Kentucky Hauntings

by Roberta Simpson Brown

  As news of these strange deaths spread, a morbid interest in the tombstone grew. There were those who believed and stayed at a respectful distance, but there were those who disbelieved and wanted to prove the believers wrong.

  A short time passed, and one day a farmer and three members of his family were driving by the cemetery where Pruitt was buried. The farmer was one of the skeptics and likely wanted to prove something to his family members. He pulled out a gun he always carried and fired several shots at Pruitt's headstone. He hit his target, and chunks of the headstone flew in all directions. Frightened by the shots, the horses ran faster and faster until the wagon was out of control. The family members jumped to safety, but the farmer held on, pulling the reins to stop. His efforts were useless, and the wagon swerved around a curve, throwing the farmer from his seat. He flew forward and caught on one of the trace chains, breaking his neck. Once again, after this tragic event, Carl Pruitt's tombstone was whole again!

  Talk of curses and mysterious deaths grew in the community and was called to the attention of the local congressman. He felt compelled to respond, so he sent two police officers to the cemetery to investigate the odd stories. One of the officers considered the assignment somewhat beneath him, so he laughed and joked about ghosts and curses. He and his partner took some photos and left to interview some witnesses to the events. As they were leaving in the police car, the skeptical officer saw a light coming from the direction of Carl Pruitt's headstone. As it came closer and closer, the officer drove faster and faster. As it reached the car, the officer swerved off the road and crashed the car between two posts. He was hit by a chain that had been hanging between the two posts. It smashed through the windshield, wrapped around the officer's neck, and almost severed his head. The other officer was thrown free and injured only slightly.

  The officer's death was enough to make most people believers and to keep them away from the cemetery. There was one unfortunate exception, however; his name was Mr. Lewis. He declared the whole thing was nonsense and set out one night with a chisel and sledgehammer to prove it. People in the vicinity of the cemetery could hear the sounds as he chipped away at the stone, but they kept their distance and did nothing until they heard a blood-curdling scream cut through the night air. Several men grabbed lanterns and hurried to the cemetery to see what had happened. When they reached the gate, they found Mr. Lewis dead there, looking as though he had been running to escape. The long chain used to keep the gate closed was wrapped around his neck. They figured that he must have been so frightened by something that he forgot about the chain and ran right into it. The strange thing was that all the hammering he did on Pruitt's stone did no damage to it at all.

  This last death convinced people to stay away. Many bodies were removed and reburied at other locations because nobody wanted to visit their loved ones with Carl Pruitt nearby. Eventually, Pruitt's grave became overgrown with weeds. He and his wife were childless, so there was nobody to tend the grave. In 1958, a strip-mining operation covered the grave and the body forever.

  Was Carl Pruitt really an evil ghost who reached out and killed the people who disturbed or mocked him? We will never know for sure, but we do know that these stories persist. There is enough evidence to convince many people that some spirits are not to be laughed at or bothered.

  The Ghost of Cumberland Falls

  We especially love stories from towns near us. Relatives in Somerset told us of a haunted place nearby.

  Cumberland Falls State Park, located in the Daniel Boone National Forest in eastern Kentucky, draws more visitors than any other park in the state. It's known as the Niagara of the South because of the 125-foot-wide falls that plunge 60 feet into a gorge below, which makes it the second largest waterfall in North America. It also has the Western Hemisphere's only Moonbow, a phenomenon that occurs on a clear night with a full moon by the mist of the falls. With such magic, Cumberland Falls naturally has its share of legends and ghost stories.

  A favorite ghost story of the area dates back to the 1950s. Like many young couples, a bride and groom came to Cumberland Falls State Park for their honeymoon. With so many wonderful things to see in the park, the couple decided to visit all the sites in the park before going back to their room in the lodge.

  There were many spectacular views that they wanted to remember, so they took lots of pictures to put in their album later. They especially wanted to get some shots with the falls in the background. After a short search, they found an overlook just a few hundred feet from the falls that would work perfectly for the photos they wanted.

  The groom wanted to get some shots of his beautiful bride first, so he selected a spot for her to pose. At his direction, she moved to a position on the Pillars, a spot at the edge of a 75- to 80-foot cliff. In the excitement of posing for him, the young woman unknowingly moved too close to the edge. Suddenly, she lost her balance and fell to her death below. The place where this terrible tragedy happened is now known as “Lovers' Leap.”

  Since this fatal accident, there have been many reports of sightings of the ghostly bride. Sometimes she is spotted on the bridge. Some people report that they are driving around the last curve before the site of her accident and they hit a woman in a wedding dress. When they stop to look for her, she is gone. But evidently, she doesn't stay gone. She returns again and again to the place she was supposed to experience her greatest happiness. Maybe she hopes that on one of her ghostly visits, things will go as they should have done back in the 1950s.

  Ashland's Paramount Art Center Ghost

  The story of the Paramount Art Center came to our attention a few years ago while we were telling stories in eastern Kentucky. Members of the audience at the college library shared it with us.

  The art center, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, was originally planned as a theater called the Paramount Center in Ashland, Kentucky. Plans called for it to be three times its current size, but construction plans were cancelled because of the Great Depression. An Ashland-based company scaled down the plans and built it anyway. The Paramount Center opened on September 5, 1931.

  The ghostly action at the Paramount started during its construction. The crew members went on their usual lunch break one day, but one of the workers, a man named Joe, chose to stay behind to finish up some work. When the crew returned from lunch, they were shocked to find Joe's body in the auditorium, hanging from the curtain rigging above the stage. No one has determined whether his death was an accident or a suicide. Since his death, Joe has remained in the theater in ghostly form.

  Joe's ghost has been seen on a few occasions, but mainly he prefers to be heard and felt rather than seen. He is believed to be responsible when things go missing, when the lights go off and on mysteriously, when cold spots appear and disappear, and when unexplained noises are heard. He is friendly, though, and sometimes helps by opening doors when he is asked.

  The most publicized account of Joe's presence happened in 1992 when singer Billy Ray Cyrus was filming his “Achy, Breaky Heart” video at the Paramount Center. He signed eight-by-ten photographs of himself for each of the female staff members as well as a special one made out to “Paramount Joe.” These photos hung in the box office until the walls got so crowded with other pictures that the executive director asked the women to take some down. They only removed the photo addressed to Joe. They soon learned that this was definitely the wrong thing to do.

  The next morning when they came to work, they discovered that all of Billy Ray's signed pictures had been knocked from the wall! They got the message and immediately hung the picture signed to Joe back in its own special place on the wall.

  Another story tells of Joe's ghost turning on lights for two recently hired employees who went to the basement by themselves to check on some old items of interest. They were very grateful since they did not know where the light switches were. They thought the marketing director had done it, but, when they checked, they learned he couldn't have done it becaus
e he had been talking on the phone. They gave Joe credit for his help.

  In 2004, a local psychic called the marketing director and told him she had a message for him from the other side.

  Surprised, he asked, “What is it?”

  “I am supposed to tell you that Joe said he is still here,” she said.

  The theater is now a nonprofit organization where plays, symphonies, and ballets are held. If you should decide to pay a visit to Joe's favorite hangout, chances are that Joe will be there from the other side to meet and greet you.

  The Tumbling Tombstone

  For many years, people who came and went in our storytelling circle of friends told about a strange, unlikely happening in Bardstown, Kentucky.

  Bardstown has more than its share of intriguing ghosts and haunted places. Haunted inns and haunted jails draw tourists to investigate and enjoy ghost walks. A particularly fascinating paranormal happening in this historic town concerns the story told in our circle about a tombstone placed at the head of John Rowan's grave that refuses to stay in place.

  John Rowan was one of Kentucky's most important and impressive politicians. He was a state judge, served seven terms in the legislature, and was a U.S. senator, Kentucky secretary of state, and chief justice for the Court of Appeals.

  He was also a cousin of Stephen Foster, who wrote “My Old Kentucky Home” after visiting Rowan's mansion, Federal Hill. The stately mansion was deeded to Rowan and his wife by his wife's father as a wedding gift and was a perfect home for the Rowans' impressive way of life.

  John Rowan had an unimpressive beginning, though. He was such a sickly child that his family never expected him to live to adulthood. His father moved the family to Kentucky, where young John thrived in the fresh air. He became a brilliant scholar, started his career as a lawyer, and married a woman named Ann Lytle. They entertained many dignitaries at their Federal Hill home.

  John Rowan died July 13, 1843. Before his death, he made it clear that he did not want any stone marker or monument erected over his grave. Since his parents had never had markers, he felt it would be disrespectful to them if he had a marker for himself. He thought his home and his life were tributes enough to him and that he needed no monuments.

  Rowan was buried first in the Bardstown Cemetery. Somehow, this site did not seem right for such a prominent man. The family thought about it and decided shortly after his burial to remove him from the Bardstown Cemetery and relocate him in the Rowan family cemetery, which was called Federal Hill Cemetery. They also decided to ignore his wishes about having no headstone. They erected a tall obelisk in his honor. Though it was beautiful and tasteful, it must not have pleased Rowan.

  Just a few days after the installation of the obelisk, the monument tumbled over for no apparent reason. At that point, of course, stories began to spread about how strange it was that Rowan's wishes had been disregarded and now the stone had mysteriously fallen. Stonemasons were called in to fix the monument. They did not think it was a mystery. They blamed tree roots and settling ground for the monument's fall.

  The mystery was not solved by their answer. In less than two months, the monument had tumbled over again. Stonemasons were called in again to repair it, but this time they expressed no opinion on the cause of the fall. Stories continued to circulate that John Rowan's spirit was not happy with that monument. More and more people accepted this story as true when the monument fell yet again shortly after the stonemasons had repaired it. This time, it landed directly on John Rowan's grave. That did it! The stonemasons refused to work on the monument again.

  Cemetery caretakers took over the responsibility of repairing the stone and keeping it upright. Rumor has it that they still have to deal with this problem. No one knows the reason for the repeated falls, but everyone in that area seems to think it is a sign that Rowan meant what he said about not wanting a monument or stone marker at his grave. His spirit is apparently angry because his wishes were not carried out.

  The Nannie Womack and Elmer Hill Hauntings

  The facts of what has been called “Russell County's crime of the century” may never be sorted out completely. When we were growing up in Russell County, the story was only repeated to us in hushed tones. One of Elmer Hill's supposedly intended victims who got away was a teacher who never spoke to us about it. Yet several versions of the brutal slaying and raping of young Nannie Womack and the subsequent hanging of Elmer Hill keep popping up after all these years. Since the case was never brought to trial, all the facts may not be in these accounts.

  The late Brother Morris Gaskins of Russell Springs, Kentucky, wrote one account based on newspaper stories and interviews with local citizens. Editors of Adair County and Russell County papers and other regional papers wrote articles full of valuable information. Relatives wrote accounts, too, giving additional information. The account here is the one we heard most often.

  The crime occurred on December 8, 1908, and the victim was a young schoolgirl. Nannie Womack's age is variously given as nine, ten, eleven, and even twelve years old, but her tombstone shows she was born April 7, 1898, and died December 8, 1908. Fate was definitely in charge of her life that day.

  One of five children of Mr. and Mrs. Logan Womack, Nannie and two of her brothers attended Mt. Olive School. Normally, these brothers would have been walking home with her that day, but as fate would have it, they had gone home with some friends that day. Even so, some friends walked home from school with Nannie until they reached the lane that branched off and led to Nannie's home. They asked if she wanted them to walk on home with her, but she said she was not afraid to walk alone. They waved good-bye, and she turned and walked down the lane alone. She was found murdered in that lane, less than a quarter mile from her home.

  The woods that lined the lane were dark and thick and made a perfect hiding place for her killer, Elmer Hill. Elmer was a cousin of Nannie's, but he did not have a good reputation in the community. He was in his early twenties when he waited for Nannie to come by that day. He grabbed her, dragged her into the woods, and raped and murdered her. From bits of information pieced together later, Elmer was really waiting for one of the local girls and was upset when she didn't show up. Fate stepped in and sent him an innocent substitute—Nannie Womack.

  Elmer attempted to murder Nannie with her scarf, but she survived his choking attempt. If only she had played dead, she might have lived. Perhaps she was too young to think of staying perfectly still. She was probably so frightened, she just wanted her mother.

  As Elmer turned to walk away, Nannie sat up and called out three times, “Mama! Mama! Mama!”

  It was then that Elmer turned back and smashed her small head and face with a tree limb. Strangely enough, at that same time, Nannie's mother, Jocie Hill Womack, thought she heard her daughter calling her. That was one of the reasons that made them start searching for her as soon as they did. (We talked recently to the man who moved not long ago with his family into a home near the place where Nannie was murdered. Some members of the family have heard the voice of a little girl calling, “Mama! Mama! Mama!”)

  The family was joined in the search by neighbors throughout the Webbs Cross Roads and Mt. Olive communities. Clay Dameron was the person who discovered Nannie's body.

  While the search was on for the little girl, Elmer is said to have gone to the home of his grandfather to change clothes and hide his bloody ones in the loft. Later, he changed his shoes for a pair of new ones at the home of a man named Holt near the Blair Schoolhouse Road. Nobody ever explained why he went there to get the new shoes. Maybe blood was on the old pair.

  In those days, it was the custom to “lay out” the body at home while the coffin was being built. During that time, Elmer came to the house to view his poor little dead cousin. He put on a good act. He was quoted as saying, “A person who would do a deal like that is sure a mean person!” At that point, nobody knew the mean person was Elmer himself.

  Elmer joined the men outside who were discussing the crime a
nd how to catch the killer. There was some mention of burning the killer at the stake when they caught him. A rider rode up and announced that bloodhounds were on their way from Lincoln County and would soon be there to start the search for the killer. This news seemed to upset Elmer, and he left the Womack home in a hurry. At that point, nobody had made the connection between Elmer and the murder.

  The bloodhounds arrived and trailed the killer for three days before finding him in a relative's outbuilding in Sano, Kentucky, on the fourth day. Wolford Wilson and a young man named Sheperd captured Elmer among his relatives on Sunday, December 13, 1908, and took him to the Jamestown jail. Because of people's emotions running so high and the danger of lynching being very real, the authorities soon moved Elmer to the Wayne County jail, where he remained until Tuesday of the following week.

  On the night of Elmer's arrest, a mob said to be composed of 25 to as many as 150 men decided to take the law into their own hands and hang Elmer Hill. Several such attempts were foiled, but finally a mob, many of whose members were prominent citizens, proceeded to Wayne County and seized Elmer Hill from the jail. The sheriff was not present at the time, and the deputy offered up the keys to the jail to the mob with no resistance.

  Elmer Hill was taken back to Jamestown to a large black oak tree near a place called Gaddins Spring. He was seated on a horse that belonged to Nannie's grandfather. There, on the road coming up from Cumberland River, the men hanged Elmer Hill from the oak tree and left his body hanging there for all to see. Officials eventually came out and cut his body down. His unmarked grave is supposed to be in or near a Jamestown cemetery. Only a few know the actual spot.