HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena — as catalogued
Covington's oldest brick structure, built c.1815, where the Gray Lady — believed to be Adeliza Southgate — slams doors and chills the stairway
405 E 2nd Street, Covington, KY 41011
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$$
Bed and breakfast; room rates apply for overnight stays. Check website for current availability.
Access
Limited Access
Historic 1815 structure with stairs; limited accessibility due to building age
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1815 · Oldest Brick Structure in Covington · Covington Founding-Era Architecture · William Wright Southgate Congressional History
Thomas D. Carneal was one of the founders of Covington when the city was platted in 1815 along the Ohio River directly opposite Cincinnati. The brick house he built that year at the corner of Second Street became one of the city's most substantial early structures — a statement of permanence in a new city.
Ownership passed to Congressman William Wright Southgate, who represented Kentucky in the U.S. House of Representatives and expanded the structure. The Southgate family occupied the house through the middle of the nineteenth century, establishing it as one of Covington's premier addresses during the city's formative decades.
The house survived the waves of urban change that transformed Covington's Licking riverside from elite residential to commercial and industrial, then to the mixed-use historic district it is today. It now operates as a bed and breakfast, making it one of the rare cases where a historic haunted house can be experienced from inside overnight.
Sources
The Gray Lady of the Carneal House is among the more specifically identified apparitions in northern Kentucky's haunted history record. LinkNKy's 2017 coverage of Covington's historic ghost stories names her as Adeliza Keene Southgate — a member of the Southgate family that occupied the house after Congressman William Wright Southgate acquired it from Carneal.
The reported phenomena are consistent across sources: doors slamming without mechanical cause, cold chills encountered on the main stairway, and the impression of a female presence moving through the house. The Ghosts of Covington walking tour cites the Gray Lady as the most famous ghost in the city, which suggests the account has circulated long enough to acquire institutional recognition in local heritage tourism.
Adeliza Southgate's connection to the house has not been verified against primary genealogical records in available sources, but the identification is consistent in the regional press coverage and the tour operator's materials.
Notable Entities
The Carneal House is a named stop on the Ghosts of Covington haunted history walking tour, which covers the city's oldest and most historically significant haunted sites. The Gray Lady is described as Covington's most famous ghost.
As a functioning bed and breakfast, guests can stay overnight in the building. The stairway and areas associated with the Gray Lady are accessible to inn guests.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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