Welcome to Estill County, Kentucky, where we have many intriguing, creepy-looking houses and several haunted locations. Here are the top five haunted spots in Estill County.
First on our list is the Fitchburg Furnace. Yes, another furnace, because that’s what Estill County had – furnaces. The Fitchburg Furnace is enormous and far more impressive looking than the Cottage Furnace. Still, oddly enough, even for its time, it was considered old-fashioned. It provided many jobs, but it didn’t last very long. A common story revolves around a man and a little girl who haunt the Fitchburg Furnace. They appear as ordinary people until they suddenly disappear. This man has been seen walking around the furnace, appearing like a tourist. However, when he turns around, his face is shadowy. A little girl, always wearing the same clothes, has been seen playing around it before vanishing.
Next is the Devil’s House. When you approach, you may experience a chill, an ominous “dun dun dun.” This place is reputedly the most haunted in Estill County, filled with tales of invisible hands pushing people down the stairs, rooms that are unusually cold or sweltering, and rumored satanic rituals. There are even stories of ghostly figures and sounds of footsteps and laughter. The Devil’s House is an attractive, old farmhouse in the country, its ominous red paint not helping its reputation. It has a tragic history too, involving two brothers who lived there and died on the same day from drinking bad whiskey.
Third is Riverview Place, a huge building on Main Street. For a long time, it served as a hotel and doctor’s office, and its last use was as an antique vendor mall. Former staff and tenants reported seeing ghostly figures in the hallways, hearing mysterious sounds at night, and experiencing paranormal activities like an orb darting around in one of the rooms caught on surveillance cameras.
Fourth on the list is the Cottage Furnace, another furnace in Estill County that’s known for significant paranormal activity. It is said to be haunted by a ghost of a slave named Ned who threw himself into the furnace chimney rather than return to his abusive owner. People have reported hearing sounds of screaming, crying, and even the furnace in action.
Last on our list is a now-closed school, formerly known as Target. Former employees reported hearing the sounds of children running down the hallways, doors slamming by themselves, and empty classrooms filled with voices. Since the building’s closure, unauthorized visitors have reported similar phenomena.
If you’d like to learn more about the haunted locations in Estill County, check out my books, “Haunted Estill County” and “More Tales from Haunted Estill County.” You can find them on my website, RebeccaPHoward.net. Thanks for joining me on this spooky tour of Estill County, Kentucky. Bye-bye!