By Connie Leonard
(LOUISVILLE, August 12th, 2005) -- Old Louisville is known for its historic houses, but not everyone knows several are said to be haunted. One neighborhood is filled with ghost stories. And as WAVE 3 Investigator Connie Leonard reports, if you choose to ride along on "The Ghosts Of Louisville Tour," it could be a fun and frightening start to your weekend.
If you're looking for something different to do on weekends, you can now board a bus and take a ghostly tour of old Louisville.
Old Louisville's rich -- and sometimes forgotten -- Victorian legacy shines bright these days, thanks to a history lesson with a twist.
Every Friday night, writer David Domine takes his riders on a trip back in time. It's a trip that involves 1,200 homes and some 50 blocks of amazing architecture.
And ghost stories. Lots of them. From a son who squandered the family fortune and shot himself in a back bedroom, to ghost stories based on real events.
"When I dug a little further I found out very often there were historical backgrounds that might explain some of these hauntings," Domine said.
Jenny Bowman is a case in point.
As the story goes, Bowman, a maid, was working at her employer's residence at a home at 1152 south Brook Street in April of 1887. Her employer had left her alone in the home when two men broke in.
Domine says "when she came downstairs and saw the two burglars, they were at the fireplace, so what they did was they picked up the fireplace poker and beat her with that. And the the doctor's report said she was beaten so badly that one of her eyes was knocked from her socket."
As Bowman clung to life, the Courier-Journal posted updates on her condition for 19 days until her she died.
Originally, the house was located across the street from the old Male High School, but it was eventually destroyed to make way for I-65.
But the phantom of Brook Street lives on.
Domine says homeowners through the years reported seeing a woman's image in the fireplace, and a lot of people today still believe that Jenny Bowman's spirit walks up and down Brook Street. Many people have reported seeing a misty figure hovering above the sidewalk.
The tales of families who lived together and sometimes died together transport those on the tour.
John Reliford, an admitted ghost story fan, says "it makes it kind of cool when you live in this neighborhood and you've got all these cool things going on."
It's downright scary how popular Domine's "Ghosts Of Old Louisville" has become. As Domine explains to his readers, it's not exactly conjuring up spirits by candlelight.
In fact, he says he himself was a big skeptic until "I moved into a house on Third Street where strange things were going on."
After the unexplained sights and sounds, he began swapping stories with the neighbors. Domine says he'll remain somewhat of a skeptic until a ghost walks up and shakes his hand.
Until then, he hopes more people will become intrigued in the history and the stories of what was.
"Ghosts are a way of connecting to your past," Domine said. "It's part of the collective memory and sort of acknowledging what your history is and making a connection with that."
If you'd like to catch one of the tours, they're scheduled every Friday night, and groups can be accommodated on other days of the week.
For more information, call 637-2922 or visit www.ghostsofoldlouisville.com.
Online Reporter: Connie Leonard
Online Producer: Michael Dever
