The Haunted History of Frankfort's Liberty Hall

Although he was a quiet, behind-the-scenes kind of politician, John Brown is often referred to as The Founding Father of Kentucky.  Born in 1757, he was the youngest member of the Continental Congress and when Kentucky gained statehood, was one of its first senators.  When the seat of government moved to Frankfort, Brown picked up and moved to the frontier area and built a beautiful home on a four acre plot near the Kentucky River.

The home was completed in 1796 and was named Liberty Hall.  Three years later, Brown married a woman named Margaret and brought her to the fine home, where the guest list included many famous names of celebrities and politicians of the period.  Liberty Hall stayed in the family until 1937, and was then later willed to the Colonial Dames of America in 1956.  Today, it operates as a historical site and museum, where tours are offered daily sharing the history of this marvelous home and the people who lived there...and of course, the history of those who died there as well.

Over the years, Liberty Hall has picked up several ghost stories, and it is believed that at least three main spirits still walk the grounds.  In 1805, a visiting Spanish opera singer was said to have attended a party at Liberty Hall, yet was never seen or heard from again.  She was last spotted walking the gardens in the direction of the river and her disappearance was blamed on an abduction by Indians.  Whatever the young woman's fate, her spirit seems to remain.  A dark-haired woman has been seen running through the gardens, her mouth frozen in a silent shriek.  Another ghost is said to be that of a British soldier from the War of 1812.  Legend states that the man had fallen in love with a cousin of the Brown family who was visiting, yet the affection was not reciprocated.  The soldier has been seen standing outside, peering into the windows.  When he doesn't see what he's come to see, his countenance takes on a mournful expression, and he walks sadly away.

Photo of the Gray Lady?

While these sightings are quite interesting in their own right, the star spirit of Liberty Hall is undoubtedly the Gray Lady.  The Gray Lady is believed to be the spirit of Mrs. Margaret Varick, the elderly aunt of Margaret Brown, who came to visit and console the family in 1817 after the death of one of the Brown children.  Mrs. Varick traveled all the way from New York and unfortunately the long trip proved too much for her and she passed away from a heart attack three days after her arrival.  She was buried in the gardens, but her body was later moved to a larger cemetery and today, its exact whereabouts are unknown.

But just because her body cannot be found doesn't mean that Mrs. Varick will allow herself to be forgotten.  She was first sighted as early as the 1820s by a grandson of John Brown.  Later, she was spotted by a great-granddaughter, Mary Mason Scott, her witnessed the small woman in gray in her second floor bedroom---the same bedroom where Mrs. Varick allegedly passed.  In 1965 a firefighter responding to a small fire at the home snapped a photo that appears to show a woman in a cloak descending the stairs.  Many believe this is evidence of the Gray Lady.

It is believed that the spirit of the Gray Lady is a gentle, helpful one.  She seems to watch over the house and take care of its inhabitants...something she tried to do while alive, but unfortunately was never able to accomplish.  To celebrate her life and her afterlife, each October Liberty Hall holds a special tour in her honor.  These Gray Lady tours cover the life of Mrs. Varick and the ladies who have witnessed her presence, discuss the hauntings, and share the mourning practices popular at the time.  As an added bonus, Gray Lady costume contests are held at Halloween!


Liberty Hall Website
Haunted Kentucky, by Alan Brown
Article by Troy Taylor
Article from Lex18

Kentucky State Office Building

KY State Office Building

The Kentucky State Office Building in Frankfort was built over a period of several years, from 1937 to 1940.  Prior to its construction, the land it sits on was home to the original Kentucky State Prison.

The first Kentucky State Penitentiary was built in 1798 and the following year a branch was built in Eddyville.  By 1912, the Eddyville branch became the main penitentiary, while the facility in Frankfort was renamed the Kentucky State Reformatory.  As the name suggests, the Reformatory was supposed to have started handling younger, less violent offenders, but due to overcrowding issues at all the facilities, it continued to house prisoners of all ages and levels.

That overcrowding, in addition to severe flood damage in the mid-1930s, led to a major restructuring of Kentucky's penal system.  A new reformatory was built at another location, and the heavily damaged, outdated building at Frankfort was torn down to make room for a new office complex.

Original Kentucky State Penitentiary

Those working in the office building today believe that the souls of the Kentucky State Penitentiary/Reformatory  are still on the property...causing mischief throughout the building.  Many employees refuse to work in the building after hours due to all the strange things experienced over the years.  People have been touched.  They've heard voices and footsteps and seen shadows.  One ghost in particular likes to run the copy machine in an empty room, and another likes to rustle the paperwork in one of the cubicles.  Another witness reported seeing a man step into the elevator, but when he walked up to the elevator right as the door was closing, he could clearly see it was empty.  When he pushed the button, the elevator popped back open immediately, confirming that no one was inside.

During a period of time between 2005 and 2007, the building underwent extensive renovations, which seemed to have stirred up the activity.  Construction workers reported being grabbed by unseen hands, and at least one person claims to have been shoved down the stairs by someone who wasn't there.  The building opened back up in 2007, still housing various departments of state government, and....still housing a few ghosts as well.


Joint Investigation Data from SIGH and iGHOST
Personal Experience from Your Ghost Stories
The Haunted State Office Building
Kentucky State Reformatory History
Historic Photos 

Buffalo Trace Distillery

From BourbonBuzz.com

Frankfort, Kentucky is home to one of the country's oldest distilleries.  It may also be home to one of the country's most HAUNTED distilleries!

Since 1787, there has been a working distillery of some type on the current Buffalo Trace property.  What once started as a small operation has now blossomed into 119 acres and 114 buildings of sweet, Kentucky bourbon goodness!

HISTORY
In 1857, Daniel Swigert built the first modern distillery on the site, which was purchased in 1870 by Col. E.H. Taylor, Jr.   Taylor christened the operation, O.F.C., or "Old Fire Copper," in honor of his preferred method of whisky manufacture.  Taylor only owned the distillery for about eight years, when George T. Stagg purchased it in 1878 and continued the series of modern improvements initiated by Taylor.  Under these improvements was the construction of an additional warehouse, Warehouse C, in 1885, which still stands today.

Unfortunately, a lightning strike and resulting fire wiped out the main distillery in 1882, but Stagg quickly rebuilt and in 1904, the name of the distillery was changed to the George T. Stagg Distillery. An interesting piece of the history of the distillery involves how it survived Prohibition.  It was granted one of only FOUR permits to continue to produce and sell whiskey...for medicinal purposes, allowing the company to stay afloat until the amendment was repealed.

 The year 1992 saw the facility's purchase by the Sazerac Company out of New Orleans, and under their care, the distillery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  It became the Buffalo Trace Distillery during the summer of 1999, in order to honor an old buffalo trail that cut through the property in the 1700s.

Col. Blanton

HAUNTS
With a long history such as that, no wonder the distillery has attracted numerous spirits....not including those aging in barrels in the warehouses!  The most prolific haunter of the bunch is Colonel Albert Blanton.  Blanton joined the distillery as an office boy in 1897 and by early 1900s had been named president.  Blanton passed away in the company mansion, Stony Point, in 1959.  His apparition is seen there, but also elsewhere around the property.  Other manifestations include unexplained noises, cold spots and phantom footsteps in Warehouse C.

These claims attracted the attention of TAPS, so  Season 7, episode 23 featured an investigation of the distillery.  They were not disappointed!

Both the mansion and Warehouse C proved to be active, with Jason and Grant both getting their bottoms pinched by an unseen hand, Tango and Steve being attacked by a shadowy figure, and plenty of strange, unexplained noises.

TOURS
If you'd like to try to experience the ghosts of Buffalo Trace for yourself, ghost tours are held Thursday through Saturday evenings at 7pm. These tours are complimentary, but registration is required.  A product sampling is included in the tour, so all participants MUST be 21 years of age or older to participate.  Check the link down below for information on how to reserve your tour.

Buffalo Trace Tour Information