This special house built ca. 1812 is the last remaining documented inn that was built on the Old Lexington Turnpike and is one of the oldest original structures remaining in Grant County Kentucky (~180 years old). It sits on what is now the campus of the new Sherman Elementary School. Friends of Historic Sherman Tavern What else do we know about this tavern that sit's out of place surrounded by a elementary school parking lot? I heard about this location from a visitor to this blog. I'm glad I decided to look into it and go on a ghost tour with a paranormal group called the Tri-State Shadow Chasers. But before I get to my experience there I want to write a bit about the history of the tavern. Sherman Inn was one of the main coach stops for visitors traveling from Cincinnati, Ohio and Lexington, Kentucky in 1820. The property was sold to the Cason family and they added a tavern to give out bourbon to their patrons. Some of the people passing by and staying there were cattle drovers and Native Americans who would set up camp in the rear and front of the tavern. There's a cemetery on the grounds and some of the main members of the Cason family are buried there. The grave stones stand in an enclosed area fenced in, but eerily close to the elementary school. Do some graves still lay undiscovered under the school itself? Luckily for us the tavern itself was declared a historic landmark of grant county and was left alone during the construction of the school. What are some of the paranormal happenings reported at this tavern and who haunts it? Well, it's believed some of the Cason family is still there and the presence of at least a male and possibly 2 women have been sighted. There's also a tragic story of 2 men (possibly soldiers) that broke into the tavern and forced a little girl age unknown to the floor then raped and killed her. A servant was also said to have been killed and once the evil deed was done, the two men took off their uniforms and threw them into the well in front of the tavern. (None of this story had been backed up by historic documents, so I will do more digging into it and update you.) All I can tell you is that the place has it's own energy and presence. How could it not, being 180 years old and a place where so many lives passed through there. I felt a calm feeling as we approached the house and it was very beautiful, I was amazed at how much work has gone into restoring it. We got into groups and set out to catch any sign of ghosts and we were excited! First stop was the cemetery that I mentioned already and then a cellar outside used to hang and dry vegetation. The cellar turned out to be promising due to contact with a Native American spirit who spoke to us in yes or no answers. We used dowsing rods to do this and with amazing results. The spirit was a man who had been killed by the white man as he put it, also he was very fond of the females in our group. We continued to asked questions until the energy in the room dropped and no more contact could be made. We then went into the house itself, I wanted to spend time there because that's where I felt I would get some evidence. We went room to room and took photos and made EVP recordings. I hadn't felt much of anything outside but when I went inside that changed and I was able to capture spirit orbs moving in and out of two rooms in the house. Also captured several times was a red mist that showed up on our photos. In one room referred to as "The tea room" (due to a female ghost who asked one of the investigators if she wanted tea during a evp session.) someone in our group was using the dowsing rods to get answers and started to get unwanted touching and pinching causing him to leave the house for a bit. Being touched when your not welcoming it is not cool in real life and less cool when it's a dead person doing the touching, always set boundaries and make it very clear that your body can't be harmed in any way. Morbid as it may sound I was fascinated by what happened and wanted to experience it for myself. I went into the room with a few others and started asking questions like "are you female" "do you like the company your getting" both with yes answers. I decided I was going to let the ghost touch me but only on my hand, I extended out. As I did this I did feel a light feathery touch going across my fingers. It didn't scare me as much as I thought it would but I did tell the ghost before hand that she was not to touch me in any other way except my hand. Setting up these boundaries gives you control and sets the stage for contact with the other side. In the room where the child and servant were said to have died I began a evp session and took photos of both rooms. In the room that looked like a child's room I captured a white floating orb moving in front of the door frame and then a red orb down on the floor in front of a chair. Some may discount these orbs as dust but the fact that no other photos showed this strange anomaly proves to me that dust is not the source of the orb. Last but not least we went upstairs to the attic and almost immediately felt off balance and a sense of anxiety. It was empty with low ceilings and boxed in angels by the windows. It wouldn't surprise me if people claimed to feel a paranormal presence up there. you did get a feeling of being pushed back in spots and this all was due to a uneven floor playing tricks with your equilibrium. We went into a different part of the attic and there the rest of the group was doing evps and using various tools to communicate with a presence there. As they asked yes or no question a light would flash on a device on the floor, one flash for yes and two for no. They said they were in contact with a elderly man possibly Mr. Cason. The night came to an end and we headed downstairs. To finish the tour we were asked to hold hands and say a protection chant by one of the Shadow Chasers members, just in case any spirit wanted to take a ride with us back home. All in all the location was wonderful and a great experience being in the company of seasoned paranormal investigators. I recommend it to anyone wanting to feel the presence of the other side and also to keep the history of the Sherman Tavern alive. (I will be uploading any more evidence I captured in the coming days so please check back every so often for updates.) ADDITIONAL INFO ON THE SHERMAN TAVERN BELOW. http://kentoncountyhistoricalsociety.org/data/documents/January-February-2013.pdf http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~kygrant3/index/shermantavern.html The tavern is located in front of the Sherman Elementary school, use this map to get directions. |
2 Comments
Xavier
10/16/2014 02:08:37 am
I'm curious what activity anyone else has gotten here?
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Kendall H.
10/21/2015 09:21:55 pm
I have been there many times and I have even been inside and in the cellar. I definitely get a heavy feeling. I have heard things but have not seen anything besides orbs in my pictures i have taken. As i was inside my grandmother waited outside in the car and she had said she heard a sound that sounded like chains, and wanted to leave.
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AuthorXavier Blanco is a freelance artist and actor. Lives in Northern Ky Where he's a member of the paranormal team S.P.O.O.K.E. Archives
May 2015
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