Joppa Missionary Baptist Church said to be haunted by former congregation

MAMMOTH CAVE, Ky. (WBKO) -Joppa Missionary Baptist Church sits tucked inside Mammoth Cave National Park, a single-room house of worship that looks peaceful among the trees.

The old church is a relic from communities that once thrived in the area, but some visitors say the place carries the presence of those who made the nearby cemetery their final resting place.

“Joppa is one of the more active places. We go to a lot of different places and have nothing happen. We’ve been to Hell Gate 5 or 6 times up in Hardin County, and we maybe once or twice had something happen, but here it gives every single time,” said paranormal investigator Rachel Coleman.

In the 1920s and 30s, the federal government assembled land for the newly formed national park. Families were moved, and many churches were torn down.

Only three survived, including Joppa.

The church and cemetery now stand in near-silence for most of the year. Many believe that silence invites spirits to speak.

“When it comes to real-life ghost experiences, you’re not going to have some lady pop up and boo or anything like that. You’re barely going to see it. You have to pay attention to see it, and you also have to be really respectful. You don’t want to make anything angry. You don’t want to cause any trouble for it. You’re just excited to be there and be a part of it,” said paranormal investigator Shelly Clark.

In one instance, paranormal investigators reported a phantom smell that persisted through the night, reminiscent of vintage perfume, despite no one in the group wearing any scent, as one of their ghost-hunting rules.

On a separate visit to the church, they claim to have witnessed a spirit trying to form within the building itself.

“We’re looking in that window, and we see what looks like a human face, and you couldn’t see the whole thing, and it kept moving. You never saw the full face, and I just knew that it was my cousin Riley. She hadn’t turned off her light. She turns it off, complete dark. All of us were like... what is that? It just kind of kept moving like it was trying to form. I’ve never seen anything so clear before,” Clark said.

Whether the spirits of Joppa still linger, or it’s just the wind playing tricks, some stories refuse to stay buried.