Jailer’s Inn Bed and Breakfast
Restless inmates haunt guest rooms and phantom jailers patrol halls in this jailhouse-turned-hotel
Ghost Stories of
Jailer’s Inn Bed and Breakfast
- Ghostly moans are heard from the Old Jail Cell Room
- Beds shake and rattle in the middle of the night
- Shadow figures are spotted in the courtyard
- Disembodied voices and whispers are heard at times
- Cold spots are found throughout the jail
- The apparition of a former jailer is encountered
- Phantom footsteps are sometimes heard
- Strange light anomalies occasionally appear in photos and videos
- A young boy’s ghost haunts an upstairs room
- Potential EVPs are recorded by visiting ghost hunters
Hauntingly Hospitable:
History of Jailer’s Inn
Have you ever explored an old, haunted jail, and thought it could use a few homey touches? Have you ever spent the night at a quiet boutique hotel, and figured it might benefit from thicker walls and barred windows? Well then, Bardstown, Kentucky has the place for you.
Jailer’s Inn spent almost two hundred years locking up and executing Bardstown’s criminals. Now, the stony old structure welcomes tourists and travelers as a comfortably unique bed & breakfast.
Old cells have transformed into modern guest rooms, and the old jail yard is now a lively garden. But while the spirit of Jailer’s Inn may have changed over time, the spirits who occupy its cells sure haven’t.
Ghosts from the inn’s jailhouse era still purportedly haunt the building. They may startle guests in the night, giving them a scary story to tell over breakfast.
Timeline of Jailer’s Inn Bed and Breakfast's History
Swipe or use timeline points to see Jailer’s Inn Bed and Breakfast through the years
1819
Jailer’s Inn’s corner plot in Bardstown has been home to the local jailhouse since 1797. At that time, the Nelson County Jail was a relatively simple complex. It wasn’t until 1819 that a permanent, stone jail took shape on the property. That year, the main jailhouse was built, consisting of three cells upstairs and jailer’s quarters on the first floor. The small lock up served Bardstown well, all the way until the end of the Civil War. But, as the 1870s dawned on the town, a jail expansion was desperately needed.
1874
Behind the original stone jail, a second jail block was constructed in 1874. The courtyard between the two was also shut away by thick stone walls, creating a blocked-in jail yard. In this configuration, the Nelson County Jail was well equipped to hold prisoners far into the 20th century. Though, it’s unlikely that anyone anticipated just how long the building would last. All the way into the late 1980s, Bardstown’s vagrants and criminals got locked up in the 1810s-era jailhouse.
1987
The Nelson County Jail moved out of the old stone complex in 1987. This left the town with a unique historic monument that no one could use. But, the question of the jail’s future was solved in 1989, when a local family bought it with an odd plan: a bed & breakfast. After renovations and removals of some of the less friendly prison features, Jailer’s Inn opened in 1989. The one-of-a-kind inn soon became a favorite for Bardstown travelers. It also remained a favorite with phantom inmates, who chose to haunt the jailhouse and its modern guests.
Is Jailer’s Inn Haunted?
Some people think that ghosts choose to haunt what’s most familiar to them. So, maybe that’s the reason that the Jail Cell Room in Jailer’s Inn is often called its most haunted.
Most of the rooms at the inn have been expanded and redesigned to avoid the classic ‘jail cell’ look. But the lodge reserves one guest room that maintains the classic jail essence: stone walls, metal bunks, and a prisoner’s ghost.
It is said that the room is haunted by an early 1900s prisoner who died of an illness in his cell before he was set to be executed.
The most common reports from the Jail Cell Room are disembodied moans and pained cries. Though some guests also say the metal bunks shake and rattle in the middle of the night. Could these be the shakes and sounds of that unfortunate prisoner’s final moments?
Phantoms in the Courtyard
The Jail Cell Room isn’t the only place you might hear something spooky at Jailer’s Inn. Out in the old courtyard, where hangings once took place, visitors both hear and see unexplained things. Whispering conversations are sometimes heard from the empty area.
At other points, quick-moving shadow figures are also spotted. At least one person has also claimed to encounter an exceptionally vivid apparition in the inn’s courtyard. They apparently carried on a whole conversation with this strange figure before he disappeared into thin air.
The Ghost of the Garden Room
Jail isn’t the sort of place one might expect to find child spirits. But Jailer’s Inn’s upstairs Garden Room is purportedly home to a mysterious little boy. The young casper isn’t known to be especially talkative, but he might play with toys or small items left around the room.
But, even if a guest doesn’t book the Garden Room or the Old Jail Cell, they still might have a run in with something unexplained.
The whole jail is rife with potentially paranormal activity. Ghostly footsteps sometimes trace through the halls and cells. Other spaces are plagued with mysterious, shifting cold spots.
Disembodied voices are also frequently reported all through the building, though none seem to be in as much pain as the Old Jail Cell specter.
The Mysterious Mrs. McKay
Few phantoms around Jailer’s Inn have names, though there’s one exception. The phantom of a well-known former jailer, Mrs. McKay, is a frequently mentioned ghost at the inn.
Mrs. McKay isn’t known to linger in one particular area. Instead, she seems to patrol the grounds in much the same way she did in life. And if a guest is in the right spot at the right time, they might see Mrs. McKay’s apparition saunter by them.
Ghostly Sounds of the Past
All the ghost stories at Jailer’s Inn make it a favorite stop for ghost hunters in Kentucky. Many book the Old Jail Cell hoping to hear the mysterious prisoner’s moans. Others book multiple rooms, hoping to investigate all of the building’s claims.
Ghost hunters who visit the inn often claim to record EVPs of the jail’s disembodied voices. Some also note strange light flashes and anomalies in photos and videos taken around guest rooms.
Serve Time with Sprits
at Jailer’s Inn
When someone thinks about a quiet, relaxing getaway, they probably don’t think about jail. But Jailer’s Inn would surely make those people think twice.
The redeveloped lodge is still a Bardstown favorite, over three decades after it opened its heavy, iron doors to the public. And while guests often take precedence over ghosts, the phantoms of Jailer’s Inn are now a normal part of the inn’s experience.
Formal ghost hunt bookings and packages aren’t part of Jailer’s Inn’s offerings these days. But, with all the claims spread across different rooms, any stay could be a spiritual exploration waiting to happen.
Jail is hardly anyone’s definition of paradise, but for many guests of the Jailer’s Inn, it’s exactly the relaxation they’re looking for. And for the old jail’s ghosts, the place simply must be heaven.
