevator finally ground to a halt and the tourists were left stranded in the elevator which was slowly filling with more and more blood. The worker’s body was shredded to pieces. It took three hours to free the terrified tourists from the bloody elevator. Afterwards, every passenger had to undergo years of counseling and therapy.

According to legend, ever since that horrific accident, the elevator on Gatlinburg’s Space Needle has been haunted by the ghost of the worker who lost his life. Sometimes the elevator will stop suddenly, near the top and tourists on board will hear blood-curdling screams. Some have also seen blood dripping down the glass walls of the elevator.