LOUISVILLE, Ky. — You could be forgiven if you think of bourbon and thoroughbreds before ghosts and hauntings whenever Louisville is mentioned. However, paranormal researcher Conner Gossel said Kentucky's largest city has a spooky history to boast.
"Those places that the city does have are amongst not only the most haunted in the country, but they're some of the most haunted in the world," he said.
One place that immediately comes to mind is Waverly Hills Sanatorium, with visitors coming from around the world each here hoping to catch a glimpse of one of the many ghostly residents believed to still roam the halls of the former tuberculosis hospital. According to Gossel, Waverly Hills consistently ranks among the most haunted places in the world.
"There's so much that can happen when you do a ghost hunt, and you've kind of got to pick and choose, well, what do I want to experience in what place? You go to Waverly, you're going to experience all of it," he said.
Gossel said Waverly was one of the early haunted places he explored as a youth and his experiences there fueled a passion for seeking out the paranormal. He said he started The Haunted Historian Instagram account shortly after going to college as a way of staying connected with his friends who were also paranormal researchers and has seen it grown to more than 60,000 followers who look forward to his posts introducing them to haunted places around the world, some off the beaten trail.
"Anybody can do a simple Google search and find places like Waverly or locations like that around the country or world, but you really have to dive down a number of rabbit holes and invest yourself to find a number of locations that we find," he said.
According to Gossel, Louisville has several other haunted locations, including the Pink Palace on St. James Court and several of the city's cemeteries. He also said the entire area of Old Louisville is one of the most haunted neighborhoods in the city.
Gossel said he plans on continuing to study haunted places in the Louisville area and hopes his work with The Haunted Historian will encourage other thrill-seekers to join him on the hunt.
"It's the curiosity of the unknown - experiencing something that very few people get to experience," he said
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