Waverly Hills Sanatorium sits on land that was originally purchased by Major Thomas H. Hays in 1883. This list is organized by date of death and not by name. The massive, collegiate, gothic style Sanatorium that you see in the 1926 photo (above) remains standing on Waverly Hill, today. The statue, which was inspired by the famedstatue of Christ onCorcovadoMountain inRio de Janeiro, would have been designed by local Louisville sculptorEd Hamiltonand architect Jasper Ward. Meet MasterChef Gordon Ramsays Children - Who are They? They do this through offering tours, am annual haunted house held on the main buildings first floor, as well hosting private events in the restored laundry room. Sign up for our newsletter and enter to win the second edition of our book. Microfilm rolls #7016130-7041803. As the outbreak spread, the facility needed to be expanded and, in 1912, the larger building was built and patients from a number of surrounding hospitals were transferred to the facility. nothing without you. It is part of the. Later it was leased to a private nursing firm and the name was changed to Woodhaven Geriatric Center. Its believed that tuberculosis has claimed roughly. ***Note:***The 1920 & 1930census reports were all hand written. . The hospital was deteriorating badly when they took possession. The story goes that Lizzie Lee Harris loved Sir Walter Scotts series, The Waverley Novels -- more than, Hays reportedly like the name and so named all of his land Waverley Hill. Tuberculosis and Waverly Hills Sanatorium in the Filsons Collections, The Filson Historical Society and Cincinnati Museum Center. Originally, Waverly Hills Sanatorium was a two-story frame building with a hipped roof and half-timbering. Some have called this long concrete structure the Death Shute over the years. It has a somewhat mysterious and sinister past. At the beginning of the 20th century Louisville Kentucky had the one of highest rate of tuberculosis deaths in the United States. After being vacant for almost a year, the building was reopened in 1962 asWoodhaven Geriatric Center, a nursing home primarily treating aging patients with various stages of dementia and mobility limits, as well as the severely mentally handicapped. There are said to be several ghosts still haunting the echoing halls. Vital Statistics Original Death Certificates Microfilm (1911-1964). In 1926, they finished the building to what it is today. The Board decided to keep the name Waverly, as it had a peaceful sound to it. Tuberculosis got its nicknames from the sickly pallor of the victims the disease claimed. It is sad that a place that played such a vital role during this period of history and medical discovery was not only over, but now disrespected. A new wing was built that year to accommodate those patients in advanced stages. For the past few years, this crumbling tunnel has been featured during the Halloween season. It was the leading cause of death during sanatorium's peak years of operation; however, it is impossible to say how many people died at Waverly Hills. A childrens pavilion was built in 1916 that housed 40 children and included a schoolroom. Waverly Hills Sanatorium - Louisville, Kentucky - Atlas Obscura Over the next several years, the main building as well as surrounding structures fell into a state of abandonment. This is an active project so check back often for updates. Our objective is to provide a resource and a memorial for all the building and the people whose lives made The enormous and haunted Waverly Hills Sanatorium by night. 9 Reasons The Waverly Hills Death Tunnel In Kentucky Is Unique Eventually Hays property was chosen for several reasons; its distance from the city, its picturesque tranquil view, as well as its high altitude with increased air flow. Waverly Hills Sanatorium has been a TB hospital, a nursing home, a failed religious monument, and now a paranormal investigation site. & W.G.C. It's believed that nearly 50,000. No records could be found for these deaths, but the rumors and ghost stories have persisted and many tourists and ghost hunters have reported strange activity in . Construction on the first hospital began in 1908 in a quiet space atop a hill, where it was thought patients would be at peace and receive lots of fresh air (and stay far from crowded areas). In later years, the property was repeatedly vandalized, and landowners didnt seem to care much about upkeep on the building -- which was nearly condemned. The following year, most of the land on which the buildings sat were auctioned off, and the main hospital building, several remaining facilities, as well as 40 acres were purchased by Simpsonville developer J. Clifford Todd, at a cost of $3,000,5,000. Like Atlas Obscura and get our latest and greatest stories in your Facebook feed. Surgical intervention, including removal of ribs and/or parts of the lungs, was reserved for patients close to death. The number of shrouded bodies being taken away from the building began to have a dramatic effect on the morale of the victims, which was hugely problematic since this was the cornerstone of treatment. What are the most haunted places in Kentucky? The path towards the light connected to the main building via a railway system on the first floor of the original hospital. One of the creepier Waverly Hills legends is a room near the morgue dubbed the draining room, where dead bodies were supposedly hung on hooks and cut open top to bottom to rid them of infected fluids. Everyone at Waverly patients, nurses, doctors, and other employees had to say goodbye to everything they knew on the outside world. In the early 1900s, Jefferson County was ravaged by an outbreak of tuberculosis - known as the "White Plague" - which prompted the construction of a new hospital. We do not have access to records of any patients from Waverly Hills and we cannot accommodate any requests at this time. Early-twentieth-century scrapbooks and organizational records chronicle public health measures and tuberculosis facilities in Louisville and other parts of the state. The following index contains recorded patient deaths at Waverly Hills between 1911-1960. The official estimates were admitted at more than 60,000 individuals died from TB or some of the questionable treatments utilized as attempted cures for the ailment. Patients of Waverly Hills Sanatorium / Woodhaven Geriatric Center - Tripod Some of the names were difficult if not impossible to read. ), 10 Best Animations to Watch on Netflix Right Now, 15 Best Scandinavian Shows That Also Inspired Other TV Shows, 10+ Best Lesbian Movies on Netflix [Updated for 2022]. Nothing that went down the death tunnel ever came back up. About - Waverly Hills Sanatorium The Ghosts of the Waverly Hills Sanatorium in Louisville - Ghost City Tours One report from a paranormal investigation group noted that six members saw what they claim looked like a young girls shadow that was completely opaque. This is an active project so check back often for updates. Ms Harris had a fondness for author Walter Scotts Waverley novels, and she received Hays permission to name the schoolhouse the Waverley School. KDR - Kentucky Death RecordsS - SubmittedNP - NewspaperO - Other20 Even with many new procedures available, it was impossible to save everyone. The tunnels main purpose was to protect the morale of other patients. Essentially, once you went to Waverly Hills -- as a patient, a nurse, or a doctor -- you no longer got to be a part of the outside world. A new sanatorium opened on October 17, 1926 that could accommodate 400-500 patients. The facility served as a tuberculosis hospital until 1961 when the discovery of an antibiotic that successfully treated and cured TB rendered the facility obsolete. To learn more about the Historical Society, see the Historical Society section under About. In 1961, the hospital finally closed its doors. Waverly Hills isnt the only haunted tunnel around. The little TB clinic was filled with more than 140 people, and it was obvious that a much larger hospital was needed to treat those afflicted with the condition. Previous property owners had no desire to maintain the luster of the building and did little to stop people from slowly destroying her. Discover unique things to do, places to eat, and sights to see in the best destinations around the world with Bring Me! Obsessed with travel? An event referred to as the Lbeck disaster, in which a contaminated vaccine ended up killing 72 children in Germany, curtailed the popularity of the BCG vaccine for several years -- even though the vaccine itself was exonerated. Plans are underway for an on site memorial However, many people owe their lives to the care they received at Waverly Hills. If the number is true, the cost would equate to roughly. The owner (Tina) and a security guard say theyve seen lights turn on in this room while they were outside. Nestled in the Ohio Valley, Louisville doesnt get a proper amount of fresh air flow. It was thought that doing so would close up the small holes that tuberculosis causes. In 1907, the Louisville Tuberculosis Association established Hazelwood Sanatorium for the treatment of white patients from any part of Kentucky, even before Waverly Hills Sanatorium opened, in 1910, for city and county residents. Waverly Hills is one of the most fascinating buildings to be found that stores within its wallsmany horrible and pain filled memories of a time where it seemed to continuously consume 100s of lives. 4400 Paralee Lane,Louisville, Ky 40272Owners: Charles & Tina MattinglyThe GPS address for tours and investigations is: [redacted]Note: Nobody is allowed on the premises without a reservation! It also had an ulterior and much less sinister purpose. A total of 63,000 people lost their lives up until 1961, the year when the hospital was closed. There are tales of an apparition seemingly draped in white, like a doctors coat. 2023 Waverly Hills Historical Society | All Rights Reserved. In 1883, Major Thomas Hercules Hays, who had served in the Confederate army during the Civil War and fought at the. Youtube user Dead Explorer perfectly captured what its like to walk through the tunnel in the video above. The Waverly Hills Sanatorium Body Chute in Louisville, Kentucky, is one of the most haunted places in the United States. These records shed light on public services that often reached across lines of class and race. mentioned or used within If a patient had any chance of surviving the disease, Waverly Hills was the place to come for treatment. Our objective is to provide a resource and a memorial for all the building and the people whose lives made an impact on Louisville's history. Trellix. While no records exist to report an accurate death count that occurred within the building, it is . Metro Council clears the way for Waverly Hills to become hotel Offer subject to change without notice. for all the names listed and to be listed. The assumed number of total deaths at Waverly Hills sanitorium has been wildly inflated over the years; some have said the number is approximately 63,000. will be confirmed information either by photograph, news article, and/ or historical archive of some kind. (The myth was further spread by Tina Mattingly on an episode of. This site The building is host to ghost hunters from all over the globe. This tunnel has likely seen more death than most modern hospitals. BUT, according to Patti Starr in her book. What makes this tunnel in Kentucky stand out from the others? The Beginnings of industrialism, as well as geographic make-up were contributing factors. Kentuckys Home to the Largest and Most Haunted Victorian Neighborhood in America, The Haunted Spurlington Tunnel In Kentucky Has A Bone-Chilling History, One Of The Most Haunted Cemeteries In Kentucky Is Also The Most Beautiful, Driving Down This Haunted Kentucky Road Will Give You Nightmares, Spend A Night At This Haunted Sanatorium In Kentucky If You Dare, This Haunted Tunnel In Kentucky Is Not For The Faint Of Heart, 11 Staggering Photos Of An Abandoned Hospital Hiding In Kentucky, The Story Behind This Evil Place In Kentucky Will Make Your Blood Turn Cold. Room 502 has a reputation due to the two suicides that supposedly occurred there. After the geriatric center closed down, various owners considered turning the building into a number of things, including a jail and. B.A.S.E.-Bay Area Supernatural Encounters 2009Follow us @ www.facebook.com/bayareaseor visit our webpage @ www.bayarease.comBack before the sanatorium was ev. A tunnel connecting to the base of the hill was also built so that workers and supplies could be ferried to the facility at the top of the hill. There are a few abandoned tunnels in Kentucky, but none have quite the reputation of the notorious Waverly Hills Death Tunnel on 4400 Paralee Lane in Louisville. The Child-Eating Bunyip Haunts Australias Wetlands. **Research compiled for Ryan & Shane on January 27, 2017 by Micki Taylor. Hills Memorial Research Group. In March 1996, Robert Alberhasky bought Waverly Hills. It was also a disease that could end in a painful death. It's a place where the smell of death is hidden, and where the painful screams are still in the air. In 1911, the new City Hospital relocated all of their TB cases to Waverly Hills, which had erected tents on the grounds to accomodate the overflow. If left untreated, the bacteria would begin to eat away at the lungs and could spread throughout the body -- consuming it. Very little of this part of Waverly has fallen down, and the structure itself is still safe. In 1873, Agatha Logan Marshall wrote matter-of-factly to her brother-in-law Thomas W. Bullitt about her recent diagnosis of consumption and her concerns about her future well-being and economic security: Dr Bush made an examination of my lungs and told me they were very seriously involveda fact I have known all alongof course I am in no immediate danger for consumption is a lingering disease but I have no hope or expectation of ever being well again and I am very anxious if possible to have my little prosperity so it will yield me an income. Marshall aptly characterized consumption as a lingering disease, one in which symptoms could come and go and progress slowly over years. The Disturbing True Story Of The Waverly Hills Sanatorium At the same time they also reveal stark racial disparities in mortality rates and institutional treatment. Without cookies your experience may not be seamless. As such, Waverly Hills was largely self-sufficient; they grew their own food and raised animals; they had a post office and a water treatment facility. Please remember that information contained on this site, authored/owned by KHI, is provided under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. The most common treatment was simply bed rest in the, One fairly horrific procedure used on TB patients before medication was available was called. Major Hays was in need of a school for his daughters to attend, so he started a one-room schoolhouse that was located on Pages Lane. Inside The Haunted Halls Of Waverly Hills Sanatorium - Travel Channel What are the creepiest cemeteries in Kentucky? The Historical Society and the family that owns the property hold fundraising events throughout the year. The BCG vaccine was first successfully used to ward off tuberculosis in 1921 in France, but the use of vaccines tended to travel slowly in those days. While the building is now primarily a tourist attraction for those with creepy predilections, it used to be a functioning tuberculosis hospital. Over the following years the population of Waverly began to decrease until it closed in June 1961. Create a website or blog at WordPress.com, Historical Case Studies in Crime & Punishment, Infirmaries and Poorhouses: Image Gallery, Transylvania University Medical Department, University of Louisville Medical Department, Kentucky Institution for Feeble Minded Children, Covington-Kenton County Tuberculosis Sanatorium, Madisonville State Tuberculosis Sanatorium, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. The 400-bed hospital that opened in 1926 at Waverly Hills Sanatorium. In mechanical drawings from 1924 and 1962, however, this room is labeled the Transformer Room, and it clearly appears to be an electrical room. They found themselves stuck in a room whose door would not open and shadowy figures appeared in the room. Get more stories delivered right to your email. Rumors VS. Facts, 10+ of Hollywood's Most Famous Twins Listed, 7 Best Horror Audiobooks of 2022 that Will Make Your Spine Chill, 8 Best British Crime Series on Netflix: Crime Series, the English Way, 9 Best Comedies on HBO Max to Watch Right Now, 10+ Best Stand-up Comedy Specials on Netflix: Tickle your funny bone with the best comedy shows, 10 Best Anime Series on Netflix (Updated), 10 Best True Crime Podcasts to Keep You Up at Night, 10 Best Movies To Watch On Disney+ For All Ages (Updated! Powered by www.tripod.com & It could accommodate at least 400 + patients and be considered one of the most modern and well-equipped facilities at the time. (Note the slightly different spelling of Waverley here. Today, the building is spooky enough to give anyone chills. Some have reported seeing shapes near the window in room 502 and even a voice saying, Get out.. With the discovery of a new antibiotic, Streptomyc in 1943, there was finally a way to combat Tuberculosis . (I to L) Patients of W.H.S. The land that the Waverly Hills Sanatorium sits on was purchased by a wealthy military man, Major Thomas H. Hays, in 1883. On this grand tour, visitors can get the historical tales of the tunnel's actual purpose. The building was designed to accommodate 40-50 tuberculosis patients safely. The area known today as Waverly Hill was purchased by Major Thomas H. Hays in 1883 as the Hays family home. A dedicated staff worked with thousands of TB patients, often contracting the disease themselves. but patients families still visited them on designated visitors days, lol. EVIL in the DEATH TUNNEL || Waverly Hills Sanatorium The Haunted Side - Paranormal Investigations 162K subscribers Join Subscribe 2K Share 27K views 5 months ago On this episode of The. Not much was known scientifically about tuberculosis at that point -- but it was clearly very contagious, and it was common practice to quarantine TB patients away from the population. It had its own post office, water treatment facility, grew its own fruits and vegetables, raised its own meat for slaughter, and maintained many of the other necessities of everyday life. The administrators began taking the bodies through the hidden tunnel to hide the morbid evidence from the other tenants, earning the tunnel the nickname the body chute. Luckily this misery came to an end in the 1940s when a tuberculosis drug was introduced that drastically lowered the need for such a large facility. Hauntings of Waverly Hills Sanatorium - Amy's Crypt History Notes For Unsolved: Waverly Hills Sanatorium - BuzzFeed I grew up running around barefoot on a farm in Kentucky. Waverly Hills Sanatorium - Wikipedia The tunnel is supposed to be haunted by those who made their last journey through it. They had noticed that some improvement began to present itself in those who spent a restful retreat in the mountains. Offer available only in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico). It was closed down and quarantined, then renovated. Located on the south end of Jefferson County and now in the city limits of Louisville, Kentucky, the building, with its distinctive tower, was designed by D. X. Murphy and opened in 1926, adding four hundred additional beds to Waverly Hills facilities for tuberculosis patients. The only building in Louisville (hopefully) that contains two ancient holy skeletons. Last, a rich variety of records from the early and mid-twentieth centuryincluding pamphlets, photographs, letters, and architectural recordshelp document the history of Waverly Hills Sanatorium from the perspective of administrators and some of the employees and patients who lived there. The SciFi Channel series returned to Kentucky and did a live broadcast on Halloween night. Official Waverly Hills Sanatorium/ Woodhaven Geriatric Center Memorial & Historical Resource, Dear Reader / Researcher, Welcome to the Official Waverly Hills/ Woodhaven memorial & historical If you can correct us on anything we have posted, please do so. In 1908, ground was broken on what would become known as Waverly Hills Sanatorium (no one is quite sure when or how the second e was dropped from Waverly). Even with the building of additional pavilions, space for patients was consistently at a minimal. Tuberculosis, also known as consumption, or "the white plague", had a high mortality rate before streptomycin was introduced as a treatment in 1943. Major Hays was in need of a school for his daughters to attend, so he started a one-room schoolhouse that was located on Pages Lane. & Historical Research GroupAll files, pictures, video, E.V.P., articles, trademarks; etc. The first Waverly Hills Sanatorium building opened on July 26, 1910. Upon death, he fell asleep as we hope in the arms of his savior.1. The second e was dropped at some point.). var tlxLastPublishedDate = null; var now = new Date(); var edited = (tlxLastPublishedDate != null) ? Haunted tours helped raise money for the restoration project, which will eventually include a bed-and-breakfast. No purchase necessary. Frank J. Stewart served as the assistant medical director and as a physician at the sanatorium up until the 1950s. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. In turn, he renamed his property Waverley Hill. There have been reported ghost sightings in Room 502 at the sanatorium, particularly the ghost of a nurse in uniform. It is said that 63,000 people died at Waverly Hills over the years, but that is just what records . To this effect the original facility consisted of two open-air pavilions which housed 40 victims of the disease. These dead patients were taken to the burial site through the tunnels known as the 490-foot (150-meter Death Tunnel), one of the most famous parts of the hospital. All rights reserved. Alberhaskys intentions were to construct the worlds tallest statue ofJesuson the site, along with an arts and worship center. A private tour of the death tunnel is available by appointment.
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