Angel Crowns

Clinton, Tennessee

Angel Crowns (a.k.a. Death Crowns or Feather Crowns) were an eerie Appalachian phenomenon. The belief was that if a swirl of feathers was found in the pillow underneath the head of a person who had just expired, then that person was heaven-bound. The Museum of Appalachia has a small display of Angel Crowns from the pillows of dead children.

The display explains these peculiar artifacts: "When a person died, there was sometimes found in their bed pillow a closely and mysteriously woven mass of feathers. It was called an Angel Crown, and it indicated that the deceased person had gone to heaven. If such an object was found in the pillow of a sick person, it meant that this person would soon die. In such an instance the crown was called an 'Angel of Death Crown' or simply a 'Death Crown.'"