Old Louisville is known for ornate Victorian houses, landmark churches and streets that seem to hold stories from another century.

One of its strangest tales involves the Demon Leaper, a figure said in local folklore to move across rooftops and church spires.

The creature is associated with the area around Walnut Street Baptist Church at Third and St. Catherine streets.

Depending on who tells the story, the alleged figure resembles a winged being, a gargoyle or a mysteriously agile person.

Louisville storyteller David Domine has documented versions of the legend in his writing about the neighborhood.

The stories place the figure against a real historic setting: blocks of grand homes, architectural details and the transformation of Third Street around the turn of the twentieth century.

The church's dramatic stonework and towers offer a vivid backdrop for the tale.

There is, of course, no verified evidence of a supernatural rooftop visitor.

What makes the legend interesting is how it encourages people to look closely at a neighborhood they may otherwise pass through without stopping.

Old Louisville's architecture includes striking stone carvings, elaborate facades and the visible reminders of the city's past.

The Demon Leaper belongs to Louisville folklore, not confirmed history.

That distinction only makes the neighborhood's Halloween storytelling tradition more intriguing.