He and architect Milton Thompson wanted to convert it into a minimum-security prison for the state, but the developers dropped the plan after neighbors protested. Instead, this book sheds to seek light on one of the most deadly and contagious diseases of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. The question that we need to ask ourselves is: Why do they haunt Waverly Hills? The Waverly Hills Sanatorium Address: 4400 Paralee Ln, Louisville, KY 40272, United States, 40272. Contact the spirits and ask why they are still here. He hired a woman named Lizzie Lee Harris to teach at the school. Begins at 2:30 pm ET. Its the ending the Mattinglys are hoping for. There were many tuberculosis cases in Louisville at the time because of all the wetlands along the Ohio River, which were perfect for the tuberculosis bacteria. The Disturbing True Story Of The Waverly Hills Sanatorium, As Kentucky Historic Institutions explains, As the official Waverly Hills site explains, the Waverly Hills Sanatorium Memorial records, as Kentucky Historic Institutions explains, According to Kentucky Historical Institutions. 2023 Waverly Hills Historical Society | All Rights Reserved. Waverly Hills Sanatorium officially opened on the 26 th of July 1910. The bottom line is that the death tunnel is a must-stop if you happen to be a haunted places enthusiast. It sounds like a historical battle, but its happening now. As the legends go, the most haunted location in the entirety of the Waverly Hills facility is the fifth floor. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. But until then, the legal fees keep coming. However, at the peak of the disease, the sight of the dead being carried away in full view of the patients lowered the patient morale. The hallways are said to be the scene of phantom shadows running around, and of course there are numerous reports of footsteps, voices, and other sounds within the hallway known as the "body chute.". Join XPLR CLUB for only $1 using code "HELLWEEK" - http://xplrclub.com/Sam and Colby investigate the world's most haunted Waverly Hills Sanatorium. The massive five story hospital was built in 1926 and sits atop Waverly Hill today. The WHHS now runs Tours and Investigations, plus special and seasonal events to raise funds to accomplish their goal. Live! Shining a flashlight on real places around the world that are really haunted and really spooky. The Waverly Hills Sanatorium Contact Number: +1-5029332142. Waverly Hills Sanatorium: A History (Landmarks) Hardcover - June 6, 2022 by Lynn Pohl (Author) Hardcover $33.99 1 Used from $27.03 6 New from $26.29 Paperback $21.99 1 New from $21.99 High on a hill on the south side of Louisville, Kentucky, a massive Tudor Gothic Revival building still stands as a testament to past struggles with a deadly disease. Open to the public in 1910, the first medical facility consisted of two open-air pavilions, each housing 20 patients. The fifth floor also featured a heliotherapy department, where . By 1961 Waverly Hills Sanatorium was renamed Woodhaven Geriatrics Hospital, though some say it was, in reality, an insane asylum. It is no surprise that so many lost souls are said to wander aimlessly through the halls of the massive structure to this day. Waverly Hills' haunted house will begin tours for the Halloween season starting this Friday.Watch our previous coverage of the haunted sanatorium in the player above.This isn't the full tour of . It is listed on the National Historic Register and faced the threat of being torn down. Another nurse, who also worked in Room 502, jumped off the roof to her death. The Waverly Hills Sanatorium death tunnel in Kentucky has an interesting history, and you can read more about it in our previous article. Opened in 1910 on land that once held a schoolhouse, the sanatorium was designed to deal with the rising . Legends about the haunting of the sanatorium tend to center around the 51 years that the site was used to house tuberculosis patients. In the early 20th century, when tuberculosis was raging, there was no known cure, and although the disease had been around since antiquity, the source of the so-called "White Plague" wasn't fully understood. The teacher he hired was named Lizzie Lee Harris, who was a big fan of the long series of novels by Sir Walter Scott known as "the Waverley novels" and asked Hays if she could name the school the Waverley School. Obviously as Waverly was a hospital, the sound of screaming patients is thought to emanate from the long-empty rooms. [16] The first phase of the development, coming in at a cost of $4 million, would have been a statue of 150 feet (46m) tall and 150 feet (46m) wide, situated on the roof of the sanatorium. Waverly Hills, in 1950, had 373 patients, but it had dropped to 293 patients by 1960. As is frequently the case, however, reality comes in to poop the party. Patients who were unlikely to survive this procedure tried to maximize rest to their lungs by lying on the side most affected by lesions, restricting the movement of the diseased lung naturally with posture and gravity. We just want this to come a conclusion soon so we can get back to our regularly scheduled ghost hunts, Pack said. So, too, are they spotted on the grounds themselves, the stains of people long dead and forgotten. It's a fight for one of the most haunted places in the country. By October of 1926, the hospital had expanded to its current 400-hundred-bed capacity to accommodate a . This dark entity crawls along the floor, and even up the walls and on the ceiling. A grand jury found multiple instances of patient abuse and signs of neglect of the facility itself. Until we know what ghosts really are, the best we can do is speculate. Learn More The couple purchased the site for $230,000 in 2001 in hopes of restoring the sanatorium and turning it into a local tourist site. Our Guided Tours & Paranormal Investigation season runs March August of each calendar year. A clip from The Most Terrifying Places in America explores the Waverly Hills Sanatorium in Louisville, KY, including an interview with the owner and the infamous "body chute", a tunnel used to transport the deceased, but was out of sight from the dying. The corridor is 500 feet to the bottom of the hill and has a set of stairs on one side, which were the stairs used for the workers. [5] Due to Miss Harris' fondness for Walter Scott's Waverley novels, she named the schoolhouse Waverley School. No one under 10 years of age will be permitted. The historical pays for all expenses. It opened in 1910 as a two-story hospital to accommodate 40 to 50 tuberculosis patients. It was a huge waste of $25.00 and my time. To try to contain the disease, a two-story wooden sanatorium was opened which consisted of an administrative/main building and two open air pavilions, each housing 20 patients, for the treatment of "early cases". Him and Tina have put their heart and soul into it. It has become a mecca for curiosity seekers who believe it is haunted. One legend stems from the experiences of the Louisville Ghost Hunters Society. Anyone under 18 years of age must be accompanied by a responsible adult at least 21 years of age. Tales of terror, death, inhumane conditions, and suicide all stem from this property. The solution was a "body chute," or a tunnel that led from the hospital to nearby railroad tracks. Some believe human spirits may be manipulated by inhuman entities as a source of energy. Originally opened in 1910, a number of hospitals were built on the grounds before the iconic and mammoth sized, 5 story bat wing shaped hospital was . The Waverly Hills Sanatorium, Louisville, KY Share Event Summary Halloween Haunted Attraction fundraiser at The Waverly Hills Sanatorium in Louisville, Kentucky! Some of these treatments included: fresh air (hence the openness on the top two floors), heat lamps, and experimental surgeries. 4th floor was the best. Do you know of Penhurst? [9][10] In December 1912 a hospital for advanced cases opened for the treatment of another 40 patients. (Although for some reason, a "visitors' day" was allowed, in which visitors could come, hang out with people with an infectious disease, and then go back to their lives.). The stories say that a nurse was found in Room 502 in 1928, having hanged herself from a light fixture. In this case, the activity is more like a recording of the environment. There were no schools in the area, so Hays decided to build a one-room schoolhouse for his own children. In the early 1900s, Louisville had one of the highest mortality rates from tuberculosis in the United . Leslie Morgan Published: July 9, 2022. Even in the face of the noble intentions of its administrators, Waverly Hills became the site of thousands of deaths in the face of a raging epidemic of a then-incurable disease. One of the most popular spots to get scared is the Waverly Hills Sanatorium. But, there are 5 flights of stairs in total on the tour. Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, PA, Waverly Hills Sanatorium in Louisville, KY, Scary Tales From The Haunted Waverly Hills Sanatorium. Best time to visit The Waverly Hills Sanatorium (preferred time): 02:30 pm - 08:00 pm. October is the time of the year when thrill-chasers and horror-lovers can get their fill. The show featured prominent acts in the extreme metal and metalcore scene, including Job for a Cowboy, The Acacia Strain, Hatebreed, Shadows Fall, Chimaira, GWAR, Cameo, Lamb of God and The Number Twelve Looks Like You. The statue, which was inspired by the famed Christ the Redeemer statue on Corcovado Mountain in Rio de Janeiro, would have been designed by local sculptor Ed Hamilton and architect Jasper Ward. It's believed that nearly 50,000. shea duane from new jersey on April 28, 2012: 2023 The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers on this website. The only source ever cited by people telling these stories of Room 502 is a now-deceased former staff member who would have been elementary school age at the time of the nurses' alleged deaths. It is listed on the National Historic Register and faced the threat of being torn down. The Waverly Sanatorium has been investigated by numerous paranormal groups, including the LOUISVILLE Ghost HUNTERS SOCIETY. Mind you, we are not confirming nor denying that Waverly is haunted, but it has been featured on quite . Another nurse who worked Room 502 in 1932 is said to have thrown herself off the roof patio onto the ground below though some say she was pushed. It was within this devastating context that the Waverly Hills Sanitorium first opened its doors on July 26, 1910, as a two-story wooden structure built to house about 50 patients. To further kill the buzz, there are no records of any nurse suicides during Waverly Hills' years of operation, and what's more, Room 502 has no means by which a nurse could have hanged herself. That the death tunnel is a must-stop if you happen to be a places! Article title time ): 02:30 pm - 08:00 pm two open-air,. From a light fixture is more like a Historical battle, but it had dropped to 293 patients by.! 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