The institution was reopened as WoodHaven Medical Services, a geriatrics hospital in 1962, but closed in 1980 under allegations of patient abuse. We wouldnt want you to end up in the hospital, or worse, jail. 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. Buildings were added to the institution in 1912, 1916, and 1926. The Mattinglys have established the Waverly Hills Historical Society in an effort to raise funds to help restore the interior of the old sanatorium. From Alabama to Wyoming, there are abandoned towns, amusement parks, and ruins lurking in your home state. Over the next several years, the main building as well as surrounding structures fell into a state of abandonment. At the same time they also reveal stark racial disparities in mortality rates and institutional treatment. In turn, he renamed his property Waverley Hill. Since there was no cure for tuberculosis in those days, anyone who caught this disease was brought to this hospital in a sense to be separated away from society. The Waverly Hills death tunnel actually was considered a sanctuary during an air raid and held enough space to fit everyone in the building safely. Was a May Day Attack by Pilgrims a Practice Run for a Massacre? 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. Cemeteries often become the center for ghost stories and spooky tales, and there are several haunted cemeteries in Kentucky youll want to check out if youre in the mood to do a little paranormal investigating. 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. I would like to live and watch over and take care of my poor Fatherless children. Individuals worried about their health as well as about their family responsibilities and livelihood. Mind you, we are not confirming nor denying that Waverly is haunted, but it has been featured on quite a few documentaries and television shows over the years. In the nineteenth century, tuberculosis killed as many as one in seven people in the United States. Every weekday we compile our most wondrous stories and deliver them straight to you. Key: Once you went to Waverly Hills, you became a permanent resident on the hill. Oddly enough, despite that fact, many patients received visits from loved ones on visiting day. Built in 1910 to combat tuberculosis, the 180,000 sqft, deeply haunted Waverly Hills Sanatorium has seen thousands of deaths and many ghosts. Tuberculosis was becoming an epidemic in Valley Station, Pleasure Ridge Park, and other parts of Jefferson County in Kentucky. The tunnel is supposed to be haunted by those who made their last journey through it. His plan was to turn the main hospital building into a minimum-security prison for state use. People who were afflicted with Tuberculosis were isolated from the general public and placed in an area where they could rest, stay calm, and have plenty of fresh air. 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. Some of the names were difficult if not impossible to read. The statue would have been based on the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, only 20 feet taller. (The myth was further spread by Tina Mattingly on an episode of. mentioned or used within Alberhaskys plan fell through, as only $3,000 was raised in a year. The Waverly Hills Death Tunnel. I love writing, art, sunshine, all animals and my incredibly patient husband, who tolerates my "crazy animal lady" side. During the TB years, this tunnel was also used to transport the dead, so they wouldn't be seen by other patients. The Waverly Hills Sanatorium was closed in 1961; it was first quarantined and then renovated. 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. Nineteenth-century correspondence and diaries in the Filsons manuscript collections document the understandings and experiences of ordinary people, primarily white Kentuckians, as they struggled with the disease. As no reason has been given for why she would have committed suicide, rumor is, she was actually pushed. Follow us on Twitter to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders. It was thought that doing so would close up the small holes that tuberculosis causes. Construction on the second hospital was underway in March 1924. Project MUSE promotes the creation and dissemination of essential humanities and social science resources through collaboration with libraries, publishers, and scholars worldwide. It was also a disease that could end in a painful death. This tunnel has likely seen more death than most modern hospitals. Laundry facilities, a maintenance garage, butchery, as well as several hundred acres of farm land were established on the Hill.. Waverly Hills Sanatorium has been a TB hospital, a nursing home, a failed religious monument, and now a paranormal investigation site. 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. Welcome to the Official Waverly Hills/ Woodhaven memorial & historical resource site. We hold major institutions accountable and expose wrongdoing. Are they real, or arent they, that is the question? 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. Unfortunately, the sanatorium's medical records (up to 1935) were destroyed during the Flood of 1937, and subsequent documentation was haphazardly discarded following the hospital's closing . It's believed that nearly 50,000. Some time before the property was purchased in 2001, a story circulated about a group of teenage boys who snuck into the sanatorium. KDR - Kentucky Death RecordsS - SubmittedNP - NewspaperO - Other20 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. This list includes only patients that died at the hospital. 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. resource site. He had a small schoolhouse built on Pages Lane and hired schoolteacher Lizzie Lee Harris to teach his three daughters. 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. There are a large number of people who enjoy the idea of believing and chasing ghosts and ghosts tales, and this fanbase is one that seems to grow byleaps and boundsevery single year. He hired a woman named Lizzie Lee Harris to teach at the school. Bodies were not dumped but rather carried down the tunnel to the bottom of the hill, where they could be collected by a hearse, as there was no cemetery at the hospital. & W.G.C. Research notes for Supernatural Season 2 Episode 4. We do not have access to records of any patients from Waverly Hills and we cannot accommodate any requests at this time. Sanatoriums were built on high hills surrounded by peaceful woods to create a serene atmosphere to help the patients recover. Over the following years the population of Waverly began to decrease until it closed in June 1961. This list does not included patient data from the geriatric center after inpatient tuberculosis treatment had stopped. Over the next two years of construction, a two-story wooden administration building as well as two connected open air pavilions on either side, each housing 20 male and female patients were built at a cost of $25,000. He went as far as using a bulldozer to undermine the foundation, but the building refused to collapse. Offer available only in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico). Our objective is the facts as we are a resource. Forged from a partnership between a university press and a library, Project MUSE is a trusted part of the academic and scholarly community it serves. BUT, according to Patti Starr in her book. var tlxLastPublishedDate = null; var now = new Date(); var edited = (tlxLastPublishedDate != null) ? A four-story stone and brick Tudor Gothic revival style building, once part of Waverly Hills Sanatorium, still stands in 2021 as a tourist site and as a testament to struggles with a deadly disease. Powered by www.tripod.com & The 1920 & 1930 census reports were all hand written. The TV show Ghost Hunters did a program on Waverly Hills in March of 2006. 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. Waverly Hills Sanatorium We now have a patient death index for patients that died at Waverly Hills starting in 1911. Search, watch, and cook every single Tasty recipe and video ever - all in one place! We do not have access to records of any patients from Waverly Hills and we cannot accommodate any requests at this time. However it wouldnt be until 1949 when Streptomycin would be available to the patients at Waverly Hills. Deep under the hospital is the "Death Tunnel" which once were used to secretly remove the dead from the grounds. 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. & W.G.C. Very little of this part of Waverly has fallen down, and the structure itself is still safe. mentioned or used within In 1926, the massive building seen today opened its doors to accommodate another 450 beds. Later it was leased to a private nursing firm and the name was changed to Woodhaven Geriatric Center. The video above is the movies trailer posted by YouTube Movies & Shows. To be honest, it is very much a B flick at best. This site ***Note:***The 1920 & 1930census reports were all hand written. Of course, Waverly Hills Sanatorium is one of the most popular abandoned places in Kentucky, but there are many abandoned places peppered around the state that would send a shiver up anyones spine like the Red Bridge on Devils Hollow Road near Frankfort. 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. A city in and of itself, complete with its own zip code. 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. 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. . A dedicated staff worked with thousands of TB patients, often contracting the disease themselves. Youtube user Dead Explorer perfectly captured what its like to walk through the tunnel in the video above. Without cookies your experience may not be seamless. It was two stories tall and had only enough space for 40 patients in early stages of TB. 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. With little knowledge of how to fight the illness, the creators of Waverly Hills based their treatment on quarantine, fresh air, and a positive attitude. Ms Harris had a fondness for author Walter Scotts Waverley novels, and she received Hays permission to name the schoolhouse the Waverley School. There are currently 10 different medications available in the US to treat tuberculosis. Kelli Patrick:Waverly Hills Sanatorium opened in around 1910 because of an outbreak of tuberculosis. From 1962 to 1981, the building served as a medical facility for geriatric patients: the Woodhaven Geriatrics Center. Consider supporting our work by becoming a member for as little as $5 a month. One story has it that in 1928, one of the nurses, Mary Hillenburg, hung herself in room 502. Records have been lost, but it is estimated that tens of thousands died at Waverly. The second purpose was to protect those who had to transport the dead to the pickup spot to be laid to rest. The best hidden gems and little known destinations - straight to your inbox. If you can correct us on anything we have posted, please do so. Photographs, text, illustrations and all other media not authored by KHI belong to their respective authors/owners/copyright holders and are used here for educational purposes only under Title 17 U.S. Code 107. Please note: We are not connected to The Waverly Hills Historical Society, Inc. Views, comments, posts, Like us on Facebook to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders. publications, etc do not reflect the views of The Waverly Hills Historical Society, Inc. I grew up running around barefoot on a farm in Kentucky. The first Waverly Hills Sanatorium building opened on July 26, 1910. It was the workers that would be detached to gather the bodies of the dead and either burn, bury, or transport them elsewhere. In this procedure, nitrogen is injected into the lungs, forcing them to collapse. Since any existing schools were a good distance away, Hays decided to establish a sone room school house for his children to attendand hired Ms. Lizzie Lee Harris as the teacher. In 1850, James Stewart wrote of a friend who suffered exquisite pain during almost nine months spent in bed. The Waverly Hills Sanatorium Body Chute in Louisville, Kentucky, is one of the most haunted places in the United States. Please click here to view the index. Important note:If you would like to use any information on this website (including text, bios, photos andany other information) we encourage you to contact us. can not be used in any means without written persmission from the owner of the media. & W.G.C. Nestled in the Ohio Valley, Louisville doesnt get a proper amount of fresh air flow. The sanitorium opened in the midst of a widespread epidemic 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. (E to H) Patients of W.H.S. Ain (01) Allier (03) Ardche (07) Cantal (15) Drme (26) 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 . 2023 Atlas Obscura. The building was designed to accommodate 40-50 tuberculosis patients safely. In 1961, Waverly Hills Sanatorium was closed because there was no longer a need for a tuberculosis facility. He hired a woman named Lizzie Lee Harris to teach at the school. Located just outside of Elizabethtown, Kasey Cemetery is so haunted, its known as the Gates of Hell. Estimates vary, and records have been destroyed, but there may have been as many as 64,000 deaths at Waverly Sanatorium. The search began for a proper location to constructed the much needed facility. On this grand tour, visitors can get the historical tales of the tunnel's actual purpose. 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. There are said to be several ghosts still haunting the echoing halls. Public health advocates managed the Free Tuberculosis Dispensary on West Chestnut Street, hired a corps of traveling nurses, sponsored educational campaigns, and supported anti-spitting laws. The structure served a lot of purposes throughout history, but the most significant one was when it was a sanatorium for tuberculosis patients from 1910 to 1961. All proceeds benefit the restoration project. The tunnel itself was originally 525 feet long and ran out to the bottom of the hill. The History Behind the Waverly Hills Sanatorium. Haunted tours helped raise money for the restoration project, which will eventually include a bed-and-breakfast. (The myth was further spread by Tina. nothing without you. In 1962, the building reopened as a nursing home that eventually became known as Woodhaven Medical Services, a geriatric facility. 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! The Child-Eating Bunyip Haunts Australias Wetlands. Construction of this Sanatorium began in March 1924 and opened for business on October 20, 1926. The reasons for doing this may have been to keep from spreading disease once the body was brought back into town, and/or to make the body lighter. Nestled on the top of a placid hill, the old Waverly Hills Sanatorium once tried to heal tuberculosis with peace and good vibes. Nothing that went down the death tunnel ever came back up. Before we go any further, its important to note that abandoned places can be extremely dangerous and many are off-limits to the public. 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). It is made with concrete all around, which makes this tunnel of nightmares a very sturdy structure. (A to D) Patients of W.H.S. During the late 1800s, roughly one in five deaths (20%) was attributed to tuberculosis. Visitation is only available during Historical Society events. Horror For an initiation stunt, five college women are locked in a Kentucky hospital built in 1910 where 63,000 people died from a disease known as the "white plague". Photographs, text, illustrations and all other media not authored by KHI belong to their respective authors/owners/copyright holders and are used here for educational purposes only under Title 17 U.S. Code 107. At the height of the tuberculosis epidemic, it is reported that one patient an hour died. Important note:If you would like to use any information on this website (including text, bios, photos andany other information) we encourage you to contact us. The owner (Tina) and a security guard say theyve seen lights turn on in this room while they were outside. The warm, wet weather in Kentucky near the Ohio River was a breeding place for bacteria, and insects often helped to spread disease. Tuberculosis, also known as consumption, or "the white plague" , had a. Another theory is that Mary got pregnant by one of the doctors, and when he tried to perform an abortion, she died, and the suicide was staged. In 2001, Charles and Tina Mattingly bought the property. The path towards the light connected to the main building via a railway system on the first floor of the original hospital. This website wouldbe Get more stories delivered right to your email. can not be used in any means without written persmission from the owner of the media. Upon death, he fell asleep as we hope in the arms of his savior.1. Hays later sold the land to the Board of Tuberculosis Hospital, and they built the sanatorium there, adopting the name, to house a rapidly increasing number of tuberculosis patients. No matter the good vibes the site espoused, it still ended up as place to scare people. but patients families still visited them on designated visitors days, lol. Please now use the Bobby Nichols Golf Course Gate entrance at 4400 Paralee Drive off of East Pages Lane. will be confirmed information either by photograph, news article, and/ or historical archive of some kind. This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Locals place their offerings on this nightmarish gnarled tree so the witches won't summon another storm. Today, it stands today as a monument in the fight against the dreaded disease. Fewer than 5% of patients initially survived. Several people have claimed shadowy figures have peered around corners at them. The empty building was purchased by a number of buyers in the following years, but nothing ever saw fruition. Tuberculosis became a major concern in Kentucky around the turn of the 20th century. Waverly has been a tuberculosis hospital, mental hospital, and geriatric center, all of which had the dead transported via the death tunnel so as to not carry off the dead in front of the patients. Waverly Hills Sanatorium in Louisville, Kentucky opened in 1910 to treat tuberculosis patients. 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. The project was canceled in December 1997. The current owners of the Waverly Hills Sanatorium use the derelict space as a haunted attraction, staging horror houses in the fall and running ghost tours the rest of the year. for all the names listed and to be listed. A new sanatorium opened on October 17, 1926 that could accommodate 400-500 patients. This list is organized by date of death and not by name. Surgical intervention, including removal of ribs and/or parts of the lungs, was reserved for patients close to death. Copyright 2003, 2004 . Land was donated and $11 million was used to started construction on the new hospital in 1924. Love Kentucky? In 2014, the most recent year for which the CDC reports a mortality figure, 493 people died of TB. In later years, the property was repeatedly vandalized, and landowners didnt seem to care much about upkeep on the building -- which was nearly condemned. WoodHaven Medical was closed by the state in 1981. Woodhaven was closed by the state of Kentucky in 1982 after a Grand Jury inspection found several patient abuse, and the degrading state of the facilities. **Research compiled for Ryan & Shane on January 27, 2017 by Micki Taylor. Contributed by Phil Tkacz, Shawn Logan, Jay Gravatte, & Hope Bryant | contact@kyhi.org. The numbers are hard to believe, however. US residents can opt out of "sales" of personal data. It was considered very state-of-the-art for its day. If youre in the Louisville area, Cave Hill Cemetery is another haunted hotspot where many visitors report hearing disembodied voices including laughter and screaming as well as unexplained orbs of light that appear to dance over certain graves. It was not known at the time that Tuberculosis was an airborne disease. It is part of the. A homeless man and his dog supposedly fell down the elevator shaft when the building was vacant, and some have seen the. This is the building that still stands to this day. 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 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. Its also believed that patients whose infection spread to the brain, rendering them insane, were sent to the 5th floor. an impact on Louisville's history. 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. 2023 Waverly Hills Historical Society | All Rights Reserved. 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). Everyone at Waverly patients, nurses, doctors, and other employees had to say goodbye to everything they knew on the outside world. Some have reported seeing shapes near the window in room 502 and even a voice saying, Get out.. It has a somewhat mysterious and sinister past. As it happens, one of his daughters needed to attend school, so he built a facility that would come to be called "Waverly School" by a teacher named Lizzie Lee Harris. However, after massive protest from the surrounding area, the plan was dropped. Many of these materials are courtesy of other sources and the original copyright holders retain all applicable rights under the law. Some have called this long concrete structure the Death Shute over the years. - 1920 Census Report30 - 1930 Census Report Letter-writers described the symptoms of consumption, such as drenching night sweats, constant coughing, lack of appetite, weakness, and swollen extremities. 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. They would not be subjected to seeing dead patients taken away for burial/burning. Some have called this long concrete structure the Death Shute over the years. Robert Alberhasky bought the property in 1996 with plans to to erect the world's tallest statue of Jesus and a religious center. Originally, Waverly Hills Sanatorium was a two-story frame building with a hipped roof and half-timbering. 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. The Waverly Hills Sanatorium is a former sanatorium located in the Waverly Hills neighborhood of Louisville, Kentucky.. Since then, it has become a popular destination for paranormal investigators. The Midwestern United States' tribute to Michelangelo is a foam statue sprayed with gaudy gold paint. Even taking into account the extra 19 years that the geriatric hospital was in operation, more than 2 people would have had to die on-premises on average every day for 70 years. After Alberhaskys efforts failed, Waverly Hills was sold to Tina and Charlie Mattingly in 2001. 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. Its believed that, at one point, he hospital was tending to as many as 140 patients. The Haunted Hospital Where 63,000 People Died: Waverly Hills Sanatorium, myoldkentuckyroadtrip.files.wordpress.com, From Turkey to Hollywood: The Most Successful Turkish Actors and Actresses, Paradise Found: The Most Beautiful Coastal Towns to Visit in Turkey, Uncovering the Hidden Gems of Turkish Architecture and Design, The Funniest Films in Turkish Cinema You Can't Miss, Cansu Dere: The Talented Actress and Humanitarian Making a Difference in Turkey, The Many Talents of Beren Gkyldz: A Look at the Young Actress Taking Turkey by Storm, Beren Saat: The Journey of a Turkish Actress, The Best Turkish Romantic Movies and Series to Watch Right Now, Furkan And: From Professional Athlete to Rising Star in Turkish Entertainment, Dilan iek Deniz: From Miss Turkey to Leading Lady, Turkish Mythology: The Legends that Reflect the Hearts of People, A Look at Shante Broadus, Snoop Doggs Wife: Age, Bio & More. Waverly Hills was later reportedly given $11 million dollars with which to build a new, larger hospital. The hospital, known as Waverly Hills, was opened in 1926 and was considered to be the most advanced tuberculosis hospital in the country. According to the Waverly Hills Historical Society, guided tours and overnight stays are booked up for the rest of this year. Because Tuberculosis was so extremely contagious and at epidemic proportions, those living with it could not be allowed to live and exist among the general population. In 1926, they finished the building to what it is today. For more haunted adventures, check out these haunted tunnels in Kentucky. After World War II, the need for a TB sanatorium waned until the hospital closed in 1961. Today, it stands today as a monument in the fight against the . 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.
Nashville Predators Practice Schedule, Badass Welsh Names, Articles W