By Jenna French
Driving around Old Louisville, it’s easy to notice the stunning architecture and the classiness and serenity of the whole area. What many don’t know is that there are several ghost stories associated with the Victorian houses that make up Old Louisville.
Local author David Domine explored some of these stories in his book, “Ghosts of Old Louisville.” The book is accompanied by a weekly tour, offered by the Old Louisville Visitors Center, that explores the sites mentioned in Domine’s book. The tour leaves at 7:30 p.m. each Friday.
Domine played the part of tour guide as a van full of people explored the Old Louisville neighborhood. He spoke about the “old days,” when Third Street was known as “Millionaire’s Row,” and the tour group got to uncover parts of Louisville that have a hidden history.
At one point, the bus stopped across from Central Park, and Domine told the story of a wealthy family who used to call that plot of land home. Supposedly, late at night, the ghost of one of the family members walks the paths of the park.
As Domine finished up the story, a “ghost” in old-fashioned attire came onto the bus and told the story of how he had been killed many years before. This added a humorous touch to the tour, and delighted those in attendance.
Domine also recounted the tale of the “Lady on the Stairs” at the Church of Jesus Christ Scientist, an unfortunate girl who lost her fiance to the Spanish flu and never knew it.
According to Domine, she waited for him for three days so they could elope together, and at the end of the three days she died of the flu as well. Now her spirit walks the stairs, eternally waiting for her lover.
Another story that hits a little closer to home is that of the ghost that supposedly haunts the J.B. Speed Art Museum at the University of Louisville.
Domine told of the ghost of Hattie Bishop Speed walking the halls of the museum she created for her husband, playing tricks on pictures of J.B. Speed’s first wife Cora.
Also included in the book is an entry on the infamous Waverly Hills Sanatorium, sometimes called the most haunted place in America.
“Ghosts of Old Louisville” is the first in a series of about 4 to 6 books dealing with the subject matter, Domine said.
He said he was inspired to start the series after moving into a home in Old Louisville. “I didn’t understand why Victorian Louisville wasn’t more well-known,” he said, “and then I started noticing weird things around my house.” Old Louisville is the largest Victorian neighborhood in the country.
Domine soon began sharing his stories with some of his neighbors and discovered that several people had seen ghostly occurrences and began to write some of the stories down. He still has several stories left to research and condense, and those remaining will make up the next three to five books in his series.
Domine hopes his series of books will encourage more tourism in the area.
He believes that Louisville could be more well-known nationally, and said, “Louisville could be the next Atlanta” due to its history and architecture. He intends to put Louisville on the map through his writing. “[The tour’s] been packed every week since it started,” interim director Nore Ghibaudy said.
For more information on the tours of Old Louisville, contact the Old Louisville Visitors Center at (502) 637-2922 or visit their Web site at http://www.historicoldlouisville.com. The center is located at 218 W. Oak St.
