Blue Orbs at the Bluegrass Inn Motel

Bluegrass Inn (Google Street View)

Today’s blog post is more of a Fright Bite, a little snippet of spooky, if you will. I just could not find out a whole lot about either the history or the hauntings of a little roadside motel known as the Bluegrass Inn of Ashland, Kentucky. But, here’s what I’ve got!

I learned about this location’s ghostly reputation while browsing the Haunted Places website. A submitter by the name of Jason B. reported that while staying at the Bluegrass Inn, in rooms 129 and 127, a series of odd events occurred. There was a feeling of dread, which caused the hair on the arms to stand. Softball-sized light blue orbs were observed. The witness even reported receiving three fingernail scratches down his back, which weren’t deep, but burned. 

This little tidbit has been shared on a couple of different sites that curate paranormal phenomenon, including a page called Kentucky Haunted Houses. On that entry, an anonymous comment was left in March 2021 by another witness to the weirdness at the Bluegrass Inn. 

Airline Recruitment Ad 18 April 1984 The Big Sandy News

This second witness reported that room 205 may also have paranormal activity. When staying there, unexplained noises and feelings of not being alone were common. The witness admits that both of these examples could be explained away by the setting being a busy motel with people constantly coming and going—but it couldn’t explain the weirdest thing. The witness reported their pillow being aggressively tugged away from them at night.  

The Bluegrass Inn Motel is located at 1835 Winchester Avenue and is within walking distance to the historic downtown Ashland. It’s situated between the river and the historic Central Park area, making it an ideal location for anyone staying in the area short term or long term and worried about transportation and access. 

I didn’t have much luck with Kentucky property records, but the inn has been there AT LEAST since 1968. I suspect it’s older, but that’s the earliest mention of it I could find. Throughout the 1970s it was known as the Henry Clay Motel. In the 1980s, it was known as the Colonial Inn Motel. For over 50 years, the motel has been a happening location. The patio hosted a bar/restaurant called Carl’s, where a lot of civic meetings took place. I found newspaper snippets of campaign rallies, a seminar/recruitment event for an airline, and even a trucking school, all listing the motel as base of operations. 

Congressman Hubbard Announces Bid for KY Governor 10 December 1978 The Courier-Journal

I also found a lot of private individuals listing the motel as their home address. With that information came several obituaries and several arrest records. Most of the arrest records and even recent complaints have been for drugs or petty theft. However, in March of 2025 and argument between two men in the parking lot left one man dead. After an argument around 6:15 am on March 12, Christopher Hammond shot and killed Barry “Justin” Burton in the parking lot of the motel. 

Today, the motel is still apparently known to deal more with longer term rentals on a weekly/monthly basis, as opposed to catering to tourists. These longer term rentals offer a place to stay for out of town workers, those who cannot afford or qualify for traditional housing, and those being helped by local churches and charity groups after experiencing being unhoused. 

When you have such a high turnover rate of people in and out of a location, many of whom are most likely going through negative emotions, it’s natural to think that some of that energy lingers on and may manifest in different ways. I’d love to hear if anyone has additional stories from the Bluegrass Inn. Despite the frustration of researching and investigating hotels/motels, I still love a good ghost story from these places and would love to hear if anyone else has had any experiences. You can comment below or find me over on Facebook at Theresa’s Haunted History of the Tri-State!