The 1830 capitol where Governor Goebel was assassinated in 1900 — the only sitting U.S. governor ever killed — and home to the Conjure Chest linked to 18 documented deaths
300 W Broadway, Frankfort, KY 40601
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$
Admission charged; see history.ky.gov for current rates. Operated by the Kentucky Historical Society.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Historic stone capitol building; accessibility features available on ground floor
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1830 · National Historic Landmark · Kentucky capitol 1830-1910 · Assassination of Governor William Goebel · Only U.S. governor assassinated while in office · Conjure Chest — documented cursed object · Greek Revival architecture by Gideon Shryock
The Greek Revival structure at 300 W Broadway was designed by Gideon Shryock and served as Kentucky's capitol from 1830 to 1910, when the current capitol building was completed. The building is considered one of the finest examples of Greek Revival civic architecture in the United States and is a National Historic Landmark.
On January 30, 1900, Governor-elect William Goebel — who had won a disputed election the previous fall — was shot by a sniper as he walked toward the capitol steps. He died on February 3, 1900, having been sworn in as governor while lying wounded. No one was definitively convicted of the shooting despite multiple trials, and the assassination remains one of the most politically charged and unresolved crimes in Kentucky history. Goebel is the only sitting governor in U.S. history to have been assassinated.
The building also houses the Conjure Chest, a piece of furniture that became part of Kentucky Historical Society collections. According to documented accounts, the chest was built by enslaved craftsmen for a plantation owner. When one craftsman was killed during construction, another worker is documented to have placed a curse on the chest before delivering it. The owner's family experienced 18 deaths — documented in the historical record — within roughly a decade of acquiring it. The Kentucky Historical Society has treated the chest as a significant historical artifact while also acknowledging its documented reputation.
Sources
The paranormal tradition at the Old State Capitol centers primarily on William Goebel, whose violent and unresolved death left an unusually strong imprint on the building's documented ghost record.
The most specific account involves Goebel's official portrait, which security personnel have reported falling from the wall on January 30 — the anniversary of the shooting — on multiple occasions. The accounts come from building staff rather than tourist witnesses and have been documented over several years. A pale figure pacing outside the capitol steps, described by multiple witnesses as matching Goebel's appearance and period clothing, is a separate recurring report tied to the approach to the building.
Inside, guides working alone in the building have documented hearing voices in empty rooms and phantom gunshots in the vicinity of the exterior door — sounds consistent with the circumstances of the 1900 shooting. These accounts appear in operational records from staff rather than being primarily sourced through ghost-tour operators.
The Conjure Chest adds a separate dimension to the building's dark history. Housed in the museum collection, the chest is documented by the Kentucky Historical Society itself as an object with a remarkable death toll tied to its origins. The curse element is treated by the Historical Society as a documented historical belief — the account of the craftsman's death and the subsequent curse is part of the object's provenance record, not merely folklore.
Notable Entities
Guided and self-guided tours through Kentucky's capitol from 1830 to 1910, operated by the Kentucky Historical Society. The tour covers the building's Greek Revival architecture, the story of William Goebel's assassination outside the building in 1900, and the Conjure Chest — a piece of furniture documented to be associated with the deaths of 18 people connected to its original owner.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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