In Old Washington's late-19th-century opera house, actress Loretta Stambo died of pneumonia and was buried under the stage per her own request—staff and visitors still report her presence on the boards
Old Washington Historic District, Maysville, KY 41056
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Exterior viewing in the Old Washington historic district is free; interior access varies by event
Access
Limited Access
Historic district with uneven brick and stone walkways; 19th-century building without documented ADA upgrades
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Photos OK
Old Washington Historic District · Mason County Cultural History · 19th-Century Appalachian Theater
Old Washington, established in the late 18th century along the Maysville Road, was one of the earliest settlements in Mason County and remained a distinct community as Maysville grew to the north. Its 19th-century streetscape—preserved well enough that the district is recognized as a historic landmark—includes the Washington Opera House, which served as a cultural center during the era when traveling theatrical companies moved through Kentucky's river towns.
According to accounts documented by Cincinnati's WKRC Local 12, actress Loretta Stambo was performing at the opera house when she collapsed on stage from what was later diagnosed as pneumonia. She did not recover. Stambo's reported dying wish was to be buried beneath the stage where she had performed, in a space described as coffin-sized. Local accounts hold that this wish was granted.
The Wikipedia entry for the Washington Opera House confirms the building exists in the Old Washington historic district within the Maysville area, though detailed architectural history is limited in publicly available sources. The Loretta Stambo story circulates primarily through regional ghost tour accounts and local oral history rather than newspaper archives, which should be noted when evaluating it. The opera house itself is a genuine 19th-century structure in an intact historic district; the burial legend adds the layer that draws paranormal visitors.
Sources
The paranormal lore at the Washington Opera House centers entirely on Loretta Stambo. The Local 12 account, which gathered testimony from people connected to the venue, describes recurring reports of high heels clicking on stage during empty hours—sounds that witnesses attribute to Stambo's continued presence at the place of her death and interment.
Cold spots on the left side of the auditorium are frequently mentioned, along with sightings of a woman's figure seated in or near a window that has since been bricked in. A protective-apparition story also circulates: during a theater event, a stage light reportedly began to fall toward performers and was somehow deflected before striking anyone. This incident became part of the Loretta Stambo legend in local accounts, with the deflection attributed to Stambo's ghost acting to protect those on her stage.
The Spirit Lady blog, authored by an independent paranormal researcher who visited the opera house in 2015, independently corroborates the high-heels-on-stage and cold-spot reports, and documents the falling-light story as part of established local lore. Neither source can independently verify the burial beneath the stage, which rests on oral tradition.
Notable Entities
Old Washington, roughly four miles south of Maysville, is a well-preserved 19th-century village on the Mason County Scenic Byway. The opera house is part of the district's walkable historic streetscape. Exterior viewing and the surrounding village make this a worthwhile stop for anyone following the Maysville-area ghost tour circuit.
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