If you're anything like me, you yearn to celebrate all that is spooky year-round, not just on Halloween. Little do you know that you have some real-life horror in your own backyard. As someone who grew up in Kentucky, I can tell you that each town has its own legends and haunts. With a heritage as rich as ours, it’s a given that we’ve all been told some wild stories here and there. Not all stories are simply urban legend, though, as these paranormal hotspots and those like them make that uncomfortably clear.
Eastern Kentucky University
Richmond, Kentucky
Known to be one of the most haunted college campuses in the United States, EKU is reportedly home to many spirits: a naked woman who roams the Moore Building, an over-stressed Nursing student who took her own life, malevolent forms in the bathrooms of the Combs Building, etc. The most famous of these, however, is the Blue Lady, who can sometimes be spotted on top of the Keen-Johnson Building, or in the Pearl Buchanan Theater. Students and faculty alike have been reporting sightings since the 1950’s, claiming that she appears as a blue mist in and on top of the building. Even if you can’t see her, you might be able to catch her singing. It is believed that the Blue Lady is the ghost of a former EKU Theater student who hung herself from the clock tower, where she regularly went to memorize her lines.
Waverly Hills Sanatorium
Louisville, Kentucky
In Louisville stands the former home of most of the state’s Tuberculosis patients in the early 1900’s, as well as a whole truckload of evil. The facility was essentially a town itself in an effort to lessen the likelihood of the disease spreading. According to the tour website, they grew their own food, had their own post office, had their own water plant, etc. Everyone—even doctors and nurses—basically left their own homes to work here as “permanent residents”. This wasn’t unusual at the time, as many similar facilities all over the country worked the same way until a treatment for TB was discovered. Waverly Hills, however, has a very dark history that sets it apart from these other hospitals. It is rumored that doctors would perform experiments on the patients without consent. The living conditions are said to have been so vile that some patients died of causes that could have been prevented with basic hygiene. Tour guides claim that it’s nothing to see a spirit or two every round. If you aren’t swinging through Louisville any time soon, you can still check the place out, as it has been the subject of many TV specials and movies, such as Ghost Hunters, ABC’s Scariest Places on Earth, and Celebrity Paranormal Project.
Bobby Mackey’s Music World
Wilder, Kentucky
Beginning as a slaughterhouse and evolving into a nightclub, Bobby Mackey’s Music World is known as one of the most haunted places in Kentucky due to the sheer number of evil entities that are said to roam around. After its slaughterhouse days, the building’s basement became the home of a number of satanic worship rituals, complete with animal sacrifices (You know, the works!). When the occultists were exposed, they became the center of one of the largest murder trials in the region’s history. Pearl Bryan, the daughter of a well-to-do family, became involved with one of the ritual group’s members, Scott Jackson. When she became pregnant, the couple set off to get an abortion. When Scott’s friend was unable to perform it, they took Pearl into the woods and severed her head. When her body was discovered, she was only able to be identified by her shoes. While her head was never recovered, rumor has it that it was a part of one of the rituals held in the basement of what is now Bobby Mackey’s Music World. Neither of the men would accept the bargain of giving up the location of the head for life sentences rather than being put to death, so they were publicly hanged in Campbell County, Kentucky. After this, a number of other murders took place on the property. Current and former employees claim that they see/hear strange things daily, usually citing the headless corpse who walks around the building, as well as the angry-looking men who stand behind the bar.
Mammoth Cave National Park
Edmonson County, Kentucky
Heavily regarded as the most haunted cave system in the world, Mammoth Cave is home to a massive amount of paranormal activity, dating all the way back to our Native American ancestors’ time. Tribes would use the cave as a burial ground, seeing it as a passage to the next life. Since then, the cave has seen a number of slaves, civilians, park rangers, etc. unexpectantly and tragically laid to rest within its walls. Since it’s a tourist hot-spot, many people have been able to spot some of these ghostly inhabitants. Tour guides claim to be playfully shoved during the “lights off” part of the tour, as well as hear a young woman call for her missing lover on Echo River. The most famous character, however, is Floyd Collins, a former co-owner of the cave. While he was exploring one day, he became wedged under a rock. The next day, his brother came down, worrying that something had happened when Floyd hadn’t returned home. No matter what they tried, Floyd’s leg could not be freed. Soon, the situation became a national headline, with teams of firemen, police officers, engineers, etc. working to free Floyd. After a series of cave-ins around where he was stuck, they were no longer able to get close to him. When they finally formed a plan to dig down a different way, they discovered that Floyd had died three days prior of exposure. After this, his body was (weirdly enough) put on display at the entrance to that section of the cave and brought large waves of business. Many have reported seeing a ghostly figure that resembles Floyd walking around in different parts of the cave.
Paramount Art Center
Ashland, Kentucky
During renovation, there were three primary construction workers at the Paramount Art Center. It is said that two of the men went to lunch, leaving the third behind. When they returned, they discovered their co-worker hanging from the curtain rig in an apparent suicide. Since then, the deceased worker (referred to as “Paramount Joe” has been reported hanging around the offices and theater, playing pranks on the employees. The night of a concert, Billy Ray Cyrus was told about Paramount Joe and took a liking to him. When he was signing autographs for employees, he jokingly signed one for the ghost. Years later, the manager told the employees to make space for more autographs from their upcoming concerts. They decided to take down Paramount Joe’s autograph from Billy Ray. However, they came in the next day to discover not only that Paramount Joe’s autograph was back on the wall, but all of the others were on the ground. He now has his own area at the theater called, “Paramount Joe’s Rising Star Café”.
