1228 S. Third Street, Louisville, Kentucky
The historic district of Old Louisville is home to countless beautiful buildings, one of which being the notorious Widmer House. Beauty, however, is not this house's only noteworthy feature–the building is also believed to be home to a ghost.
It is not uncommon for older structures to have a long and complicated past, and many old buildings find themselves intertwined with rumors of being haunted.
Some structures have more reported paranormal instances than others, but that seems to be reliant on a multitude of factors. The Widmer House, for example, is known specifically for one ghost—Lucy.
So, who exactly is Lucy? This was a question that constantly plagued the mind one of the previous homeowners. When moving into the home he was warned that he might find things to be misplaced or knocked over because the ghost, Lucy, allegedly did not care for change.
He didn’t take much notice of the warning initially. However, over time, he began to notice strange things happening during his stay at Widmer House.
As a homeowner began settling into the house, he decided to decorate the place. After doing so, he reported the slamming of doors, pictures constantly falling off the walls, and a feeling as if he were being watched.
Eventually a friend's recommendation to ask Lucy for permission to modify parts of the house was followed, and a homeowner reported that the strange occurrences became much less frequent.
When a homeowner moved into the Widmer House, Lucy was only mentioned in passing. Because of this, he initially did not think too much of the casual warning he received.
Once Lucy began making herself more present, a homeowner decided he needed to figure out who exactly Lucy was and why she was so insistent on keeping the house in a particular manner.
There are no official records of anyone named Lucy ever living in the house, and, similarly, no records of anyone named Lucy passing in the house.
This begs the question: where did the name Lucy come from? After doing much research on the property, a homeowner was able to come up with a strong hypothesis on who Lucy likely was.
The house was once home to a family who kept servants. After working on home restoration, a homeowner discovered an iron shaped burn on some wood flooring that had been previously covered with carpet.
He hypothesizes that based on the location of the room and the burn marks on the floor, that the room was likely Lucy’s, a servant to one of the past homeowners.
This theory was strongly reinforced by information provided to him by a relative of one of the first owners of the Widmer House. This could be why Lucy has become attached to the house.
The Widmer House was built in 1894 by a man who decided it would be financially beneficial to split up his large property and sell the individual plots.
Around this time in Louisville, the Tobacco industry was booming, so the property was quickly purchased by a man named Joseph C. Widmer. Joseph, a business manager of the National Tobacco Works, and his wife, took residence in the house for many years.
The beautiful four bedroom and four bathroom house is built in an Chateauesque style. Many neighbors in the area refer to the home as the neighborhood's “Christmas House” because of its bright red and green coloration.
It contains a pair of salamanders to symbolize Francis I, the originator of the chateau style. The house also includes a steep gable with tracery and carved acanthus leaves.
The house is located near downtown Louisville, Kentucky. It can be observed from the street and is well worth a trip to check out. Lucy might even be watching from behind a window!
You can check it out at 1228 S. Third Street.
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