NORTHERN KENTUCKY (WXIX) - When people think of Kentucky, they are more than likely picturing the Kentucky Derby, bourbon distilleries and fried chicken. But what many don’t know is that the Bluegrass State is one of the most haunted states in the nation, according to a new report by Bonus Finder.
Out of all 50 states, Kentucky ranked third on the charts for being the most haunted, scoring a 7.7 out of 10, the report says. The blue ribbon went to Maine, which scored an 8.11 out of 10, and West Virginia received second place with an 8 out of 10 haunted score.
The scores are based on four factors: The number of cemeteries, haunted locations, ghost sightings and paranormal investigators.
Waverly Hills Sanatorium in Louisville is one of Kentucky’s spookiest places, and people are welcome to visit.
The old tuberculosis hospital is visited by thousands each year for historical and paranormal tours.
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In the early 1900s, residents in the Louisville area were plagued with tuberculosis. The increase in sick individuals called for the construction of a new hospital, Waverly Hills Sanatorium.
The two-story hospital opened in 1910 and was able to help 40-50 tuberculosis patients.
According to Kentucky Historic Institutions, thousands of people died at Waverly Hills Sanatorium between 1911 and 1960.
About 51 years after its opening, the hospital closed thanks to the successful antibiotic, streptomycin.
In 1962, the building reopened as Woodhaven Geriatric Center, a nursing home for folks with dementia and other mental handicaps. However, in 1982, the facility was shut down by the state due to the nursing home’s history of patient abuse and the degrading features inside, the Kentucky Historic Institution wrote.
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Several attempts to buy and redevelop the property occurred over the years to come, but ultimately, the building remained abandoned. In 2001, Waverly Hills was sold to Tina and Charlie Mattingly and has since been established as the Waverly Hills Historical Society.
During the restoration process, volunteers began to notice a paranormal presence.
“Many reported unexplained slamming doors and sightings of a mysterious man in white drifting throughout the corridors. Others had run-ins with Timmy, a spectral boy who roams the hallways and likes to play ball,” the staff at Waverly Hills wrote.
Today, visitors have shared similar experiences.
Another well-known haunted site is Liberty Hall in Frankfort.
Originally, Liberty Hall was a home built by and for one of the first Kentucky Senators, John Brown, in 1796.
According to the monument’s historical site, three ghosts have been spotted on the property: The Gray Lady, the Spanish Opera Singer and a British soldier from the War of 1812.
“The Gray Lady is our oldest and most famous ghost on the property, and the only one to be seen inside. The most famous sighting of the Gray Lady occurred in the 1880s by Mary Mason ‘Mame’ Scott,” Liberty Hall Historic Site wrote online.
The old story says that Mame was tired and in bed at Liberty Hall when she awoke in the middle of the night to a gray figure standing at the foot of her bed. The encounter happened for three nights.
The Gray Lady was once a real person named Margaretta Varick, the historical site says, who was Margaretta Brown’s aunt. She visited the Browns in 1817, but three days into her stay, she passed away in the same bedroom Mame was staying in when she saw her figure.
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Vairrck’s death was sudden and the cause is still unknown.
Many of the Browns saw Varick’s ghost inside the home over the years. She has reportedly been seen descending the Liberty Hall staircase and she’s been spotted in the back bedroom.
“Since we opened as a museum, many visitors, employees, and volunteers have all had experiences with the Gray Lady. She is still often seen in the back bedroom or descending the stairs but is also frequently seen in Liberty Hall’s iconic Palladian window,” the historic society wrote.
The other two ghosts have been seen in the gardens. Unlike the Gray Lady, it is unknown what the origins of the British soldier and the Spanish opera singer are.
Some stories say the opera singer, Madame Rosa, was visiting Frankfort. When she attended a party at Liberty Hall, she stepped outside in the garden and was never seen again.
As for the soldier, legend has it he fell in love with one of the Browns’ visiting cousins. Some people say his figure can be seen in the front parlor window.
However, the Liberty Hall Historic Site does not have any historical basis on the singer or the soldier.
More famous haunted locations
Kentucky State Penitentiary in Eddyville
The State Penitentiary opened up in 1889 and is currently home to 856 inmates.
According to Lewis Powell IV, a prison guard was inspecting cells in the “Three Cell House” in the late 80s. This area of the penitentiary was where they used to keep death row inmates. Although the cells were no longer in use, they were required to be checked.
During the inspection, the guard noticed one of the cells had a prisoner in it. The man was standing in the center of the cell reading a Bible.
“When he returned to his office, he asked his sergeant if the prisoner had gotten a meal. The sergeant replied that there was no one in that cell, in fact no one had been in those cells in nearly a month. Knowing how thorough the guard normally was, the sergeant insisted on looking in the cell himself to ensure that a mistake had not been made,” Powell wrote.
The sergeant and the guard went back to the cell to find it empty, but Powell says they did find a Bible lying open on the ground. It was open to Psalms, Chapter 102, and verse 20 were highlighted.
“To hear the groaning of the prisoner; to lose those that are appointed to death.”
— Psalms, Chapter 102, Verse 20
Camp Taylor in Louisville
Before Camp Taylor became “Camp Taylor Memorial Park,” a neighborhood and Bellarmine University, the large site was formerly a military base.
Named after the 12th U.S. President, Zachary Taylor, Camp Taylor was once one of the largest military training camps in the country during the early 1900s and trained soldiers for battle in World War I.
In 1918, the Spanish Flu spread like wildfire in the camp and hospitalized 10,000 soldiers and more than 1,500 died, according to Explore Kentucky Historians.
After the end of World War I and an Allied Powers victory, Camp Taylor closed in 1920, later turning into a neighborhood.
A blog post from Kentucky for Kentucky says residents have reported seeing soldiers walking around and a blonde woman wearing a Victorian-era dress.
Bobby Mackey’s Music World in Wilder
Northern Kentucky residents are pretty familiar with Bobby Mackey’s Music World, specifically the original building in Wilder.
Known as a “Gateway to Hell,” several horrific incidents have happened near or at the honky tonk, making it a paranormal investigator’s paradise.
Before becoming a country music bar, Bobby Mackey’s was a meat-packing facility where many animals were slaughtered. The Travel Channel reports that employees would dispose of the animals’ blood and guts in a well on the lowest floor.
In the 1890s, the factory shut down, but researchers speculate that a Satanic cult utilized the space for rituals.
Six years later, a 22-year-old named Pearl Bryan was found decapitated about 10 minutes away.
Bryan had become pregnant with Scott Jackson’s child, according to the Putnam County Library.
Jackson, a local farmhand, found out and arranged for her murder.
The Travel Channel says Bryan’s head was never found, but one version of the story indicates Jackson had ties to the alleged cult and that Bryan’s ghost haunts Bobby Mackey’s to this day.
Additionally, a murder-suicide and several fatal shootings have taken place on the property.
Many other places in Kentucky are considered haunted or paranormal as well:
- Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville
- The Old Louisville neighborhood
- Old Talbott Tavern in Bardstown
- Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill in Harrodsburg
- Christopher’s Bed and Breakfast in Bellevue
- Rohs Opera House in Cynthiana
- White Hall in Richmond
- Greenup Street Water Tower in Alexandria
- X Cave at Carter Caves State Resort Park in Olive Hill
- Sauerkraut Cave at E.P. Tom Sawyer State Park in Louisville
- Benham School House Inn in Cumberland
- Maple Hill Manor Bed and Breakfast in Springfield
- Octagon Hall in Franklin
- Gratz Park Inn in Lexington
- Middendorf-Bullock Funeral Home in Covington
- Hebron Lutheran Cemetery in Hebron
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