That structure has become known as one of the most haunted locations on the planet. Please use Gate B at 4400 Paralee Drive off of Dixie Highway. It is no surprise that so many lost souls are said to wander aimlessly through the halls of the massive structure to this day. [5] Major Hays liked the peaceful-sounding name, so he named his property Waverley Hill. You have to make a reservation to view the property, building or visit. 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. American Hauntings explains that the legendary fifth floor of Waverly Hills was not at any point used to house or confine mentally ill patients. That's because he's currently locked in a legal battle. So, too, are they spotted on the grounds themselves, the stains of people long dead and forgotten. Death visited daily in those days. Charlie and Tina Mattingly own all of the property and the Waverly Hills Sanatorium. "Sanatorium Has Waiting List for Treatment, Effective In Early Stages". Opened in 1910 on land that once held a schoolhouse, the sanatorium was designed to deal with the rising . 86,245 were here. Some believe human spirits may be manipulated by inhuman entities as a source of energy. 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. That reputation is as one of the most haunted places in America, being featured on such ghost hunting shows as "Ghost Hunters," "Ghost Adventures," "Paranormal Lockdown," and "Buzzfeed Unsolved." I had an experience where it felt as if someone was holding my hand in one of the buildings. Finding nothing useful, the team tried to leave, but before they could, they heard footsteps. Private investigations are for private paranormal groups ONLY, not events. Hence, the tunnel was also known as the "Body Chute" or "Death Tunnel" by the locals and paranormal investigators visiting the sanatorium. For ghost stories, you must look somewhere else. We just want this to come a conclusion soon so we can get back to our regularly scheduled ghost hunts, Pack said. Described as dark shadows resembling humans but having no distinguishing features aside from their shape, shadow people are usually seen only out of the corner of ones eye. The 2 Hour Historical tour is a Sunday afternoon daytime tour. One legend stems from the experiences of the Louisville Ghost Hunters Society. The Waverly Hills Sanatorium is on the U.S. National Register of Historical Places. The new building opened on October 17, 1926, but after the introduction of streptomycin in 1943, the number of tuberculosis cases gradually lowered, until there was no longer need for such a large hospital. 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.". Some 2,000 people a year were dying of tuberculosis in Kentucky alone. HubPages is a registered trademark of The Arena Platform, Inc. Other product and company names shown may be trademarks of their respective owners. The original building only housed around 40 people, but by 1926 it had expanded to treat over 500. So while it's true that the most common treatments were exposure to sunlight, bed rest, healthy foods, and fresh air, the Waverly Hills Sanatorium Memorial records that several other methods were applied to patients, including surgical methods that were cutting edge for the time, but that might sound barbaric now. The doctors and workers of this time also believed that this would help to lower the disease's spreading rate.[14]. Just visited Waverly & let me tell you it is an experience to not miss. Joeys friend Chris got so scared he wanted to jump off the roof. They are reported all over the world. In the early 1900s, Louisville had one of the highest mortality rates from tuberculosis in the United . The historical society runs all of the attractions and say theyre in charge of preserving and restoring the buildings. Penhurst is very creepy in its own right. The city suffered one of the largest outbreaks in the country. As far as the lawsuit, this continues to play out in court, and the Waverly Hills Historical Society is hopeful for a conclusion soon. Please plan accordingly! Similar history. While it's nice to imagine Waverly's philosophy of making things as pleasant as possible for their patients suffering from tuberculosis worked, the fact is, there's a limit to how pleasant you can make life for someone who's constantly coughing up bloody mucus. However, the cost of the statue was estimated to be $4 million while the interior renovations turning the hospital into an arts and worship center would have been between $8 million and $10 million. But, beyond that lies a particularly-interesting 5-story structure on this unsuspecting hill. The first Waverly Hills Sanatorium building opened on July 26, 1910. The solution was a "body chute," or a tunnel that led from the hospital to nearby railroad tracks. With so much sorrow embedded in the location, it's no wonder some believe Waverly Hills not only harbors the souls of the living but demonic entities as well. Nestled on the top of a placid hill, the old Waverly Hills Sanatorium once tried to heal tuberculosis with peace and good vibes. This time those in charge are the one being spooked. Until we know what ghosts really are, the best we can do is speculate. Unsure of where to gather enough souls, Dean suggested this sanatorium. Deep under the hospital is the "Death Tunnel" which once were used to secretly remove the dead from the grounds. Waverly H. Business Owner. By 1961 Waverly Hills Sanatorium was renamed Woodhaven Geriatrics Hospital, though some say it was, in reality, an insane asylum. 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. It opened in 1910 as a two-story hospital to accommodate 40 to 50 tuberculosis patients. The two-hour paranormal tour is a guided tour that visits the most well-known areas of Waverly, including the morgue, room 502, and even the body chute. Waverly Hills Sanatorium is a beautiful example of early 20th century early Tudor Gothic Revival style architecture and a significant contributor to the Louisville, Ky community. Waverly Hills Sanatorium, a Louisville, Kentucky, tuberculosis sanatorium, was founded in 1911. THANK YOU! In 1962, the sanatorium reopened as Woodhaven Geriatric Center, a nursing home treating aging patients with varying stages of dementia and mobility issues. To clarify what was said in a WAVE report, the Waverly Hills Historical Society never initiated any eviction proceedings against the Mattinglys or kicked anyone out of their home. shea duane from new jersey on April 28, 2012: 2023 The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers on this website. Woodhaven operated in this capacity until 1982 when it was closed by the state. Were their minds playing tricks on them, or was it the miserable souls of dead tuberculosis patients? It was built on the first floor with the rest of the building. He looked a lot like me when I was 10. Great for those learning to investigate or without a group! The couple purchased the site for $230,000 in 2001 in hopes of restoring the sanatorium and turning it into a local tourist site. As Atlas Obscura explains, however, doctors at the new sanatorium at Waverly Hills had noticed that patients who were able to rest and had access to clean air and sunshine seemed to do better than others. In 1914 a children's pavilion added another 50 beds[11] making the known "capacity" around 130 patients. It is listed on the National Historic Register and faced the threat of being torn down. For example, heat lamps, fresh air, and positive talk and reassurance helped to keep patients alive, since the death rate of TB patients at the time was one death per day. October is the time of the year when thrill-chasers and horror-lovers can get their fill. At the beginning of the 20th century, a good portion of Jefferson County and Louisville had been infected with tuberculosis, a disease that affected the respiratory system. Shadow people are nothing new. They run approx. "The Waverly Hills Historical Society and Charlie Mattingly have reached an agreement to resolve all of . After your private investigation, you can opt to stay and sleep in the Waverly Hills Bunk House. Waverly Hills Sanatorium is known as one of the scariest places in the world and is said to be haunted by a chilling creature known as the Creeper. Waverly Hills Sanatorium je budova bval lebny pro tuberkulzn pacienty, lec nedaleko msta Louisville v americkm stt Kentucky.Msto je opedeno etnmi spekulacemi o vskytu paranormlnch jev, objevilo se v televiznch poadech Scariest Places on Earth a Ghost Hunters.. Na mst sanatoria stla od roku 1883 usedlost rodiny Haysovch, pojmenovan Waverly . Despite this, Room 502 seemed to invite sadness. As the official Waverly Hills site explains, the original sanatorium was a two-story frame building with a half-timber design, with an administration building and the open-air pavilions for the patients to be exposed to air and sun. The second phase would convert the old sanatorium into a chapel, theater, and a gift shop at a cost of $8 million or more. Some believe shadow people are evil entities, while others see them as manifestations of human spirits. Sometimes GPS guides you to the wrong location. Donations to the project totaled a mere $3,000, so giant tuberculosis Jesus was canceled. He has been doing this for over 10 years and has over 1,000,000 subscribers. Waverly Hills Sanatorium is an example of early 20th century early Tudor Gothic Revival style architecture. The community at Waverly Hills became essentially its own city, complete with its own ZIP code and post office. Most spirits behave at least reasonably similar to the way they would act in real life, but the Creeper seems to go beyond the norm. Duration: 1.5 to 2 hours Ticket price: $25 per person Waverly Hills Sanatorium is known as one of the most haunted places in America. There is so much activity. By the late 1930s, tuberculosis was the leading cause of death in Kentucky, and in fact, Kentucky led the nation in tuberculosis deaths, due to a lack of state funding, long-term treatment options, and more permanent facilities like Waverly. Thats because hes currently locked in a legal battle. This original building was meant to hold 40-50 patients at one time, roughly half male and half female. The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers to this website may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. It was a huge waste of $25.00 and my time. We are always working on the building and grounds when we dont have events, so the grounds are not accessible without a reservation. This time those in charge are the one being spooked. Thisresultedinpainful, ineffective, and often fatal surgeries. Waverly Hills Sanatorium (sometimes titled "Waverly Hills") is the fourth episode of Season 4 of Ghost Adventures. True Ghost Tales featured a story by Joey, a visitor to Waverly Hills Sanatorium. The tales about 4400 Paralee Lane in Louisville began back in 1883, when a Major Thomas H. Hays purchased it. While doctors preferred to only remove two or three ribs at a time, most patients required as many as eight removed for this technique to be effective, meaning they had to endure multiple painful surgeries. The boys entered the place and began hunting the souls down. Who can say? The property is currently owned by a couple who hold events each Halloween to raise money for restoration. The Creeper is a shadow spirit rarely seen at Waverly Hills, but it carries an aura of doom felt by anyone who crosses its path. These included perhaps most famously artificial pneumothorax, which involved blowing air into either the lung itself or the cavity between lungs in order to artificially collapse the diseased portion of the lung, allowing it to rest and (theoretically) allowing the lesions caused by the tuberculosis to heal. The Waverly Hills Sanatorium death tunnel in Kentucky has an interesting history, and you can read more about it in our previous article. These dark beings roam the halls of the main building and have been captured in photographs both inside and on the grounds outside. Woodhaven also had reports over patient neglect and was closed by the state of Kentucky in 1982. Waverly Hills Sanatorium is home to many ghosts, including the infamous Creeper. According to the stories, Timmy moves around the hospital, either playing with his own leather ball, or seeking something else to play with. 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. Waverly Hills is indeed haunted and even through I have never been there before, I believe that 'The Creeper' does exist. As a result, much of the treatment at Waverly Hills was based on what the medical field refers to as "good vibes" (which stands in fairly sharp contrast to the building's current reputation as a hotspot for the unquiet dead, but c'est la vie). To this end, Waverly Hills now primarily serves as a haunted attraction, with ghost tours and annual haunted house events. . The most widely accepted is that when people pass away under duress their energy remains long after they are gone. The Waverly Hills Historical Society runs tours by reservation only each year, March through August. Instead, this book sheds to seek light on one of the most deadly and contagious diseases of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. That depends on what a person is willing to believe, or possibly how much they are willing to open their minds. *Note that Waverly Hills is only open for visiting with a reservation*. There seemed to be no explanation for what they had witnessed. To get tickets, just select the date you wish to come, and the timeslot you will be able to arrive (to help us control the flow of people) 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. While the legal battle continues, Waverly Hills is still holding its usual tours. The Waverly Hills Sanatorium is a former sanatorium located in the Waverly Hills neighborhood of Louisville, Kentucky. The first tuberculosis sanatorium for blacks in the segregated South was the Piedmont Sanatorium in Burkeville, Virginia. Apart from transporting dead bodies out of the sanatorium, the tunnel also served as a temporary air raid shelter during World War II. Its residents were just as free to move about the floor as patients on any other floor. By October of 1926, the hospital had expanded to its current 400-hundred-bed capacity to accommodate a . This became known as the Death Tunnel, and it remains the location of many unexplained incidents. Shining a flashlight on real places around the world that are really haunted and really spooky. The question that we need to ask ourselves is: Why do they haunt Waverly Hills? Please read all rules & guidelines or call the reservation office Monday Friday 9am 5pm for more information. (By a ghost? The answers are none too comforting. As the official Waverly Hills site explains, the original sanatorium was a two-story frame building with a half-timber design, with an administration building and the open-air pavilions for the patients to be exposed to air and sun. It turns out they would need the space. You will get to visit many of the locations of the Paranormal Tour plus a few additional, and learn what life was like for patients and staff at Waverly, the construction and architecture, as well as have a great opportunity for daytime photos of the building. History In the 19th century, tuberculosis, the "white death," was one of the most dreaded diseases. Private Investigations are offered on Sunday through Thursday nights and afford a chance for unlimited investigation and free-roam of Waverly Hills with you and your group. The 180,000 square-foot facility provided treatment for over four hundred patients, each having access to their own telephone, radio, and solarium porch space. 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. 6. The Waverly Hills Sanatorium | Louisville KY While spooky stories like these cant truly be proven, there are plenty of people who will swear on their lives that theyre true. Evil humans can certainly become evil human spirits and cause enough trouble of their own. They're also currently restoring all the windows in the decrepit building while restoring the interior of the old sanatorium. Now imagine that respiratory illness is so contagious that it has been a worldwide pandemic for years, and humanity remains ill-equipped to fight it.This scenario was the reality for generations of people co-existing with tuberculosis. Sometimes spirits may interact with the living or otherwise show a sense of awareness of the world around them. When they visited Waverly Hills, they found the kitchen in shambles. Doctors also removed ribs and muscle tissue to alleviate pressure and create more room for damaged lungs. There are many explanations for supposed ghost sightings at any location, and without hard evidence, the unbelievers will never be persuaded.