Now, picture yourself standing under the glow of a moonbow, ain't another one like it in
the whole western hemisphere.
The roar of cumberland falls fills the night air, and the mist wraps round ya, soft and
ghostly, like something otherworldly.
For a moment your breasts just plain took away by all that natural beauty, but then
something don't feel quite right.
A chill creeps up your back and you hear a whisper, low and faint like the wind, but
maybe it's something else.
Could it be just the breeze, or could it be something haunting the hollers here?
Tonight we're digging deep into the ghostly secrets of Cumberland Falls.
Welcome to Scary Stories from Kentucky Podcast, where we share haunting tales from deep in
the hollers to the shadows of land between the lakes.
New episodes drop weekly, and for visuals to match the chills, visit Kentucky Melody
on YouTube and check out our Scary Stories from Kentucky Podcast playlist.
Find the link in the description.
Now, let's dive into the darkness.
Now listen up, y'all.
We're heading down to a spot deep in southeastern Kentucky, tucked away in the hills where nature
and mystery collide.
They call it Cumberland Falls, but folks around here like to call it the Niagara of the South.
This ain't just any old waterfall, no sir.
It's a place brimming with history, beauty, and more than a few ghostly tales.
So grab your coffee or something stronger, and settle in for a tale that'll send chills
crawling up your spine.
Long before the pioneers and settlers rolled through, this land was sacred to the Cherokee
and other Native American tribes.
The Falls weren't just pretty scenery to them, they were holy ground.
Artifacts dug up in these parts tell us the area was used for all sorts of purposes.
Ceremonies, meeting places, and maybe even burials.
Makes you wonder if some of them spirits ain't still lingering nearby, watching over what's
theirs.
Come the 20th century, folks realized just how special this place was and turned it into
a state park so future generations could enjoy its splendor.
Tourists started pouring in.
Drawn not only by the thunder and cascade of water, but also by something rare and magical,
the moonbow.
This here is one of the only places in the world where moonlight creates a rainbow in
the mist.
Lighting up the night sky like something out of a dream.
But y'all know how it goes, where there's beauty, there's usually something darker lurking
in the shadows.
Cumberland Falls ain't no exception.
Now, let me tell y'all about the saddest and most haunted tale ever to come out of these
parts.
The legend of the ghost bride.
It's a story that's been whispered around campfires and in the hollers since way back
in the 1950s and it'll chill ya right to the bone.
It all started with a young couple freshly hitched and looking for a bit of peace and
romance.
They chose Cumberland Falls for their honeymoon.
Probably thought it was the perfect place to start their life together.
And why wouldn't they?
The falls, thundering down like a force of nature, the mist rising up like a dream and
that magical moonbow lighting up the night sky.
It must have felt like they were standing on the edge of paradise.
But that paradise didn't last long.
One evening, while they were taking a romantic stroll along the cliffs, something went terribly
wrong.
Maybe she slipped on the wet rock or maybe the mist made it hard to see.
No one knows for sure.
But the bride, in all her weddin' finery, lost her balance and tumbled off the edge.
The water blows fast and wild, churnin' like the devil himself's in there.
She didn't stand a chance.
Her groom, bless his heart, was so overcome with grief that he didn't even try to go on
without her.
They say he stood there for a moment, lookin' down at the falls, and then he leapt after
her, lettin' the waters take him too.
Two young lives, gone in an instant, their love story cut short by tragedy.
Now, that'd be a sad enough tale on its own, but here's where it gets downright eerie.
Not long after their deaths, folks started reporting strange things up near the falls.
Visitors and park workers alike have seen a woman in a wedding dress, pale as moonlight
wandering along the cliffs.
Her veil floats behind her like it's caught in the mist.
She walks slow, like she's lookin' for somethin', or someone, and then, just as sudden as she
appeared, she vanishes into thin air.
And it ain't just up by the cliffs where she's been seen.
Late at night, drivers goin' through the park have slammed on their brakes, thinkin'
there's a woman in white standin' right in the middle of the road.
But when they get out to look, there's nothin' there.
Some of them folks swear they heard the faint sound of Russian water, even though the falls
are miles away.
It's like she's everywhere and nowhere, all at once.
And it ain't just up by the cliffs where she's been seen.
Late at night, drivers goin' through the park have slammed on their brakes, thinkin' there's
a woman in white standin' right in the middle of the road.
But when they get out to look, there's nothin' there.
Some of them folks swear they heard the faint sound of Russian water, even though the falls
are miles away.
It's like she's everywhere and nowhere, all at once.
What's even stranger is how her appearances seem tied to the moonbow.
You know, that rare rainbow that shows up in the mist under a full moon.
They say she's drawn to it.
Like the light calls her out from wherever spirits go.
Maybe she's tryin' to find her way back to her groom, or maybe the beauty of the moonbow
reminds her of the love she lost.
Whatever it is, folks who've seen her under that magical light say it's somethin' they'll
never forget.
So if you're ever out at Cumberland Falls after dark and the moonbow's glowin', keep
an eye out.
You just might catch a glimpse of the ghost bride, wanderin' the cliffs.
Her love and her sorrow etched into the mist and stone forever.
Now, let me tell ya, that moonbow ain't just somethin' to see.
It's somethin' that sticks with ya.
Folks come from all over the world to catch a glimpse of it, and I can see why.
The mist from Cumberland Falls rises up, catchin' the moonlight just so, and there it is.
A rainbow, stretchin' across the night sky, glowin' soft another worldly.
It's like somethin' straight outta a dream.
Now let me tell ya somethin' else, there's more to that moonbow than meets the eye.
It ain't just a pretty picture, no sir.
There's an air to it, somethin' that stirs the soul and sends a shiver down your spine,
like the whole world's holdin' its breath.
You stand there, watchin' the colors shimmer in the mist, and it's like time stops.
But then, you notice somethin' else, the silence.
The kind that ain't natural.
The roar of the falls is still there, but underneath it, everything feels...off.
Visitors have talked about a chill settlin' over em as soon as the moonbow appears, like
the air itself gets colder, heavier.
Some say it's like somethin's watchin' em from the shadows, though they can't never
see who or what it is.
And them lights.
Oh, the stories folks tell about the lights.
Orbs, they call em.
Little balls of glowin' light that flicker and dance near the falls.
They're not lanterns or flashlights, neither.
They float, almost playful-like, and then they're gone in the blink of an eye, like they was
never there to begin with.
People say those lights are spirits, wanderin' close to the moonbow, drawn to its glow like
moths to a flame.
Now, some folks reckon the moonbow's more than just a natural wonder.
They believe it's a bridge between worlds, a doorway that lets the spirits cross over
from wherever they're restin'.
It makes you wonder, don't it?
Could that be why the ghost bride always shows up when the moonbow's out?
Maybe she's searchin' for her love, hopin' the moonbow'll guide her to em.
Or maybe she's tied to it somehow, like the rainbow's light pulls her back to where it
all ended.
And it ain't just her.
Plenty of visitors have felt that strange heaviness under the moonbow's glow.
Bikers, say the trails near the falls, feel different like they're walkin' through somethin'
unseen.
Some heard whispers, soft and faint like voices carried on the mist.
Others have felt a hand on their shoulder, gentle but cold as stone, only to turn round
and find nothin' there.
The old timers round here'll tell you the moonbow's somethin' special, alright?
But it ain't just for lookin'.
It's got a power to it, a draw that goes beyond the physical.
They say it's a beakin', callin' to the spirits, remindin' em of somethin' they lost
or somethin' they're still lookin' for.
It's why so many of the strange sightings and hauntings happen when the moonbow's out.
So next time you're lucky enough to see that moonbow, take it all in.
But don't get too comfortable.
Keep one eye on the beauty and the other on the shadow, cuz you never know who or what
might be crossin' over to join ya.
Now let me tell ya'll, it ain't just the ghost bride or that moonbow that's got folks
feelin' uneasy round Cumberland Falls.
Nope, there's plenty more to send shivers crawling down your back.
If you ever get the chance to stay at the DuPont Lodge, you'll see what I mean.
Now this here lodge sits up high, givin' ya a perfect view of the falls and all the beauty
of the park.
But let me warn ya, beauty ain't the only thing lurkin' there.
Guess who've laid their heads down for the night have woken up in a cold sweat, swearin'
they felt somethin' heavy settin' on the edge of their bed.
When they reach for the lamp or whip round to see what it is, nothin'.
Not a soul, but that icy chill it lingers, like whoever or whatever was there ain't
gone too far.
Some folks even report here in faint whispers in the dead of night soft as a breeze, but
with no way to make out what's bein' said.
And don't stop there.
The hallways in that lodge, they echo with footsteps when there ain't no one walkin'.
Doors creak open like they've been nudged by invisible hands, and the staff will tell
ya they've heard their fair share of eerie laughs comin' from empty rooms.
It's like the walls themselves got stories they're tryin' to tell, but you might not
wanna hear em'.
Now if the lodge don't spook you enough, just step outside and hit the trails.
Plenty of hikers have come back with tails that'll make the hairs on your arms stand
straight up.
They talk about shadowy figures dartin' between the trees, movin' too fast to be regular
folks but too solid lookin' then to be just shadows.
Some swear they've caught glimpses of somethin' standin' still, watchin' from the treeline,
only for it to vanish the second they blink.
The fishermen, they got their own eerie tails to tell.
While they're sittin' there along the river, rodin' hand, tryin' to catch supper, they'll
sometimes hear whispers carried on the wind.
It ain't the kind of whispers you'd expect from rustlin' leaves or the water flowin'.
No, sir, these whispers sound human, low and breathy, like someone's tryin' to tell
em' somethin' but just can't quite get the words out.
Some of the braver ones have gone searchin' for the source, but they always come up empty-handed.
Then, there's the strangest thing of all, the silence.
Now, anyone who's spent time in the woods'll tell ya the forest ain't never truly quiet.
There's always the chirp of crickets, the hoot of an owl, or the rustle of leaves.
But sometimes, in the gorge, it goes dead quiet.
Not a sound to be heard, like the whole world's holdin' its breath.
That's when folks say they feel it, the sense that they're not alone.
It's like the shadows are watchin', waitin', and you'd best keep movin' before they decide
to make themselves known.
So is it just the sound of the falls playin' tricks on folks ears?
Or somethin' that refuses to rest, lingering in the mist and shadows of cumberland falls?
If you ever find yourself wanderin' these parts, keep your wits about ya.
You never know what, or who, might be out there, watchin' ya from the dark.
So what do y'all reckon?
Could the ghost bride still be wanderin' them cliffs, searchin' for the love she lost in
the falls?
Or maybe she's drawn to that moonbow, like it's got some kind of power to pull her spirit
back?
And, speakin' of the moonbow, do you think it's just nature showin' off, or could it
be somethin' more?
A doorway to the other side, maybe?
A bridge where spirits can cross over?
And what about them whispers folks here by the river?
Do you think it's just the wind carryin' sounds from the falls?
Or somethin' tryin' to reach out, tryin' to be heard?
And them shadowy figures dartin' between the trees?
What's their story?
Could they be spirits tied to the land, or somethin' darker?
somethin' folks weren't meant to see?
If you've ever been to Cumberland Falls, we'd love to hear your tales.
Did you feel that chill in the air, like someone, or somethin' was watchin' ya?
Did you hear whispers, sea lights, or catch a glimpse of the ghost bride herself?
Go on and drop us a comment below, we wanna know.
What did you feel, see, or hear out there in them woods?
And do you believe it's all just tall tales, or the real deal?
Well, thank you kindly for joinin' us here on Kentucky Melody, where we dive headfirst
into the beauty, mystery, and downright spine-tinglin' tales that make this state so special.
From these parts, the line between the livin' and the dead can get mighty blurry, and I
reckon, Cumberland Falls proves that better than just about anywhere.
Now, don't y'all forget to like this video, hit that subscribe button and ring that bell
so you'll always know when we've got another story to share, whether it's about haunting
hollers, ghostly brides, or critters that'll make you think twice about takin' a walk in
the woods.
And next time y'all find yourself standin' at the edge of Cumberland Falls, takin' in
all that natural beauty, remember to admire the view, but don't let them shadows fool
ya.
Keep an eye out, cause you never know who, or what, might be watchin' ya back.
Y'all take care now, and we'll see ya in the next one.
If the ghost bride don't hit your ride home with ya first, stay safe, stay curious, and
don't go pokin' round too deep in them woods after dark.