Picture: David Domine, author of
"Ghosts of Old Louisville," told a story about the former owners of the
Conrad-Caldwell House last week during a walking tour. "One of the things we're
trying to do is promote the neighborhood," he said. (Photos by Jamie Rhodes,
Special to The Courier-Jou)---She didn't actually see anything, but not long after the start of a recent walking tour of reputed Old Louisville haunted houses, it occurred to Virginia Callan of Northfield that the group might not be alone.
"When we were standing there, did you feel a chill?" she asked as the group made its way along St. James Court through the growing dusk and swirling winds. Later, she said: "I believe in ghosts … there's just too many things that happen."
David Domine, author of "Ghosts of Old Louisville," led the two-hour walking tour, which was a fund-raiser for the Filson Historical Society. Domine and others will lead more ghost tours beginning this weekend to raise money for the Visitor Center in Historic Old Louisville and the West St. Catherine Neighborhood Association.
Domine, an Old Louisville resident since 1993, takes participants along a route that includes homes, churches and other buildings. It's designed to not only scare but to educate people about neighborhood architecture and history. The stops are described in his book, which is available in local bookstores.
Among the sites he visits:
Central Park, where the ghost of Alfred "Uncle Fred" du Pont has been seen wearing a tuxedo and top hat. It's said that his mistress killed him.
The Conrad-Caldwell House, where three to four ghosts reportedly stay, including that of Mr. Theophilus Caldwell, who occasionally has been known to chastise guests who wander away from organized house tours there.
His own home on Third Street, where he traced noises and smells back to Lucy, an eavesdropping maid believed to have worked in the house during the early 1900s.
Domine, who teaches foreign languages at Indiana University Southeast and Bellarmine University, hopes the tours will help showcase the area.
"One of the things we're trying to do is promote the neighborhood," he said.
David Hinton of the Highlands attended the Filson tour with his wife, Theresa, and their 17-year-old son Paul. He said he appreciated the tour's attention to days gone by.
"It's nice to hear about the history of homes that you've walked by before and wondered about," David Hinton said. Theresa Hinton agreed, saying the quiet, laid-back atmosphere of the tour also helps give visitors a different view of Old Louisville than they might have had during more crowded Old Louisville events, such as the St. James Court Art Show or Shakespeare in Central Park.
Callan, who recently retired after working for 30 years in the University of Louisville's Department of English, read Domine's book and said she enjoyed learning about the history behind the homes.
Domine's narrative regarding one home -- the Pink Palace -- even revealed a family connection.
The St. James Court home, Domine said, once belonged to Dr. "Eardrum" Wilson, a Louisville physician credited with the invention of the ear trumpet, an early precursor to the hearing aid.
"My mother and aunt and their friend used to work for Eardrum Wilson, but I never knew he lived here," Callan said.
Also on the tour were Keith Age, president of the Louisville Ghost Hunters Society, and Jay Gravatte, a member of that group. The pair helped Domine research his book.
"We've passed about 20 houses along this route that we've investigated," Gravatte said. "Think about it: Over the years, you've got all these homes, all these families, all that energy …
" Age continued, "You've got to remember, only about 1 percent of activity experienced is paranormal. This place is a smorgasbord."