mental_floss magazine
SUBSCRIBE >
GIFT SUBSCRIPTIONS >
DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTIONS >
subscriber services >
Waverly Hills Sanatorium has been a TB hospital, a nursing home, a failed religious monument, and now a paranormal investigation site.
Waverly Hills Sanatorium in Louisville, Kentucky opened in 1910 to treat tuberculosis patients. 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. Buildings were added to the institution in 1912, 1916, and 1926. A dedicated staff worked with thousands of TB patients, often contracting the disease themselves. After World War II, the need for a TB sanatorium waned until the hospital closed in 1961.
Estimates vary, and records have been destroyed, but there may have been as many as 64,000 deaths at Waverly Sanatorium. Tuberculosis, also known as consumption, or “the white plague”, had a high mortality rate before streptomycin was introduced as a treatment in 1943. The most common treatment at the time was sunlight, fresh air, and nutritious food. Surgical intervention, including removal of ribs and/or parts of the lungs, was reserved for patients close to death. However, many people owe their lives to the care they received at Waverly Hills.
More Waverly Hills haunted history, after the jump.
There is an underground tunnel from the sanatorium to the bottom of the hill. Originally a heating duct, this tunnel was also used by the staff to climb the hill in bad weather. During the TB years, this tunnel was also used to transport the dead, so they wouldn’t be seen by other patients. The tunnel, also known as “the body chute”, was serviced by a winch which hauled supplies up the hill and lowered gurneys with bodies down to the bottom. The tunnel is supposed to be haunted by those who made their last journey through it.
The tunnel was the subject of the 2005 movie The Death Tunnel. In the film, five college girls fulfill an initiation rite by spending the night in the haunted institution. You can imagine what follows. A documentary named Spooked was also made during the filming of The Death Tunnel.
There have been reported ghost sightings in Room 502 at the sanatorium, particularly the ghost of a nurse in uniform. There are two legends concerning the room: a nurse committed suicide by jumping out the window, and a nurse who hanged herself in room 502 because she was single and pregnant. Neither story is documented, but neither is completely discounted. Other accounts tell of ghostly appearances by a little girl named Mary and a little boy named Bobby in other areas of the hospital.
The institution was reopened as WoodHaven Medical Services, a geriatrics hospital in 1962, but closed in 1980 under allegations of patient abuse. Robert Alberhasky bought the property in 1996 with plans to to erect the world’s tallest statue of Jesus and a religious center. The statue would have been based on the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, only 20 feet taller. When the plans fell through due to funding problems, Alberhasky, upset that the remaining building was protected by the Historical Register, tried to have the building condemned. He went as far as using a bulldozer to undermine the foundation, but the building refused to collapse.
Tina and Charlie Mattingly bought the property in 2001 with the aim of completely restoring it. The hospital was deteriorating badly when they took possession. In the first few years of possession, the Mattinglys removed the asbestos and replaced 100 broken windows. Haunted tours helped raise money for the restoration project, which will eventually include a bed-and-breakfast.
Waverly Hills became known outside of the area when the TV series The Scariest Places on Earth profiled the institution in 2001. Since then, it has become a popular destination for paranormal investigators. Even those who don’t believe in ghosts enjoy the site for its history, its controversy, or for its popularity. According to the Waverly Hills Historical Society, guided tours and overnight stays are booked up for the rest of this year. If you want to visit, make your plans early!
The TV show Ghost Hunters did a program on Waverly Hills in March of 2006, which is available in several parts on YouTube. The SciFi Channel series returns to Kentucky this week and will broadcast live from the Waverly Hills Sanatorium Wednesday (Halloween) beginning at 9PM EDT.
Comments (17)
Comment
Great article!
This is one creepy place, the look itself does it for me.
I went to this “haunted place” during halloween time a few years back. I think we waited 4 hours total, but this was by far the best. They actually dress it up for halloween, but I don’t think that’s what creeped me out. I’d love to go during the regular tours.
And I am excited about Ghost Hunters Wednesday, it should be good.
On their halloween tours, they no longer go down the body chute, but whenever I went the first time, you went about halfway down. Creepy I tell you!
posted by Aimee on 10-30-2007 at 4:43 am
I’ve always wanted to go! It’s so interesting and so close to me. My roommate last year was from Lousiville and was terrified at the mention of Waverly Hills.
posted by Lea on 10-30-2007 at 6:01 am
Chris Flemming, who hosted the show “Dead Famous” came to my university last week, and one of the things he talked about was being in the Waverly Sanitorium.
posted by Katie B. on 10-30-2007 at 6:16 am
I was in Bolivia in June and July, and I was told that their statue of Christ, Christo de la Concordia, is just barely taller than Cristo Redentor in Rio. The statue is in Cochabamba, Bolivia.
The Brazilian statue is 33 meters tall — one meter for each year of Jesus’ life. So the people of Cochabamba, who wanted to beat the record, made theirs slightly taller, using the excuse (according to Lonely Planet) that Jesus lived 33 years — and a little bit more.
The statue sits on a ridge overlooking Cochabamba, and the view is spectacular. You can go up into the statue, but I was so winded from the altitude already that I was hesitant to make the stairs.
posted by John Carney on 10-30-2007 at 8:55 am
I live in southern Indiana, about 45 minutes away from Louisville and visit the city often. I’ve never actually had the chance to visit Waverly Hills, but have always wanted to. The waiting list for an OVERNIGHT visit is a year and a half long, but so far nobody has been able to stay the whole night. They end up leaving a few hours into it.
The facility actually offers to refund your money AND give you and additional $20 for staying the whole night. To try to pursuade people to stick it out, I presume.
Oh, and I am uber excited about the Ghosthunters special tomorrow night. Being an avid fan of the show, having them so close to home is truly a must see.
posted by Kami on 10-30-2007 at 10:59 am
I have stayed the night….the entire night. I’ve never heard that no one has stuck it out the whole night and they certainly didn’t offer to refund my money or pay me to stay the whole night. 11pm – 8am we stayed. Of course there was no sleeping – just exploring.
We have a couple of pictures that we believe has an entity in it. We also experienced the sound of footsteps right next to us, a blown light bulb, and a large pipe crashing to the floor in a room near us. We were the only people on the floor with security and it couldn’t be explained. I’m a believer! ;)
posted by Kellie Spellman on 10-30-2007 at 11:28 am
i remain skeptical. surely someone has survived the night. the website doesn’t mention anything about refunds, but it does say that the overnight stays are more for paranormal researchers than the curious.
posted by jennifer on 10-30-2007 at 11:50 am
I did security up there and stayed in the building all night many times.
I even lived in a trailor on the grounds for a few months.
So the stories of noone staying are fiction. Just like the 63,000 deaths.
It’s more like 6,000
posted by John on 10-31-2007 at 2:38 am
Wow, I didn’t know people had actually stayed before…maybe it’s just a local rumor. Sorry folks!
posted by Kami on 10-31-2007 at 11:14 am
it’s an amazing place even just for its architecture and history! highly recommend going. look for my videos of it on YouTube (channel = wyrdbewaechterin).
posted by wyrd on 11-5-2007 at 2:08 pm
Oh my gosh, there was this one time me and my friends were touring the place when a peice of the ceiling came crashing down on my best friend! She…died right after.
posted by Karly on 11-12-2007 at 1:19 pm
wavery hill sanatoramin is history and it has history in it I like the death chute it`s freakie
posted by tabby on 1-4-2008 at 1:49 pm
me and my sisters,mom,sister in law also a friend went we had a blast its so worth what u pay!! were from california and always were intrested in going never imagined we would go! we went oct.15.2007 we got to see black shadows i think if it wasnt for the young kids in our group who were load and stuped we would have heard alot more and seen more!we sure will be back cant wait!!!!!
posted by hilda vasquez on 2-15-2008 at 5:57 pm
I am already from Kentucky, My boyfriend went to a concert at Waverly Hills and it was so cool. This place really is Haunted by the way, I went to tour the Sanatorium myself last summer and I had a blast. I am a paranormal freak and this stuff is all I do on my time off. I love every minute of exploring new things and the Waverly Hills Sanatorium is by far the most haunted place I have ever been!
posted by Heather ChARLES on 6-16-2008 at 3:49 pm
I have spent the last 5 years looking for the most haunted places.from Amity Ville to Waverly.and evey thing inbetween.for my up comeing book.I look up records from the past and Waverly is the only one that freaked me out.if there is a real haunted house she would be it.
posted by cl malone on 11-5-2008 at 8:17 pm
i need to interview some one for a paper that i have due tomorrow about waverly hills hospital…i live in oregon and i know no one who has been there….i need to know bout waverly hospital with the 5 senes like it smells like this and taste like that
posted by Me on 11-20-2008 at 6:06 pm
I actually live less than 3 miles from this place. Currently the new owners are turning it into a haunted hotel, which has been met with a lot of flak from the local population. As far as the movie goes: do not watch it. It is a horrible horrible movie. The documentary mentioned that comes with the movie is actually better than the movie itself. But yeah it used to be during certain times of the year that people could stay overnight there and all that kind of stuff. Well I’m now ranting. Peace.
posted by CTucker on 5-11-2009 at 5:28 pm