You Can Take an ‘Unsettling’ Tour of This Old, Defunct Kentucky Jailhouse

Have you spent any part of your January planning adventures for 2026? I have, too. It's a lot of fun, even if those plans have to change. So are you looking at specific types of outings, or are you an "anything goes"-type. I fall into the latter category.

The Old Stone Jail - Shepherdsville, Kentucky

In Shepherdsville, Kentucky, there's an old jail (and it's called The Old Stone Jail) that hasn't been in use in nearly 80 years. Normally, old facilities like this might just be left to rot, but I guess the Bullitt County tourism office felt differently.

David Strange wrote about what was once nicknamed "The Rock Mansion" for the Bullitt County History Museum and explained that after its life as a jail (1891-1947), it sat there in its little corner, virtually unattended to, for the next 43 years. It was in 1990 when restoration of the historic old facility began. Eleven years later, in 2001, Strange assumed the project as a personal mission.

The Old Stone Jail Tourism

Today, it's a popular tourist spot and usually as part of a larger event because, for one thing, it's a pretty small space. There are only four cells and one hallway. Hidden Gems USA Travel calls it an "unsettling old jail tour." It also occupies its own page on the Bullitt County tourism site.

And, to no one's surprise, as I mentioned in the previous paragraph, it's featured as part of Jacob Floyd's Shepherdsville History and Haunts Tour.

That sounds like a trip to save for Halloween unless you're like me and you think anytime is a good time for a good scare. And honestly, The Old Stone Jail doesn't need to be haunted. It's creepy enough as is.