HOPKINSVILLE, KY (CHRISTIAN COUNTY NOW) – A couple from Middle Tennessee has connected their passion for history with their paranormal investigative skills while rehabbing a 200-year-old home on East Seventh Street in Hopkinsville. Eric Freeman Sims and his husband Rodger purchased The Knight House in April of 2024, and have been working to uncover the history of the people that lived and died in the home.
“It’s kind of a mystery around town,” Sims told Christian County Now. “It’s all a big puzzle because no one has ever really dove into the history.”
Before purchasing the home, Sims had over 20 years of paranormal investigative experience under his belt, which has led him to podcasting and writing. When he and his husband decided to dive deeper into their love of history by purchasing an older home, that search led them to The Knight House, the oldest standing structure in Hopkinsville.
Previous owners had begun renovations, but there was still a lot to be done. With Rodger’s experience in landscaping and ties to construction, they took on the challenge. It wasn’t until they closed on the house that they learned about ghostly occurrences that people had experienced in the home.
“It was kind of that feeling when we were walking around the house like somebody is following you, wanting to see what you are doing,” Sims explained. “And it wasn’t ever necessarily about it being haunted, it was more about the history. More than likely a 200-year-old house that’s had residences the entire time is probably going to have a few spirits running around.”
Ghost encounters
“We didn’t have to wait long for stuff to start happening and for them to let us know they’re here,” said Sims. “A lot of times you’ll hear from investigators that whenever somebody remodels a house, especially an old one, it usually stirs up activity.”
As he arrived at the home in preparation for his interview with Christian County Now, he relayed that dresser doors were opened that were previously firmly shut. Occurrences like this happen from time to time, with cameras set up around the home capturing sounds and movement in each room, most of which they share on the website they have created for The Knight House. “They’re always knocking around and banging around,” Sims added.
Along with persistent knocks and noises that sound like furniture moving around, people have also reported hearing the piano in the parlor sustain notes on its own, and the ghostly squawk of a parrot that used to reside in the home has made itself known. Drawers open and shut, and neighbors in the past have seen figures peeking out of the basement.
Sims is not at all bothered by these intrusions, and references them with respect, “They just want to be recognized. I get a sense that the Knight’s and the house is ready to tell its history because it’s never been told before.”
Family and house history
The house has changed significantly since it was first built between 1815 and 1820 by an unknown owner. During a tour, Sims led the way through a labyrinth of staircases that spiral and curve around the extensive six story home that spans over 5,000 square feet.
The house itself is a mishmash of different decades of renovations, but several original features remain such as the wood floors in the parlor, and brick fireplaces. Upstairs bedrooms are packed with decor from various decades that were found in the home, and the eerie, expansive cellar gives the classic illusions of a haunted space.
In addition to the interior and structural work, they are also in the process of possibly uncovering underground tunnels while also further digging into the elusive history of the Knight family. “Most of us in the paranormal world are history buffs because 80% of what we do is history,” Sims explained. “Then we investigate to connect with those people that we learned from the history.”
Since purchasing the home, they have concentrated their efforts in learning everything they can about the family. The Knight House originally sat on over 300 acres of owned property. J.B. Knight purchased the home in 1860, and his family lived there until the 1940’s. They were prominent in the community, owning thousands of acres throughout the country.
Sims is a vault of knowledge, with facts about each family member on the tip of his tongue, from where they worked to how they died (most of which died and had a wake inside the house). These details he reveals on his extensive historical tours of the property that are opened to the public.
Community events and support
Since they began working on the house, people native to Hopkinsville have reached out to say how excited they are to see it come back to life. The couple has fully engrained themselves in the community, making connections with the Hopkinsville Historical Society and Visit Hopkinsville. “The town has kind of embraced us, everybody is cheering us on,” he said.
While the owners have already welcomed in historic tour groups and independent paranormal investigators, as the rehabilitation of the house progresses, they are hoping to do even more. On Jan. 25, they are hosting their first public ghost hunt on the property, that will integrate the history alongside a paranormal researcher leading the investigation.
He is hoping this event will open people’s eyes to how these investigations really go down, and how they are different than what people see on shows. “It’s like fishing, sometimes you catch them sometimes you don’t. It depends on how active they want to be, they’re not performers,” he explained.
Next steps? Construction wise they will be tackling the external column and really gussy up the exterior. Community wise, they will continue historical and paranormal tours, with the hope of one day expanding their parking to accommodate more people as they become a proper venue.
Find more information about tours and future events on The Knight House website.
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