West Point, KY

South of Louisville, on Hwy 31W (known to the locals as Dixie Hwy), lies the town of West Point. From the highway, it doesn't appear to be anything but a few buildings & an old Hotel but if you take the time to drive through the town you will be amazed at the history documented on every street.

West Point is one of the oldest towns in Kentucky. The first settlers arrived at the mouth of the Salt river in 1776 where it meets the Ohio River, but for the first 20 years the settlers were time and again driven back to the more populated area of Southeastern Kentucky by Indian attacks.

In 1776, following the peace treaties signed between the Kentuckians and the Northwestern Indian tribes at Greenville, Ohio, the area became open for permanent settlement, and the town of West Point was officially established. The town was named West Point because at that time it was the western-most outpost of English civilization as
you came down the Ohio River.

The town was founded by James Young, a young Virginian. Today there is a river walk along the banks of the Ohio River named in honor of James, as well as the bridge that carries the U.S. 31W highway traffic across the Salt River.

In its early years, long before the airplane, railroads, or superhighways, West Point became the river post for practically all the commerce coming into and leaving a large portion of Kentucky, from here to the Tennessee border. Large warehouses were build on West Point's riverfront where merchants and farmers would store their merchandise awaiting flatboat and later steamboat transportation.

When Lewis and Clark made their historic journey from Clarksville, Indiana to the Pacific Ocean, three of the men were residents of West Point and the surranding area.




West Point has a rich military history also. When the Civil War broke out, the Union Army invaded kentucky and erected a fortification on the hilltop overlooking West Point. Work began early november 1861. It was named Fort Duffield and its purpose was to protect Louisville from attack by Confederate forces as well as to defend the huge supply base at West Point.

West Point is home to one of the few remaining Rosenwald Schools which are historically significant as reminders of the contributions of Julius Rosenwald, Booker T. Washington, and the Tuskegee Institute to rural African American education in Kentucky and 14 other southern states
This building was used as a military hospital during the Civil War and is reported to be haunted.

West Point is a town well worth the time it takes to visit. If you can visit on the weekend, the Star Restaurant in the old hotel is open for lunch and dinner and the hotel itself is an amazing walk into history. I have personally ate there many times and have felt the spirit energy in the hotel. I have not had the opportunity to take pictures inside the hotel as yet but hopefully when some of my SPIRIT friends visit me from Florida, we can arrange an investigation.

Cave Hill Cemetery, Louisville, KY

This is certainly one of the most amazing cemeteries I have ever visited. It was chartered by the General Assemby of Kentucky on February 5, 1848 for the purpose of operating a rural cemetery. The cemetery was dedicated in July of that year, and the transition of Cave Hill Farm into beautiful Cave Hill Cemetery began.

Edmund F. Lee, a local civil engineer, concluded that Cave Hill Farm's irregular landscape was ideally suited for the formation of a rural cemetery.

The cemetery, located at the far east end of Broadway was "out in the country", if you will, and away from the bustle of city life. This was an ideal location, a rural location, to bury many Louisville citizens that died from a large number of cummunicable diseases prevalent in the mid-1800's. The city grew rapidly during this time, and there was a great demand for lots in the cemetery.

The cemetery's 296 acres were acquired in various tracts from adjoining land owners over a period of thirty years. Within the grounds, known in the mid 1800's as the "city of the dead", are sixteen miles of paved roads, five lakes and one quarry.

Cave Hill was named for the cave on the east bank of the main lake below the Administration Offrice that runs 246' into the hillside. The limestone caverns beneath Cave Hill are made up of chain-coral and upper magnesian cliff limestone. This rock was buried in sea water during it's deposition and formation to a depth of 120' beneath a tropical sea. In various parts of the grounds, caverns were made in the rocks by the solvent power of carbonated rain water. The roofs of some of the caverns fell in to the floor of the cave making numerous depressions. These are called basins (not sink holes) since there is not an opening at the bottom for future sinking.

As of 2006, there have been over 122,000 people interred on the grounds. Cave Hill is an outdoor museum with many hundreds of exquisite works of monumental art marking the gravesites of Louisville citizenry.

Why Kentucky?

I was born and raised in Southwest Louisville, KY and although I have always loved the area, fate took me to St Petersburg, FL where I spent the last 35 years. I always said when I retired, I wanted to move back to Kentucky because I missed real trees, real grass and hills. Anyone who has ever been to central Florida knows what I mean, flat, flat ground, palm trees, and sand. There are only two seasons in Florida, hot and hotter and the only changing of the seasons is when the grass and shrubs turn brown from heat and lack of water.

Anyway, I did retire in January 2008, came back to Louisville and bought my dream home. The story doesn't end there because while I lived in St Petersburg, I got involved in paranormal investigation and once you start investigating, the questions that arise and the possible answers are endless.

I have always had an interest in the paranormal and several experiences during my life have opened my mind to the possibilities so when I left my group in Florida, I knew I had to keep going with paranormal investigation. Kentucky has a lot of history and Louisville itself has a lot of old buildings and areas worth researching. One place in particular that has recently became famous (thanks to TV) is Waverly Hills. That is practically in my back yard so to speak and I remember going there and having picnics when I was a child. Where the golf course is now, there used to be picnic tables and a park.

For anyone who is interested in the paranormal or just interested in the history of Kentucky, the SPIRITS of Kentucky hope to find and record some interesting information about the area.

SPIRITS of Kentucky

The SPIRITS of St. Petersburg is lucky enough to have a member who lives in Kentucky part time. She has offered to learn more about the region and to host the SPIRITS of St. Petersburg who travel her way. This blog is dedicated to the "SPIRITS of Kentucky" -- look out Jim Beam! -- and their explorations into this region.