Ghostly Happenings in Kentucky

Bourbon-Loving Spirits

In Frankfort, the Buffalo Trace Distillery has been producing bourbon for more than 250 years. Here the staff have heard strange footsteps and heard disembodied voices. Lights have turned on and off by themselves, and a ghostly apparition has been seen walking among the barrels.

Crying Babies and Shadowy Figures

At the abandoned Hayswood Hospital strange things have happened. Since the 1800s, this plot of land has been used for hospitals and an all-girl school. Now people say they can hear crying babies, see faces at the windows, and shadowy figures roam the hallways of the empty hospital.

Ghostly Inmates

Constructed in 1885, the Kentucky State Penitentiary, also known as the Castle on Cumberland, is a prison still in use today. It was built to house death row inmates, and Old Sparky, the first electric chair, was housed in this institution. The prison was built by prisoners under harsh conditions, leading to many deaths and amputations. In his book Hauntings at the Kentucky State Penitentiary, Steve Asher details his paranormal experiences, ranging from hearing disembodied voices to seeing prisoners in vintage uniforms.

Meet the Gray Lady

Liberty Hall in Frankfort consists of two historic homes that were built in 1796 by Senator John Brown. Senator Brown and his wife played host to many prominent members of society, among them political figures, opera singers, and army generals. Today it is a haunted museum.

The ghostly apparition of the Gray Lady Ghost is the spirit of Margaretta Varick, the aunt of John Brown’s wife. She died here three days after arriving in 1817. It was several generations after her death when the great-granddaughter of John Brown and Margaretta Brown began seeing her apparition, which appeared in her bedroom and then disappeared.

Ghostly Children

In Springfield, the Maple Hill Manor is an estate that was built as a Greek revival plantation by slaves in 1851. Four of the owner’s children died on the premises throughout history. One of the sons fell to his death from the stairwell, and his spirit is still around. The family cemetery is on the land and the resting place for many Civil War soldiers. Footsteps can be heard throughout the house, the scent of perfume is in the air, and visitors can feel cold spots.

Meet the Ghost of Jesse James

One of the most haunted locations in Kentucky is the Old Talbott Tavern in Bardstown. This is a tiny five-room hotel and tavern built in 1779. There are tales of tough bar fights here and about Jesse James, staying here and peppering the walls with bullets. He seems to like this place. Visitors have said they hear weird noises, furniture moves about, and they are startled awake by housekeepers who then vanish. There is footage of a shadowy figure slithering down the hallway.

Meet the Lady in Blue

The Seelbach Hotel in Louisville is haunted by a ghost known as the Lady in Blue. She is believed to be Patricia Wilson, a 24-year-old woman, who was waiting at the hotel bar for her husband to join her. Suddenly she received word that her husband had died. The following day, her body was discovered at the bottom of the hotel elevator shaft. Some 50 years later, a chef and a housekeeper saw a female in a blue chiffon dress walking through the hotel. As they approached her, she disappeared. Guests smell the scent of lilac perfume when she is around and have seen her presence inside the elevator.

Ghostly Spirits Keep Moving

In order to house those affected by the tuberculosis outbreak, Waverly Hills Sanatorium was established in 1910. Over 63,000 deaths, including those of patients, physicians, nurses, and employees, have occurred in this building. While some died from the illness, others took their own lives. A low-budget movie about “The Death Tunnel” was written because there were so many deaths. Every part of this building appears to have ghosts, and over the years Waverly has been the subject of numerous TV specials and ghost hunter shows.