Haunts of The Kentucky Wildlands
A rumbling in a moonlit forest, a stirring in an abandoned courthouse, the screams of new bride, the window in which no one ever dare looks…Did something just go bump in the night? If asking that question while in The Kentucky Wildlands, the answer could be a surprising “yes!”
Known as one of the most haunted areas in the U.S., The Kentucky Wildlands is chock full of spooky legends, ghost stories and mysterious hauntings, local tales of ethereal sightings and eerie lore so detailed and woven through generations, that you have to wonder if they couldn’t be true. Actually, eastern Kentucky with its old-time mountain superstitions, abandoned coal mines, isolated hollers and remote forests has some of the best settings and conditions for scary stories and hauntings.
Here, you find tales and accounts laced with local history and flavor, such as the Civil War soldiers who still walk the hallowed Ivy Mountain battlefield grounds at night, or the old Prestonsburg courthouse where many locals say you can hear the desperate cries of prisoners trying to escape. There’s the Tan Man of Pike County who trudges through a house accompanied by the smell of roses. And the Benham Schoolhouse Inn in Cumberland is housed in what was once a high school and is now where witnesses claim ghostly students run, laugh and slam doors throughout the halls of the building.
One of the most famous hauntings in the state is of the widely reported “ghost bride” who on her honeymoon, slipped and fell to her death over Cumberland Falls in the 1950s, followed by her devastated husband who plunged in after her and also died. She consistently appears atop the cliffs above the falls and around the Cumberland Falls State Resort Park Dupont Lodge and has been seen and heard weeping by a number of park employees and visitors. Cumberland Falls is also home to some accounts of phantom creatures along the paths to the falls.
Another state park, Carter Caves State Resort Park, is known for the legendary haunting of its X Cave where two Cherokee lovers are said to have died. Red Dog Road in Harlan is the site of flickering lights and sounds reportedly connected to a shooting incident between two miners in the 1930s where one was killed. And longstanding Olive Hill residents claim you’ll see “the scariest thing in your life” when you look into the window of the rustic church on Friday the 13th, but no one ever dares try…
If you’re intrigued by the mysterious and strange, eerie occurrences, you may want to spend some time in The Kentucky Wildlands taking a ghost tour, exploring a haunted house or seeking the truth behind these famous legends, lore and hauntings for yourself.
Haunted Trails of The Kentucky Wildlands
Looking for haunted places to visit? Our Haunted Trail features 12 of the creepiest, most ghost-filled haunted places in The Kentucky Wildlands.
1. Paramount Joe - Ashland
Originally called the Paramount Theatre and opened in 1931, the Paramount Arts Center is said to be haunted by a ghost locals call Paramount Joe. According to Joe’s legend, as the theater was being built, four workmen were in the auditorium. Three went to lunch, and when they came back, they found the fourth dead, hanging from the curtain rigging. Joe is said to make himself known by cold drafts, missing objects, strange sounds, and on occasion an apparition.
Folks at the center have many stories about Joe, one of which involves country star Billy Ray Cyrus, who filmed his “Achy Breaky Heart” video there. Billy Ray was said to have chatted with Joe and gotten his advice during breaks. When he left, Billy Ray gave autographed posters to all the female staff, and also left one for Joe. All the posters were hung on the wall, as was the custom of the center. But as time went on and more and more autographed posters filled the wall, staff were asked to remove their Billy Ray ones, since there were so many, all alike. None of the staff wanted to remove theirs, so instead they removed… Read more on Haunted Places
2. Ramada Inn - Paintsville
This Ramada Inn is said to have a ghost of a woman who walks in high heels through the atrium as well as unexplained voices, levitating objects, and a man’s apparition. A woman is heard… Read more on Haunted Places
3. Hellier Caves - Near Pikeville
Featured in the documentary Hellier, the series follows a team of paranormal investigators who received a report on hobgoblins in Hellier, Kentucky. These investigators concluded that there is a cave system full of paranormal activity, especially the “Hellier Goblins” running in a triangle from Ashland to Pikeville to Somerset, and that the areas are along the ‘59th parallel’ creating more alien and UFO activity. The Mothman also has been spotted around the Ashland and Pikeville area, as well as around West Virginia.
4. Motel 80 - Emmalena
Rumor has it that at this site, a man once committed a double murder. It’s said that he found his wife together with another man in a hotel room, and shot and killed them both. Witnesses say the spirit of the man who was shot still remains behind, turning the lights on and off and walking audibly through the halls. According to reports, this motel was seized by the government for drug offenses, and is no… Read more at Haunted Places
5. Campbell Cemetery - Busy (Hazard)
There is a site at Campbell Cemetery called Coffin Rock, where locals say a man was shot and killed long ago. Now, when it rains, there appears to be blood running down the rock. Several ghosts are said to call this area home as well: an old man who flags down passing cars, a girl who stands in the middle of the road, and an elderly woman who… Read more at Haunted Placeslands
6. Red Dog Road - Harlan
This road has been haunted by mysterious lights which flicker from tree to tree. If one is quiet at a certain fork in the road you can hear someone or something walking in the woods above the road. A huge shadowed specter has been seen several times standing in the middle of the road. The legend tells of a jealous coal miner who, in the 1930’s shot and killed another miner as he exited the mine one evening. The story is that he killed the wrong man and his spirit still roams Red Dog Road looking for… Read more at Haunted Places
7. Wynn Cemetery - Clay County
According to local legend, two witches were buried in above-ground graves at Wynn Cemetery, and there are three trees here from which accused witches were hanged. Visitors have reported strange happenings on the anniversaries of their deaths and sudden temperature changes. Some witnesses have reported seeing a black… Read more at Haunted Places
8. Warfield Cemetery - Barbourville
Some claim that at the Warfield Cemetery, something unseen will follow you, moving as you do, terrorizing you as you walk through the graveyard, never stopping until… Read more at Haunted Places
9. Cumberland Falls - Corbin
Stories about the Cumberland Falls State Park tell of a 1950s bride and groom on their honeymoon. The bride lost her balance and fell from the cliff now called Lover’s Leap. Reports say drivers have hit a woman in a wedding dress in the area, although when they got out to look for her, she… Read more at Haunted Places
10. Soules Chapel - Somerset
The Legend of Soules Chapel. Originally one of the oldest Methodist churches in the town, it didn’t begin as something frightening…something dark…something evil. That was, until the fateful day that The Reverend came to town. According to the legend The Reverend began holding services in the quaint little church. Nothing was out of the ordinary at first, but once his flock began to grow things began to turn. The Reverend began to hold rituals and ceremonies at night and before long there were pentagrams drawn on the floor of the small chapel. It wasn’t long until local farmers began to notice that animals were missing. Eventually the animal sacrifices no longer sufficed and The Reverend began leading his people straight into the hands of the Prince of Darkness. Now the floor of the little church was covered in more than just pentagrams, it was soaked with the blood from human sacrifices. The townspeople discovered the grisly murders and immediately a mob was formed. Furious, they rushed… Read more on the Legend of Soule’s Chapel Facebook page
11. Free Union Separate Baptist Church Cemetery - Columbia
The cemetery is reportedly haunted by the ghost of a man holding an infant. People claim the ghosts are waiting for the man’s wife to die so that they can be reunited… Read more at Haunted Places
12.The Haintin’ Holler - Burkesville
As it’s called by locals “The Haintin; Holler” is located on HWY 3115, about 1/4 mile past the Gray Gap Road you will enter this area. It runs from there to about 1/4 mile from the end of Turner Branch Road. Turner Branch Road comes to a dead end with plenty of room to turn around. Though some accounts have placed “Big White Thangs” as far back as the creek at the beginning of HWY 3115 which is not far from the HWY 90 turn off to HWY 3115. I’ve personally never seen a ghost there but I’ve had family members that reported on the history of the area. In the “Haintin’ Holler” a headless horseman has been reported, a trapper leading a horse with an Indian squaw,as well as… Read more at Haunted Places
Written by Farrah Dobbs, former Marketing Director of the Kentucky Wildlands
