An urban legend is basically a creepy ghost or monster story that has been passed down for generations. Often this Kentucky lore is used during youth to test our bravery, and likely, stupidity. Many involve places that can be dangerous without safety precautions, and sometimes with. Some are just based on the occasional apparition and one goes back to the days of Daniel Boone.
Here are 12 of the creepiest urban legends from around Kentucky:
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12. The Hillbilly Beast dates back to Daniel Boone’s day. The tales describe it as a hairy, smelly Bigfoot like being that howls. This legend was featured on the fourth season of History Channel's Monsters.
11. The legend of Hot Rod Haven dates back to the 50s. A young couple was on their way to a dance and speeding down Mitchell Hill Road, as common both back then and now. Their car crashed and the couple was killed. The cemetery at the top of the hill is home to the Mitchell and Griffen families. It is here the couple’s bodies were laid to rest together. The young girl is said to walk the roads in search of something. Perhaps a trinket she lost during the accident.
10. The Kentucky legends of Sleepy Hollow don’t involve a headless horseman, but instead a creepy hearse and ghostly cries. The lore tells us that in Prospect a hearse appears from thin air, and runs drivers off the road. They also say sounds of crying can be heard from what was once the “Crybaby “ bridge. It is said that decades ago, women would throw their unwanted or sickly children off the sides to their death. Time warps have also been experienced. Drivers claim to enter the road at one time, and exit several hours later according to the time.
9. In Northern Kentucky stands the Cody Road Railroad Bridge. Unfortunately, there is severe flooding there, and decades ago a women is rumored to either have drowned, or committed suicide during a flood. Now iron gates are attached at either side that automatically close with a stop sign during flooding. They came to late though, as supposedly, a women’s voice can be heard crying and calling out during floods.
8. A ghostly police officer supposedly likes to patrol Narrows Road in Erlanger KY. In the 1950s, an officer was hit by another vehicle during a routine traffic stop. Now he pulls people over in the same vehicle, but disappears as he walks to the person’s car, or away from it. He is said to sometimes talk to people he pulls over.
7. In FIsherville the Norfolk Southern Railway Trestle runs over Floyds Fork River. It has been said that Goatman lives underneath the trestle and calls out in a child like voice for help. Those who go to help are found dead, or not heard from again. (so the legend says)
6. Elsmere Kentucky is home to the AllenDale trailer park, and behind it, in the woods, is the AllenDale Train Tunnel. Legend has it a man hung himself from a hook above the tunnel. Some say his ghost appears swinging from above the tunnel. Others say he walks the tunnels and screams can be heard echoing through it.
5. On Lambs Ferry Road in Ryland Kentucky, in a dark, desolate area, set the Twin Train Tunnels designed by L&N Railroad, now CSX. Back in the 1930s was hit and killed. Some say he was connected to the railroad, some say he was out for an evening stroll. Now he can be seen walking through the tunnel, seemingly trying to reach the exit. Sometimes he carries a lantern, other times not.
4.Iroquois Park in Louisville Kentucky is a woodland gem in the heart of the south end. The lush, green forest is filled with twisting trails of varying lengths where people hike, walk and bike. Legend has it that in the 1800s, a settler and his wife lived there. The woman was home alone when, supposedly, Indians attacked. They killed the family dog first, then beheaded the women and burned down the cabin. It is said that at times a thick fog over takes the trails filled with the stench of smoke. Afterwards, a woman in 1800s clothing can be seen walking, covered in blood and carrying her severed head.
3. Hogan’s Fountain in the Louisville’s renowned Cherokee Park is home to a finely crafted statue of Pan. For decades, late night park visitors have claimed that on the full moon, Pan goes for a stroll. These nights are told to be filled with mischief, like car damage and other annoying acts.
2. Near the child’s witches grave site another dark spirit looms known as the Pilot’s Knob Watcher. This presence encourages a quickened pace, and makes the hair on the back of the neck stand up. It seems to loom around the child’s iron prison, making its presence known to those who go there after dark. Some say it guards the spirit of the girl. Others say it waits to snatch the child’s spirit, dragging it into a darker place. Local residents avoid the area and seem somewhat frightened to speak of it, unlike most keepers of urban legends.
1.People were once, and some still are, a very suspicious lot. In the late 1900s, small town folk could be the worst. In the rural county of Marion lies a small town called Pilot’s Knob. In the 1900s, a women and her 6 year old daughter were accused of witchcraft, but their trial was forgone. Instead, the townsfolk burned them both at the stake. They feared the repercussions of their judgment and took precautions to prevent the child from returning. The child lays in a steel lined grave, but dirt was replaced with concrete and gravel. They then put an interconnecting cross fence so that her spirit would be trapped within the borders. Today, the fence is wrought iron and has several spots that look to be pushed out from the inside by a powerful force. Small foot prints can often be seen in the gravel as well, according to those who visited the site. The child witch can supposedly pull people down into her grave. Local residents seem fearful of this place.
Urban legends are a unique part of our American history all across the United States. This is just a peek into Kentucky’s colorful history of lore and legend. There have been some very convincing testimonials over the years in regards to many of these tales. Realistically, most lore is derived from some truth. It is interesting to wonder where the line is drawn between real and embellished.
If you have any unique lore to share, please do. It is always cool to get a glimpse into the past via other people’s stories.
I am somewhat a cliche'. I grew up running around barefoot on a farm in Kentucky.
I love writing, art, sunshine, all animals and my incredibly patient husband, who tolerates my "crazy animal lady" side.
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