The Most Haunted Places In Kentucky

Kentucky is a well-known state for its colleges, , and bourbon. Yet, it has its eerie history. Kentucky’s history is rooted in Southern American history. It became the first state west of the Appalachian to be established as a part of America. The fall season is here, and Kentucky’s beautiful greeneries are changing into a natural portrait of ambers, browns, and yellows. With fall upon us, Halloween is here. Halloween is a popular time of the year to check out the most haunted places in Kentucky,

The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow In Prospect, Kentucky

The legend of Sleepy Hollow is in Prospect, Kentucky near Louisville. It’s a winding two-lane blacktop near Prospect in Jefferson County. In the daytime, it’s a beautiful sight to drive through, but in the nighttime, it carries an eerie, ominous feeling. The moonlight is bright and vivid in the sky. However, the moonlight never hits the pavement. The only things that are visible in the nighttime are the guardrails that protect drivers from a steep thirty-foot fall off the cliffs.

There are several tales about . One tale includes sightings of a hearse coming up to cars, only visible by the rearview mirrors. The hearse keeps increasing its speed and so do drivers just so the hearse won’t run into their back bumper. Then the hears will appear beside the cars just to attempt hitting its sides. Visitors might think it’s weird to see a hearse aggressively ride on the roads, but there is a cemetery beyond the winding roads in Harrod’s Creek Cemetery.

From the seventies to the eighties, Kentucky citizens traveled to an odd point off the road famously known as Devil’s Point. Rumors mentioned that it was a place where satanic rituals were held. Residents around the area have reported screaming and chanting that broke the stillness of the night air. There is even a common story about a once intact bridge at the meeting of Sleepy Hallow Lake and its creek. that mothers once tossed their unwanted infants off the bridge into the deep pools. These unusual stories make Sleepy Hollow one of the most haunted places in Kentucky.

Waverly Hills Sanatorium

Stories of the Waverly Hills Sanatorium began in 1912 during the rise of Tuberculosis. They have a haunted house showing during the month of October. The visitors reported that they heard children’s footsteps, doors slamming, footsteps, and the unusual smell of fresh bread while they explored the sanatorium. Waverly Hills has a very as a part of the sanatorium.

The Death Tunnel gained its nickname, the Death Shute, from visitors throughout the years. Its purpose wasn’t a grim one. It was a safe haven made for people in case of an emergency during World War 2. Specifically, it was a sanctuary during an air raid that fit everyone who was in the building. However, the history of the tunnel is dependent on Waverly’s past history of being a Tuberculosis hospital, a mental health hospital, and a geriatric center. The dead patients were sent to the end of the tunnel. Workers at the end of the tunnel would either burn or bury the bodies or transport them elsewhere. The video below shows what it was like to walk through The Death Tunnel.

The Death Tunnel under the Waverly Hills Sanatorium is not the only supernatural tunnel in Kentucky.

Nada Tunnel In Red River Gorge, KY

Nada Tunnel is one of the world’s most haunted tunnels. It’s in Red River Gorge, Kentucky. This tunnel is a 900 ft tunnel and is located off KY RT 77. The road the tunnel is on is a two-lane road that turns into a one-lane road while being in the tunnel. Drivers have to be extra cautious entering the thirteen-foot wide and twelve-foot tall tunnel.

Local legends have it that the tunnel is haunted by a climber who fell and died close to the tunnel. And that a construction worker was killed during the tunnel’s construction. The inside of the tunnel has no lights and a limestone exterior. Many people have reported seeing a green light present in the tunnel although no electricity runs through the tunnel. There have been apparition sightings at the opposite ends of the tunnel.

Kentucky State Penitentiary

Back in 1886, the Kentucky State Penitentiary opened its doors in Eddyville, KY. It’s the oldest prison in the state’s history. There have been several books written by paranormal investigators about their respective investigations of the penitentiary. It gained the infamous name as the “Castle of the Cumberland.”

, a Kentucky paranormal investigator, is one of the people who wrote about the “Castle of the Cumberland.” In the past, Asher worked as a corrections officer for the facility. He used to work at midnight and see apparitions in the middle of hallways and figures floating through the showers. He would hear screaming in different rooms, run to the room, and not see a single soul.

In an interview with an NBC affiliate station in Kentucky, Asher discussed some unusual sightings. He said, “You would see a reflection of an inmate, you spin around and shatter your light because you think you’re about to get choked out by an inmate. They’re not dressed the same now, the guy I saw was in black and white stripes and looked like a vintage picture. That gives me goosebumps now talking about it. What are you supposed to do with that?” It also has to be noted that Kentucky was the until 1936. The penitentiary was a hotspot for executions and many prisoners who’ve died there still walk the halls to this day.

Camp Taylor

A haunted graveyard is common. Even a haunted hospital. One was just discussed before this part of the article. But a haunted neighborhood is crazy, no? Well, Camp Taylor is a neighborhood located southeast of Louisville. It was a former military camp made in the early 1900s. It was named after former United States president Zachary Taylor. Camp Taylor had over 1,500 buildings built on over two thousand acres of land. The flu pandemic struck Camp Taylor in 1917 and 1918. In three weeks, over a thousand people have died.

Nowadays in the neighborhood, residents have seen ghost soldiers walking in formation around the blocks. Other residents have seen women in Victorian-era dresses roam the neighborhood. The audio clip above has the hosts questioning the repeated Victorian-era women’s sightings. They found the story and it was before the creation of the military camp. The woman’s background story is one of a sad love story.

Old Talbott Tavern

is the oldest tavern in Kentucky. It was built in 1779. The tavern is located where Bardstown is today. The popular tavern stagecoach had many visitors such as a banished king and the infamous Jesse James. Some of the popular rooms to visit include some moments James had at the tavern. One room has bullet holes due to Jessee shooting at the walls. Jessee was attacked by robbers in another room.

Visitors today can hear strange footsteps and disembodied voices. Those visitors also report on how the doors open on their own. They also report seeing visions of old-time men and women walking around the tavern. Other sightings reported furniture moving by itself and door knobs jingling on their own with no one at the other side of the door.

Some of the famous visitors there include Abraham Lincoln, Daniel Boone, General George Roberts, and General George Clark. King Louis Phillipe also visited the hotel and stayed so long that the tavern painted murals for him.

Bobby Mackey’s Music World

is a popular nightclub today. However, it has a unique and terrifying history. There are several incidents that took place on sight of Bobby Mackey’s Music World. Many people see this spot as one of the most haunted places in Kentucky.

The Slaughterhouse Days

Before it was Bobby Mackey’s Music World, the site was once a slaughterhouse facility in 1850. In the lowest part of the building, a well was there that held the blood, waste, and guts of the dead animals. Rumor has it, that satanic rituals took place at the slaughterhouse using humans and animals.

Headless Pearl Bryan

The murder of twenty-two-year-old Pearl Bryan reached regional headlines in 1896. Her headless corpse was found a mile away from the slaughterhouse. Pearl was pregnant and her boyfriend Scott Jackson urged her to have an abortion. Scott along with his college roommate Alonzo Walling attempted the abortion themselves. However, something went totally wrong. In order to cover up their mishap, they put Peral’s body in an empty field and decapitated her head. To their downfall, they forgot to take off her shoes. Before their execution, Alonzo Walling vowed he would haunt the area

The Mobster Years

After the slaughterhouse was torn down, a roadhouse was built in its place. The building was a casino, nightclub, and speakeasy during the prohibition era. After prohibition ended in 1933, E.A. Brady bought the building and turned it into a casino. The success of the casino caught the attention of some Cincinnati mobsters who wanted in on the casino. After Brady refused to sell, the mobsters would create chaos at the casino fighting and threatening customers in the parking lot. Once Brady drew a gun on the mobster Albert “Red” Masterson, Brady was charged with attempted murder in 1946.

A Tragic Love Story

The casino reopened as a nightclub in the mid-1950s. Johanna, who was a dance hall girl and the daughter of the nightclub owner, fell in love with a singer named Robert Randall. Robert got her pregnant and they wanted to run off together against the father’s wishes. The father used his criminal connection to kill the singer. When the daughter realized what happened, she poisoned her father and then took her own life in the basement of the nightclub.

The Introduction of Bobby Mackey

Country singer Bobby Mackey, whose real name was also Robert Randall Mackey, bought the nightclub and had supernatural experiences since day one. Some of the paranormal activities that have been reported there are:

• Phantom footsteps near the stairs that once led to the old slaughterhouse well.
• A former caretaker who lived in the apartments upstairs above the nightclub claimed he was possessed by a demon. A minister did the exorcism in the nightclub.
• Bobby’s wife refuses to go to the nightclub to this day. She smelled roses in the basement. Johanna, who took her own life in that basement, was famous for her rose-scented perfumes. She was also pushed down the stairs by an apparition who told her to “get out!”. The apparition resembled sketches of Alonzo Walling.

People can book tours to today.

Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville, KY

is the final resting place for many Kentucky citizens and legends like Muhammad Ali, Colonel Harland Sanders, and the Frito Lay Magician. The grounds are in a Victorian-esque style as it was a garden resting place for soldiers and upper-class individuals. People who visit the cemetery reported floating orbs across the graveyard. Cave Hill Cemetery holds many sculptures that can look like they stare at visitors walking during the night.

Liberty Hall

The is a historic landmark in Kentucky. The home is in Frankfort, Kentucky. It was the home to former U.S. Senator John Brown in the late 1700s and the Browns were a powerful political family in the state. The home was passed down a few generations in the Brown family. Many people from slaves to relatives have died in the home.

There are three notable spirits present there. One spirit is . The Gray Lady’s real name is Ms. Margaret Varick. Her background story is that she traveled over 800 miles to attend a family funeral and she had a heart attack after her journey. She was buried in the garden, but her body was removed from there. There’s a letter from Orlando Brown, John Brown’s son, moved from the grave site. Ms. Varick’s body was one of the bodies on that note. Now, her spirit wanders the grounds opening and closing doors. She’s in grey clothing every time visitors see her. A Spanish opera singer and a soldier are the other two popular spirits present at the mansion.

Grandview Cemetery

The Grandview Cemetery got the nickname the “Gateway To Hell” by many locals. Some of the graves at Grandview date back to the 1700s. It’s one of the oldest cemeteries in Kentucky. Many spirits there were rumored as results of Satanic rituals. The rituals have been somewhat of a common occurrence there. In 2003, there was a discovery of dead animals such as cats, dogs, deer, and a baby calf. Kentucky police appeared on the scene, but a detective ruled out animal cruelty since there was no direct forensic evidence to prove it was animal cruelty. Some locals refer to the cemetery as “The Killing Field” due to other similar animal-related cases happening.

Many local visitors deem the “Gateway To Hell” as a paranormal goldmine. The most common reports include having car troubles for those parking near the cemetery, cell phone malfunctions, and shadowy figures appearing around the grave markers. Other reports include unknown screams and glowing green figures in the cemetery. Grandview is near some woods and people also reported odd disturbances in the woods.

Summary Of The Most Haunted Places In Kentucky

These places are the most haunted places in Kentucky:

• Grandview Cemetery
• Liberty Hall
• Cave Hill Cemetery
• Bobby Mackey’s Music World
• Old Talbott Tavern
• Camp Taylor
• Kentucky State Penitentiary
• Nada Tunnel
• Waverly Hills Sanatorium
• Sleepy Hollow

Some of these places are famous for satanic rituals taking place at their respective sites. Kentucky’s overall history goes as far back as the 1700s, so it’s not surprising that visitors have witnessed spirits from several different eras. Some of the spirits are seen in World War 1 soldier attire, Victorian-Era dresses, old-school black and white striped prison suits, and Civil War era attires.

Many of the hauntings feature light orbs floating through several places. Other disturbances have been unusual noises and random furniture and doors moving. Many other figures are shadowy apparitions that can be very forceful. During the Halloween season, some of these sites promote tours at some of their locations. Maybe for the better. Maybe for the worse. Who knows what the spirits think, right?

Honorable Mention: The Pope Lick Monster

Although this particular mention isn’t a haunted place, has to be mentioned. The story of the Pope Lick Monster begins in Pope Lick Creek, Kentucky. The Pope Lick Monster is a man-goat hybrid that lured people to a train trestle in Pope Lick Creek. It even became the focus of an old eighties movie. The director stated that once the film was released, two people died on the train trestle. One of those was a fifteen-year-old girl who had a bright personality.

No one knows why she was on the train trestle that night. It created controversy for the railway owners and local investigators informing citizens to not trespass on the railroad. The railway owners placed fences around the trestle so people wouldn’t trespass. However, that didn’t really stop people from still being intrigued about the site and visiting it. The two deaths occurred in 2019.

People still visit the site of the Pope Lick Monster to see if it’s really real. Many of the reported deaths at the trestle were reported as death by jumping off the train trestle or getting hit by the train. However, there are plenty of of people giving detailed stories about seeing the half-man, half-goat hybrid of a monstrosity. This monstrosity has become a part of Kentucky Folklore since the 1800s and seems like it’ll continue to be for many years to come.