Inspired by a true, and spooky, story. Johnny Cash owned a home called Cinnamon Hill, which was in Jamaica, and was a place that he and his family would vacation at often. In fact, in December of 1981, the family was robbed at gunpoint at their Jamaican mansion in the Caribbean while sitting down for Christmas dinner. Three men broke into the Cinnamon Hill estate, where Cash, along with June, their son John Carter Cash (who was 11), and a few other friends and family members were celebrating the holidays. More on that story HERE. Cash purchased the home in 1972, and used it as an escape from the hustle and bustle of Nashville and his busy music career. In fact, Cash has an entire song called “The Ballad of Annie Palmer” that was inspired by a paranormal experience in Jamaica, which happened at nearby Rose Hall estate. In his book Cash, The Autobiography, he recalled seeing “the apparition of a woman in white,” who was in her 30’s, while at a dinner party. He saw her walk into the dining room and towards the kitchen, though he wrote he was never scared of any of the possible ghosts: “We’ve never had any trouble with these souls. They mean us no harm, I believe, and we’re certainly not scared of them; they just don’t produce that kind of emotion.” Johnny Cash was a strong Christian, so I’m sure that was a big part of the reason he was never scared, but Annie Palmer had quite the reputation. She was a famous Haitan Voodoo practitioner, and she owned the Rose Hall estate in the 1820s and ’30s. She was said to haunt Rose Hall after being murdered there by her lover, a slave named Takoo, who she had been with during the slave rebellion of 1831. Historical records indicate that she actually died of natural causes, though Cash was fascinated by the stories of her nonetheless, introducing the song at shows by saying: “They tell tales about Annie and the slaves. There were about 5,000 on the plantation, 5,000 slaves. She had her favorites and she had the ones that weren’t her favorites. Down on the sea there are three palm trees waving in the breeze and they say that Annie’s three husbands are buried under those trees.” He included the song on his 1973 album Any Old Wind That Blows, and it captures part of her horrific reputation as a plantation owner, where she was said to be very cruel to everyone around her, including her multiple husbands and other lovers. Annie was born in England, but moved to Haiti when she was just 10 years old in 1812, and eventually moved to Jamaica at the age of 18, where she married into ownership of Rose Hall. Cash owned the Cinnamon Hill estate until his death, and his estate sold it in 2012 to the Rollins family, from whom he had originally bought the property in the early 1970s. Cinnamon Hill is now open to the public, and you can take tours of the home and see the beauty of the Cash’s beautiful vacation home in the Caribbean. This song takes on a whole different meaning now, though, doesn’t it? Take a listen for yourself: “The Ballad of Annie Palmer” The post Johnny Cash Wrote A Song About His Haunted Experience In Jamaica, “The Ballad of Annie Palmer” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.