Kentuckiana’s Most Haunted Locations
Posted on October 13, 2017
It’s almost Halloween and haunted houses are being advertised everywhere. What we don’t hear enough about are the real life hauntings that inspired the money making attractions people flock to every year. The Southern Indiana and Louisville areas are full of these interesting locations, and many of them hold tours year-round.
The most popular of the bunch is certainly the Waverly Hills Sanatorium. Waverly served as a hospital for tuberculosis patients from 1910 to 1961. The hospital housed hundreds of patients throughout the years and was active in various experimental treatments. The Sanatorium is open for Halloween tours every year. Located in Louisville, Kentucky, the Waverly Hills Sanatorium is rich in history and not something you want to miss.
Whenever you cross over the Ohio River on the Kennedy Bridge there is no doubt you can see the Colgate-Palmolive Factory clock towering over Clarksville, Indiana. What some people may not know is that the Colgate-Palmolive Factory was once used as a prison until 1919 when a fire broke out. After that, Colgate bought the building, and cleaned up the mess. Today, many believe the old building is haunted, particularly the basement.
Next on our list of spooky places to discover is Mistletoe Falls, better known as “The Witches Castle”. Now just ruins from fire damage, you can see what remains of this once grand stone house that is said to have been inhabited by witches before destroyed by locals. Legend also says that you can still hear voices and see the mist of a little girl dressed in white. Many believe that Witches Castle inspired the Disney film, Hocus Pocus, and that local covens use the grounds for their rituals. The image below is what they believed the house resembled originally.
Formerly the McCullough Steak House and the Sunset Grill Restaurant, the John McCulloch Mansion continues to spook its employees and visitors, in the small town of Clarksville, Indiana. Many have seen the spirit of John McCulloch, heard footsteps, and even find that things have been moved or put out of place. Employees have even reported finding light bulbs unscrewed and left on tables after leaving. Today it’s used to host events and parties.
Like the Waverly Hills Sanatorium, Culbertson Mansion offers Halloween attractions because of it’s popular spooky history. This historic home is right across the river from Louisville in New Albany, Indiana. The mansion was home to the wealthy Culbertson family for several years and through many of their deaths. Even the mansion’s builder William S. Culbertson himself died while living in the mansion. The profits from the ghost tours at the mansion are what has been supporting the restoration and maintenance through the years.
