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 Places
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. Allegedly, in the “Haintin’ Holler” a headless horseman has been reported, a trapper leading a horse with an Indian squaw, as well as odd lights from time to time, similar to the “Marfa lights” in Texas.
Interestingly in this area, there are also stories of “White Thangs” near the creek. Bigfoot researchers have reports of white colored Bigfoot sightings from the area.
It may be a coincidence, but some have said when they entered the area the temperature dropped about 10 degrees F… Read more at Haunted Places
