Napfor's "Tunnel Hill"

According to the Southeastern Kentucky Paranormal Society, this "Tunnel Hill" in rural Napfor, KY is something worth checking into.

Although the SKPS indulges in the sort of primitive "ghostbusting equipment" that I disdain - EMF gaussmeters and such - they have done a fair amount of puttering around the place, and gone to great lengths to try to find something, anything to show evidence for the claims that Tunnel Hill is (and I quote) "a terrifyingly active location". According to their site:

We investigated both tunnels, recording both video and audio, and taking still photos as well as temperature and EMF readings. There were no temperature or EMF fluctuations to speak of, and nothing unusual appeared either to the naked eye or on video. Digital still photos contained some shapes that some investigators would claim were "orbs," but are most probably dust particles lit by the camera's flash bulb...

Overall, we had no first-hand experiences that would indicate any real haunting. That's not to say there isn't any activity at Tunnel Hill - it simply means were unable to substantiate any claims during our investigation on that particular day, other than the two EVPs."

Well, at least they don't believe in "Orbs", thank goodness for that. But... EVPs? That would be "Electronic Voice Phenomena", which is the ignoble art of turning on a tape recorder in an allegedly haunted place and then swearing you hear ghostly voices on the tape. With all due respect to my colleagues at SKPS, I think EVPs are a truckload of old baloney. But you can check out their mp3 files of alleged ghost voices at Tunnel Hill and elsewhere, here.

Meanwhile, on the junk data-laden site Shadowlands:

"Tunnel Hill is located a couple of miles in the back roads of Napfor just before you get to low water bridge. Directly on top of the twin tunnels lie two cemeteries. But forget about the cemeteries for the tunnels are the sites of many bizarre occurrences. The story has it that there is a hidden chamber hidden among the manholes. It is said that the manhole will give way to the secret passage and those who have ventured into this passage have no recollection of how they got there. When walking through the tunnels all light sources will slowly drain and the further you venture into the tunnel total darkness. It is then that random light sources will appear from cracks and crevices on various places in the tunnel. Rather you go in the day or night the same will happen because most occurrences happen once you reach the middle of the tunnel. The right tunnel is much more active than the left. NEVER go alone. Beware these tunnels are still in service and actual trains still pass through each day. One such aspect of the haunting place is the ghost train, which you will actually hear and even feel beneath your feet. Faint train horns echo throughout this terrifying area. Also feel free to explore the large active cemeteries above. Rumors are there many more horrifying things that have happened and continue to happen that cannot be mentioned in this article."

Let's read that last sentence again, shall we?

"Rumors are there many more horrifying things that have happened and continue to happen that cannot be mentioned in this article."

Wow, they can't be mentioned! Even though they just did, sorta.... but they're only rumors.... but they can't tell us what the rumors are, exactly...... alrighty then!

So enough internet B.S., what's up with the real Tunnel Hill? Well, that's what I'm trying to figure out now. I've contacted a few people who live relatively near the area, and some say they've never heard a peep about the place being haunted. A couple of others indicated they're heard the rumors but know of no actual incidents. Is the whole thing just another legend that came about because railroad tunnels are dark and spooky and humans can't help making up stories?

Probably.

Or maybe not. Maybe there is a kernel of truth inside. Very old railroad tunnels such as this do tend to be places of death, because of the inevitable accidents that occur - ironically, they tend to increase when a "ghost story" becomes attached to a site and more and more goofs start going there to gawk.

I'll be one of those goofs myself come Spring, and will file a full report, dear readers. I don't think I'll be making it out there to Perry County during the winter. Meanwhile, if you live around the Napfor area, please get in touch and tell me if you know any other info about Tunnel Hill.

(photo by the SKPS)

Tunnels Under Richmond

Most young boys growing up in Richmond, KY and attending Model Laboratory School in the 1970s were probably aware of the complicated lore regarding tunnels underneath the school. I know my own friends and I were fascinated with the rumors. Well, it turns out some of the rumors were true, as I have learned from a recent interview with a former classmate who prefers to remain anonymous, so we'll call him "T".

Unusual Kentucky: So first of all, where are these abandoned tunnels, really? How do you get in?

T: Well, I don't advise you go in, or anyone else go in. It's totally dangerous and I can't suggest anyone go down there. I'm pretty sure most of the old entrance ways have been closed by now. But you remember the old yellow signs that said "Danger - Electrical"? Those were always near entry points to the tunnels.

UnK: So was there really an electrical danger?

T: Oh yeah. There's bundles of very old wiring running along the ceiling and sometimes along the sides. Also scalding hot steam pipes. Very, very dangerous. We were stupid kids to ever mess around down there. It's a wonder no one got hurt. The Lord watches over the innocent!

UnK: Older kids would sell "Tunnel maps" to young and impressionable underclassmen like myself. Did you ever see any of those? Were they for real?

T: Some of those were probably my own maps! I was all about mapping them out completely. I treated it like a serious expedition and treated everything we found down there like it was a important historical discovery.

UnK: Like what?

T: Well, there was a roomful of huge barrels of water, dated from the early 1960s. We thought, "hmm, that's weird, what's the purpose of that?" until we came upon a room filled with metal tins of "survival biscuits" with the Government's Civil Defense logo on them. So the whole thing was, I guess, like a backup for emergency kind of thing, in case Castro or Russia dropped the bomb, you know.

UnK: Yes! A friend got several cans of those, and we actually devised ways to use them in cooking, in recipes.

T: I can't imagine eating them voluntarily. They tasted like unleavened crackers that had been left in a moist room for years. And you know, I guess that's exactly what they were!

UnK: What else did you find down there?

T: A lot of graffiti, mostly from the 1960s. There was a note written in, like, grease pencil, commenting about how John F. Kennedy had died that day. There were also the usual signs of civilization - Playboy magazines, condoms, liquor bottles.

UnK: And these tunnels go all under Eastern Kentucky University?

T: No. I'm very doubtful about that. I know the Model system of tunnels used to connect to a couple of nearby dorms and the Coliseum, but they don't anymore and I dont think they ever connected to most EKU buildings. There are different sets of other tunnels on campus, but they're from older buildings and probably not connected to Model's at all. But there are the storm drains, which would take you all over the place, under Richmond.

UnK: Yes! We called them "The Tubes", those cylindrical tunnels that were built to be storm drains but many of which apparently never served that function. I did explore those several times in my youth.

T: Some did. There was a steady stream of water running at all times down one that would deposit you out in some forest if you followed it long enough. You quickly learned how to run in a splay-legged position in those round drainage tunnels. I think all those have been done away with. Probably for the best.

UnK: Yes, I remember one had slightly buckled from above and cracks were forming. But we kept exploring them anyway.

T: Kids always think they're indestructible. I know I did.

UnK: What about the rumors of abandoned sewer tunnels that also connected to the EKU tunnels?

T: No, there was an open sewer manhole in the Model tunnels that had a never-ending river of sewage going by, very fast. We'd stand around it and watch it forever like it was television. But Richmond doesn't have any big-city kind of sewers that you could actually go down into and walk around.

UnK: Any other fun memories of Model's tunnels?

T: There used to be a tunnel that brought you up through a trap door into a teacher's office, which was a really weird, Hogan's Heroes kind of thing. I never could figure out what purpose such a tunnel could have been intended for. They boarded that up somewhere along the way. I also remember there were kids playing live-action Dungeons & Dragons down there, which I tried to discourage. I always felt protective of the tunnels and didn't want dumb people running around smashing things just because they could.

UnK: Would you like to ever go back down there, just for old times sake?

T: No way. It's way too dangerous and I can't stress strongly enough, nobody should ever go down there again.

UnK: It's enough just to know that they're there.

T: Yep. Kids today are more interested in playing video games than actually doing things anyhow. Maybe they'll make a virtual simulation of the tunnels one day!

The Mines of Boonesboro

These mysterious tunnels, locked behind gates, have fascinated me for many years. They burrow straight into a Boonesboro mountain in three different directions, and have been abandoned for as long as I can remember.

Many years ago, anyone was free to wander in here and snoop around. But now the main entrance is securely closed off, and many overkill signs have been placed indicating that trespassing here is a federal offense (federal? why?). but It's truly an awe-inspiring sight inside, with a row of huge sculpted round pillars of stone, each big as a house, going off into the dark distance as far as the eye could see and as far as the flashlight could shine.

Once, while standing around the entry way, a group of teenagers emerged from deep within the catacombs. They told me they were trying to map out the place and it just kept on going. With a pedometer they said they'd mapped one corridor going for 6 miles, and that there were many other corridors going off in other directions. That simply boggles my mind. Yet I see no reason to disbelieve his story, as I've read about other mines that have gone ten miles straight down below the Earth's surface.

The first reported mine in Boonesboro was in 1863, though we're not sure where. This mine, though extremely old, is probably not that old, and the huge cavernous rooms and giant pillars were definitely not done with 19th century technology.

The place has always had a reputation for being a center of occult activity, and the graffiti around the area certainly bore this out. Rumors of a vampire/blood-drinking cult using the place as a meeting spot were common in the 1990s, and indeed there were some indications that there might be something to these rumors.