Bardstown
Jailer’s Inn
The Nelson County Jail's 1819 limestone front building, part of a jail used until 1987; breakfast includes a jail tour, and one room is a former cell.
- Built
- 1819The front building, the 'Old Jail', was built in 1819 of native limestone with 30-inch walls; the back jail was added in 1874. The site served as the Nelson County Jail from 1797 to 1987 (inn).
- Type
- B&B
- Credentials
- Listed on the National Register of Historic Places; Inside a National Register historic district
The story
The jail housed prisoners from 1797 until 1987, which the inn says made it the oldest operating jail complex in Kentucky. Records indicate John Rogers, architect of St. Joseph Cathedral, did carpentry on the 1819 front building, whose upper floor held two cells and an ‘upstairs dungeon’. When the walled back jail was built in 1874, the front jail became the jailer’s residence. Breakfast comes with a tour of the old jail, and one room is a converted jail cell.
The ghost story
Guests report spirits on the property, including 'Mrs. McKay', said to have been one of the original jailers, and the Travel Channel included the inn in a list of the 10 most haunted places in the United States. This is reported lore.
Source: kentuckytourism.com
Good to know
- Breakfast: included
- No pets
- Address: 111 W Stephen Foster Ave, Bardstown, KY 40004
Sources (3)
Last verified October 2026. Details change; confirm with the inn before you book.