WardHallAfterDark
A Hairy Situation on the Walls of Ward Hall
In the heart of Scott County lies a 12,000-square-foot Grand Manse that was home to some of the sauciest and most scandalous historic individuals to grace Kentucky’s high society. While there are countless stories and artifacts housed within its walls, one item in particular might just make your skin crawl. It’s known as a mourning wreath.
As you can guess from the name, mourning wreaths were made to honor and memorialize family members after they had passed away.This all sounds very normal and perhaps even a little sweet until you take a closer look at what these wreaths were made out of…human hair.
Yes, hanging above a bed in this historic home is a wreath made of hair collected from the deceased. At one time, it was actually a popular and widespread victorian-era tradition to create a mourning wreath and add more hair to it as family members would pass away. It is not uncommon to find wreaths with 10 or more different individuals' hair woven into them as they were passed down through the generations.
So while it is unknown whose hair is woven into this particular wreath, you can be assured that it is not the only one of its kind. Not just wreaths, but hair necklaces, earrings and jewelry can be found all across the United States as the last remnants of this bizarre practice. Victorian-era mourning traditions like this are assumed to have largely died out in the early 1900s as the world was ravaged by the Great War and the Spanish Flu. There was simply too much death to keep up with tradition.
Contact:
Website: www.wardhall.net
Phone: 502-863-5356
Address: 1782 Frankfort Road, Georgetown, KY 40324
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TravelCamp
13 cabins, An Abandoned Camp And A History Of Death...
Fisher’s Travel Camp can be found in the outskirts of Scott County, just off of US 25. Opened in 1928, this roadside stop once offered a selection of 13 cabins (numbered 1-12.5) and a full service gas station. While once a busy stop for wayward travelers on the road, it now lies in ruins as newer and bigger highways (I-75) caused it to suffer a slow decline in business.
Passers-by will quickly find themselves picking up on some spooky vibes and a rather unwelcoming gas station sign, but the truly unsettling details of this forgotten destination lie much deeper, buried in the earth beneath your feet.
Fisher’s Travel Camp may look rather cheery from the post cards and newspaper clippings, but it was not always such a care-free resort. In fact, long-time residents knew the area by a different name: Dead Man's Hollow. A name which the area certainly earned over the years.
One standout story tells of a local Confederate sympathizer known as John "Jack" Beard. A group of Union soldiers were camped out in Dead Man's Hollow and one night decided to "Go get Old Jack". They rode out to Jack's farm, drug him from his home in front of his wife and executed him amongst the trees. A grim tale of the violent division that the Civil War drove into America.
Old Jack was not alone in meeting his demise in Dead Man's Hollow. Throughout the 1800s the area had a long history of murders, violence, crime and banditry, with several bodies being dumped into a nearby cave. Reports show many of those bodies were not discovered until years after their murder, supposedly perfectly preserved by the cave's conditions.
With such a storied history of death, it is no surprise there are countless reports of ghosts and hobgoblins spotted in the area dating as early as 1897. Still today at the mouth of the nearby cave, a roar can sometimes be heard; the cries of souls who were hidden away in the depths of the earth.
Contact:
Address: US 25, Georgetown, KY 40324
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PeteTheCrow
Conversations With A Centuries Old Talking Crow
Throughout the history of Scott County you can find many historical figures who led interesting lives or who were just plain scandalous, but there’s only one you can speak to still today and he’s well over 100 years old!
His name is Pete and yes, he is a crow. While he may not be as animated as he once was in his prime, he is certainly just as talkative as he spends his days perched in the Georgetown & Scott County Museum. “Go!” he would squawk; or so the story goes. It was his favorite word, one which would often confuse the horses at local races and gained him local notoriety.
Troublemaking aside, Pete lived a happy life with his owner and companion Dave Adams. Adams was a hatmaker who ran a hat shop in downtown Georgetown. The pair were known to stroll downtown to socialize and enjoy the local delights. Sadly after 3 years in Georgetown, Pete's story was violently cut short by a naive young boy with a well-aimed rifle.
So well known was Pete, and loved by some, that he was given a burial on the grounds of Georgetown College. And though he now rests on those grounds in an unmarked grave, his mechanical twin helps his spirit live on; Perched in the town he called home and chatting with the people who so cherished his mischievous outbursts. So when you visit the old Museum and a strange black bird squawks at you to “Go,” know that he is truly glad you came.
Contact:
Website: www.georgetownscottcountymuseum.com
Phone: 502-863-6201
Address: 229 East Main Street, Georgetown, KY 40324
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AbbyMae
A Haunting Bullet Hole In A Small Town Boutique…
Taking a step inside Abby Mae’s Boutique, you might begin to notice some things are out of place. The architecture is oddly familiar, the changing room is behind a giant vault door and…wait is that a bullet hole in the wall? Yes, this small-town boutique is built inside a historic bank. And you might be surprised to find some tragic stories held within its very walls.
Now back to that bullet hole. You didn’t think we’d just gloss over that one, right? You will find it neatly framed and labeled in the employee bathroom. (If you ask the shopkeeper, they’ll be happy to show you)
“BULLET HOLE FROM SUICIDE OF GEORGE T. HAMBRICK BANK PRESIDENT 1929”
Not the most inspiring thing you’d want to see on your bathroom breaks. For those of you who aren’t history buffs, 1929 wasn’t a great year for the banks. It was the year that the stock market crashed and kicked off a massive financial decline across the United States that is known today as the Great Depression.
George Hambrick had actually been planning to rob his own bank for some time now. One can only imagine, after news of the stock market crash reached him, his motives were of self preservation as the imminent destruction of his livlihood loomed large. Before he could get the chance to carry out his plans, however, the local authorities caught wind of his scheme. As officers were dispatched to aprehend Hambrick, he eluded capture and locked himself in the bank bathroom. Sensing no other way out and a dismal future ahead, he decided to take his own life with his pistol.
Rumors of hauntings have stuck with the building over the years, undoubtedly of the troubled scheming banker who took his life too soon. Some reports conclude that Georgetown's bank went on to perform fairly well through the depression.
Official paranormal investigations were done on the interior of the building by the Order Of The Astral Star in 2009 and while they were unable to conclusively capture a haunting, several "orbs" were reported along with the feeling of being touched by an unseen force while in the building.
Contact:
Website: shopabbymaesky.com
Phone: 606-264-9184
Address: 201 East Main Street, Georgetown, KY
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Dead Man's Hollow
Dead Man's Hollow & Haunted Highway
Just off U.S. 25 in Scott County, an abandoned building slouches beneath a sign that reads: "Hell."
From as far back as the early 1800s, the place was known as Dead Man's Hollow due to the discovery of dead bodies in a cave hidden on the grounds. That cave became the final resting place for many a innocent traveler. But what killed them? And why?
Legend holds that a mysterious hobgoblin-like creature with bony, claw-like hands and feet has made Dead Man's Hollow its home for generations, feeding off the misfortune of any soul unfortunate enough to cross its path. From confederate sympathizers to travelers lost in the woods, none have been safe from its deadly mischief. Over the years, passersby have often reported hearing wailing sounds coming from the entrance of the nearby cave; Cries from the victim of a hobgoblin's mischief
The grisly fate of two runaway lovers might be the most standout story we can pin on this wizened ghoul. In 1823, a young farmer made plans to rescue his newfound sweetheart from her violent and criminal father. Unfortunately, their plan was found out just as they escaped into the night. The girl's father gathered a mob of violent thugs to run down the young farmer who was "stealing his daughter." While the young couple might have been able to escape into the dense Kentucky backwoods, it seemed a mischievous hobgoblin had left obstacles for them at every turn.
Fallen trees blocked their path, brambles seemed to reach out and grab them around every turn and loose branches threatened to trip them at every step as creaturous laughter haunted them through the night. The pursuing mob eventually overtook them, and in the ensuing scuffle, the young girl was pushed down by her father. Her head hit the ground with a sickening crack; A rock had seemingly appeared under her head out of nowhere, killing her instantly. Perhaps it was truly an unfortunate accident, or perhaps the rock was placed there as the final trick of one mishcievous being....
Neither of the runaway lovers would survive that night and their bodies would not be discovered for another three years, perfectly preserved in the limestone conditions of a nearby cave. At night, visages of the murdered couple can sometimes be spotted in the shifting woods, along with the snickers and the beady yellow eyes of that troublesome hobgoblin. Do not leave your vehicles as you drive through Dead Man's Hollow, lest the misfortune of that
All the stories of murder, mayhem and mysterious creatures seen wandering the hollow certainly didn't stop a young couple from building a vacation resort in the late 1920s, complete with motel restaurant and lake right in the heart of the blood-stained land.
In 1928, Tom and Hallie Fisher opened Fisher's Travel Cmap and families soon flocked to the hideaway with its charming cabins tucked among the trees. But even the resort's legendary Southern cooking, lakeside croquet tournaments and family fishing outings couldn't quell stories of screams heard during the night, of a dark apparition appearing at the windows and of vacationers who suddenly felt chills to their very core.
Scary, unexplained things happened, like locked doors found open, furniture flung about, and personal items stolen. Rumors persisted of a hobgoblin that slipped into cabins, pawed through suitcases and inconvenienced guests. By the time I-75 was constructed, the camp would suffer greatly from a lack of business. The main building would go on to burn down in the early 1990s. Likely the last act of a bored hobgoblin who had no more guests to entertain themselves with.
Fewer and few people dared stay at the resort, and the buildings began to crumble. The rusting "Hell" sign and cabin ruins now all that remain to let passersby know that this was Deadman's Hollow - and it would forever be the domain of that troublesome hobgoblin.
DIRECTIONS:
Follow along US Highway 25 from georgetown until you cross over South Ray's Fork (A local waterway). You have now entered the fated Dead Man's Hollow. Drive along the winding, claustrophobic roadway and be sure not to get lured out of your vehicle. The path is windy and full of malevolent spirits. Your journey ends at the Scott County line (This will be marked by the small town of Corinth.)
Use The Map Below For Directions to all of our Paranormal Attractions!
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