Haunts of Old Louisville: Gilded Age Ghosts and Haunted Mansions in America's Spookiest Neighborhood [Paperback]

David Dominé (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 10, 2009

The saga of one of the nation's most significant historic preservation districts continues in HAUNTS OF OLD LOUISVILLE: Gilded Age Ghosts and Haunted Mansions in America's Spookiest Neighborhood. Kentucky writer David Domine has uncovered a wealth of local history that brings its haunted past to life, and this, the third in the series, concentrates on the wraiths and specters that populate the grandest of all the Gilded Age mansions in the neighborhood. In addition to disembodied voices, forlorn apparitions and fleeting shadows, Domine includes interesting accounts of strange aerial phenomena, gargoyle-like winged creatures and witches that peppered the local newspapers of the day. Add a healthy dose of neighborhood intrigue and wonderful descriptions of the Victorian mansions that make the neighborhood a must-see for lovers of old homes and architecture, and you've got the recipe for an enjoyable evening curled up by the fire.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Local author David Dominé has outdone himself in the third book in his series on the ghosts of Old Louisville. Digging deep into the neighborhood's history, he's produced a book that's not just entertaining but a serious contribution to local history. Still a grounded skeptic when it comes to all things spectral, Dominé has nevertheless uncovered a few more spooky tales that could change more than a few naysayers' minds. At the very least, they're bound to provide a fun evening as the bewitching season approaches. Take for instance the tale of a house on Old Louisville's famed Millionaire's Row. "At first," says a former tenant, "there were noises, apparently groans and footsteps, but I just assumed it came from the neighbors." Soon he realized his name wasn't the only one on the lease. Footsteps on the stairs and doors opening and slamming eventually led to an appearance by a smoky form that approximated the shape of a man. In his research, Dominé discovered a tragedy that might explain the eerie phenomena. It appears the original owner's wife killed herself in New York City by leaping from a third-floor window. Dominé surmises the suicide disturbed her husband so much he's still moaning about it to this day. Perhaps his most amazing find is the story of Simon Kracht. Kracht was a janitor at the University of Louisville's School of Medicine, but his other job was of more importance to budding doctors of the day. He was a resurrectionist, what we would today call a grave robber. One prominent physician later called him "the rock upon which our anatomical church was founded." After an argument with his wife, Kracht took a lethal dose of morphine, but that might not be the end of his story. Rumors abound that a disheveled specter with a canvas sack over his shoulder can still be seen shuffling around the old building. Haunts of Old Louisville is a treasure of local lore for believers and non-believers alike and will assuredly add a few more fascinating stops on Dominé's popular neighborhood tours. David Williams is a writer and artist who lives in Old Louisville. --The Courier-Journal, September 12, 2009

From the Back Cover

Eerie and enchanting, Old Louisville offers an intriguing mix of bygone splendor and architectural riches where phantoms and legends abound. In HAUNTS OF OLD LOUISVILLE: Gilded Age Ghosts and Haunted Mansions in America's Spookiest Neighborhood, Kentucky author David Dominé draws on this colorful past and invites a multitude of supernatural denizens to tell their stories. Their spectral voices, delicate and ethereal, still whisper in the area's grand mansions, and they only need a friendly ear before their tales spring to life. Sit back and enjoy as David Dominé whisks you back in time for a spine-tingling journey through a distinctive and evocative American neighborhood known as the most haunted neighborhood in the country. Enjoy the ride and make sure the candles don't blow out.

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Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: McClanahan Publishing House (August 10, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1934898058
• ISBN-13: 978-1934898055
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,308,028 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Best selling author David Domine is a modern-day wordsmith who lived a storied 1895 chateauesque home in Old Louisville, one of the largest historic preservation districts in the country. A series of unexplained occurrences there led him to research the haunted history of the neighborhood, and since then he has delighted countless readers with tales of the supernatural in GHOSTS OF OLD LOUISVILLE: True Stories of Hauntings in America's Largest Victorian Neighborhood and PHANTOMS OF OLD LOUISVILLE: Ghostly Tales from America's Most Haunted Neighborhood. An accredited interpreter and foreign language instructor, he also writes travel pieces and food reviews for various local and national publications. Travel is a great passion for him, and he has lived in the Philippines, Mexico, Spain, Italy, Austria and Germany - all places that allowed him to indulge his passion for food, wine and adventure. He holds post-graduate degrees from the University of Louisville, the University of California at Santa Barbara and Karl-Franzens-Universitat in Graz, Austria. When not writing or teaching, he likes to sneak off with his dogs and hunt down new recipes and ghost stories around his adopted state of Kentucky. One of his most recent projects include a cookbook about new Kentucky cuisine released in 2007 by his alter ego, the Bluegrass Peasant; additional books include HAUNTS OF OLD LOUISVILLE: Gilded Age Ghosts and Haunted Mansions in America's Spookiest Neighborhood (August 2010) and THE BOURBON COOKBOOK (2011).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars haunted history, August 19, 2009

By 

Elizabeth (Louisville, KY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Haunts of Old Louisville: Gilded Age Ghosts and Haunted Mansions in America's Spookiest Neighborhood (Paperback)

The saga continues with Haunts of Old Louisville, the third in David Domine's "Haunted Old Louisville" series, and the book was worth the wait. There are two more planned for the series and I look forward to them as well. Old Louisville is a historic preservation district in the heart of Kentucky's largest city and it is chockfull of wonderful old mansions and homes from the late Victorian era - most of them with a story to tell. David Domine diligently tracks down these stories and brings the haunted past of his neighborhood to life - recreating the days when carriages creaked across the cobblestones and servants waited on the wealthy scions of the neighborhood. Even though this is not my neighborhood, the book made me want to go and check it out soon so I can see the wonderful architecture for myself. Maybe the Ferguson Mansion, which was once a funeral home, or the gnarled old tree where witches used to meet and cast their spells. Perhaps the spooky-looking Walnut Street Baptist Church with its hopping Demon Leaper on the rooftop gables or the Rocking Horse B&B where the ghost of Queen Lucinda has been seen. After reading this book I get the distinct impression that cities like New Orleans, Savannah and Charleston might be getting a run for their money as far as ghosts, history and architecture are concerned.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More facinating haunted history, August 10, 2009

By 

Jackson Miller "Jackson Miller" (Bluegrass, USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Haunts of Old Louisville: Gilded Age Ghosts and Haunted Mansions in America's Spookiest Neighborhood (Paperback)

In HAUNTS OF OLD LOUISVILLE author David Domine continues the saga of America's most haunted neighborhood, in this the third volume. I eagerly am awaiting the fourth and fifth installments about this fascinating American neighborhood. This volume includes chapters on many of the grand mansions along famous Millionaire's Row (Third Street) in Old Louisville. Documented tales such as those of the ghost of a deranged woman who proclaimed herself Queen of America in the 1880s or the strange Demon Leaper atop the roof of the Walnut Street Baptist Church make this both a valuable contribution to Kentucky history and an entertaining read. I hear that the author is working on the memoirs from when he lived in a 'haunted' house on Third Street, the Widmer House, the inspiration for the whole series, and I am looking forward to that as well.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More Please!, October 6, 2009

By 

David Andrews "Writer" (Louisville, KY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Haunts of Old Louisville: Gilded Age Ghosts and Haunted Mansions in America's Spookiest Neighborhood (Paperback)

The Courier-Journal said David Domine has outdone himself with this, the third volume in his Haunted Old Louisville series, and I agree. He's done away with the descriptions of his dinner parties and the personal jaunts through the neighborhood that made the first two in the series so intriguing, however, he has made up for it with the inclusion of strange newspaper reports of suicides, winged creatures and nefarious characters such as the local grave robber that have incubated yet another rash of alleged hauntings in what people are calling the "most haunted neighborhood" in the country. I, personally, hope he will bring back the food and fun in his next installment of the series, but whatever he writes, I'm sure it will be enjoyable, informative and fascinating like the rest:Ghosts of Old Louisville: True Stories of Hauntings in America's Largest Victorian Neighborhood and Phantoms of Old Louisville: Ghostly Tales from America's Most Haunted Neighborhood