On the morning of October 8, 1862, canon fire rang out, startling the small town of Perryville into panic as one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War began. The battle was for control over the border state of Kentucky, and both sides suffered numerous casualties. The Confederate soldiers ended up retreating and the Union maintained control of Kentucky for the rest of the war. The sight of the Battle of Perryville is now a state park, with the original battlefield remaining mostly unaltered. However, the battlefield has a creepier side to its bloody past;it’s rumored to be one of the most haunted places in Kentucky. Paranormal tours are offered at Perryville Battlefield, where people have reported seeing full-bodied apparitions, hearing the sounds of marching when no one else is around, and disembodied voices.

There were more than 7,600 casualties, and the men who perished on the battlefield died in some of the most gruesome ways.
Flickr/David Cohen
There’s a cemetery at the battlefield, but it’s unknown how many soldiers are actually buried there.
Flickr/Matt Turner
Flickr/J. Stephen Conn
The Confederate soldiers had to retreat quickly, abandoning their dead on the battlefield. Local farmers ended up burying many of them in mass graves.

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Along with offering paranormal tours, the battlefield has been featured on the Travel Channel’s “Ghost Adventures.”
Flickr/American Battlefield Protection Program
Two of the houses on the battlefield are also said to have large amounts of paranormal activity.
Hal Jespersen
The Bottom house was owned by Henry P. Bottom, and much of the conflict took place directly on his property. After the fighting ceased, Bottom and his slaves buried the bodies that were strewn about his land. In the months following the battle, his house was used as a hospital for wounded soldiers.
Flickr/Tom Gill
A farming family lived at the Dye House when the battle broke out, and it eventually became the headquarters of Confederate General Simon Bolivar Buckner. Like the Bottom House, the Dye House was later used as a hospital. It’s said that there are still bloodstains on the floorboards upstairs.

Hunting ghosts isn’t your thing? The Perryville Battlefield is still a great historical place to visit, complete with a museum and battle reenactments. However, if you are trying to catch a glimpse of a ghost, self-guided paranormal tours, as well as tours by the Spirit Hunters of Central Kentucky (SHOCK) are available to book at the Perryville Battlefield. Have you ever had an unexplainable experience here?

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