HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena — as catalogued
+ 1 further entry on record
1854 Underground Railroad mansion where the original owner's wife reportedly still walks the halls
215 Garrard Street, Covington, KY 41011
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$
Bed and breakfast rates apply for overnight stays; ghost tour stops pass by exterior
Access
Limited Access
Multi-story Victorian townhouse with stairs; carriage house on rear of property
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1854 · Underground Railroad conductor's residence and documented station · Greco-Italianate architecture representative of Covington's 1850s prosperity · Ohio River crossing corridor for freedom seekers from Kentucky
Amos Shinkle (1823-1892) built the townhouse at 215 Garrard Street in 1854, and it stands today as one of Covington's better-preserved examples of Greek Revival-Italianate residential architecture. Shinkle made his fortune in ferry operations and later became a significant player in Cincinnati's commercial life, but his Covington property was the base of his personal operations.
Shinkle was a documented Underground Railroad conductor. The property's carriage house, set back from the main house, served as a way station for freedom seekers crossing from the slave state of Kentucky into the free state of Ohio. The Ohio River crossing at Covington was one of the primary escape routes used by enslaved people from the deep South, and figures like John P. Parker operated on the opposite bank in Ripley, Ohio.
Shinkle's wife Sarah was, by family and local account, deeply attached to the Garrard Street home. Amos predeceased her, and local tradition holds that she preferred this property to whatever else the family owned. The house later became a bed and breakfast, maintaining its Victorian interior character and making its paranormal history accessible to overnight guests.
Sources
The primary figure in the Amos Shinkle haunting is Sarah Shinkle, Amos's wife, who reportedly manifests as a presence tied to the main house rather than the carriage house. A bed impression appearing on a freshly made bed — as if someone sat down — is among the more documented accounts, noted in local paranormal journalism.
The carriage house generates most of the experiential reports. Paranormal convention guests who booked overnight stays in the carriage house described seeing faces in windows, a pervasive and unexplained sense of despair, and shadow figures moving through the space. The Underground Railroad history of the carriage house adds complexity: it served as a place of terror and desperate hope for freedom seekers. Whether that history contributes to the atmosphere is a question guides raise without claiming to answer.
The Ghosts of Covington tour lists the Shinkle property as a named stop, citing both the Underground Railroad dimension and the Sarah Shinkle apparition accounts. Reports have come from guests without any prior knowledge of the property's paranormal reputation.
Notable Entities
The Amos Shinkle Townhouse is a named stop on the Ghosts of Covington haunted history tour. Guides cover the Underground Railroad history of the property, the story of Sarah Shinkle's reported attachment to the Garrard Street home, and paranormal encounters reported by convention guests who stayed in the carriage house — including faces at windows, shadow figures, and overwhelming feelings of despair.
The Amos Shinkle Townhouse operates as a bed and breakfast. Guests staying in the historic carriage house have reported paranormal activity including apparitions at windows and unexplained emotional responses.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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