Quote from Angela on June 21, 2021, 11:24 am

We are called Boise City Ghost Hunters Historical Society for a reason, we are passionate about heritage AND hauntings.

Every State has its own hauntings and urban legends.

I would like to know which areas fascinate you? The cemeteries, the insane asylums, sinister schools or historical hotels?

Todays location is only for the brave. Are you ready? 

Welcome to Kentuckys most haunted location.

Located with the Tom Sawyer State Park, Louisville Kentucky, is The Sauerkraut Cave. This cave is unlike any other and holds a deeply disturbing historical past.

This cave was primarily used for food storage, including sauerkraut. But we all know that there is more to this story. This cave is located directly beneath the original Lakeland Asylum for The Insane site which is no longer standing. The cave portion survived and is described as 'truly horrifying'. The asylum was tarnished with rumours of severe patient neglect and phenomenally evil abuse.

Patients escaped from the asylum via underground tunnels which accessed this very cave, desperate to escape the horrors they were faced with daily, all at the hands of those who were supposed to help them. Some patients were caught and allegedly buried by staff, bound here forever.

Can you imagine running for your life through these deep dark tunnels?

The cave is no longer available to visit due to safety concerns. However, when guided tours were held here, hundreds of visitors reported much paranormal phenomena including mysterious flitting light anomalies, floating apparitions, scary shadow figures and audible disembodied screams. 

Could this be the last cries of distress once yielded by the murdered victims here?

Perhaps the most unusual phenomena experienced here was what many described as 'a strangely altered state of mind one can only describe as hallucagenic'.

I don't think these visitors were 'hallucinating' at all but rather catching a glimpse of the horrors that once were.

This is a classic case of trapped residual energy where spirits will manifest due to an emotional connection to a place, usually where trauma has occurred. Could it be that the sheer volume of residual energy would cause visitors to feel somewhat overwhelmed here? After all, it is estimated that there were over 5000 who perished within these walls.

The Lakeland Asylum for the Insane was erected in 1873 to house 1600 patients. By 1940 there were 2400 registered here. And as we have so tragically heard so many times before, due to staff shortage, lack of funding, cramped conditions, the abuse began.

The establishments reputation became so abhorent that it caught the media and authorities attention becoming subject of multiple reports.

Mentally ill, elderly and even children, so many were sorely mistreated here and many were murdered. The death toll rose and the lobotomies increased. There is graveyard to the rear of the asylum today where many were buried.  

So heartbreaking to know that many attempted escape through the sauerkraut cave. One can only hope that some actually did break free from this place of complete horror.

In 1997 the asylum was shut down due to decay being described as 'too dangerous for human inhabitants'.

But simply closing a place down will never silence the spirits who endured such torment to their very last breaths.

Have you ever visited the Sauerkraut Cave?