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. It is said that 63,000 people died at Waverly Hills over the years, but that is just what records . Trellix. From Alabama to Wyoming, there are abandoned towns, amusement parks, and ruins lurking in your home state. 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. There is an underground tunnel from the sanatorium to the bottom of the hill. 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. - 1920 Census Report30 - 1930 Census Report Neither story is documented, but neither is completely discounted. . 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. These include nineteenth-century correspondence, diaries, and medical publications in which Kentuckians wrote of debilitating symptoms and possible treatments. Nestled in the Ohio Valley, Louisville doesnt get a proper amount of fresh air flow. 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 Mattinglys have established the Waverly Hills Historical Society in an effort to raise funds to help restore the interior of the old sanatorium. Director Philip Adrian Booth Writers Christopher Saint Booth 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. They screamed and banged on the door until two security guards came to their rescue -- and found that the door gave way easily for them. Thank you! To this effect the original facility consisted of two open-air pavilions which housed 40 victims of the disease. This list does not included patient data from the geriatric center after inpatient tuberculosis treatment had stopped. The Board decided to keep the name Waverly, as it had a peaceful sound to it. & W.G.C. Project MUSE promotes the creation and dissemination of essential humanities and social science resources through collaboration with libraries, publishers, and scholars worldwide. The tunnel is supposed to be haunted by those who made their last journey through it. They were buried by passing through the death tunnel. but patients families still visited them on designated visitors days, lol. We do not have access to records of any patients from Waverly Hills and we cannot accommodate any requests at this time. The second purpose was to protect those who had to transport the dead to the pickup spot to be laid to rest. This company operated the nursing home facility until 1982 when it was closed by the state for violations and the mistreatment of patients. This former tuberculosis treatment facility now stands at the center of a public park. Land was donated and $11 million was used to started construction on the new hospital in 1924. All rights reserved. Charlie claims John told him he was one of the people who found the nurse and confirmed that there had been a lot of blood and a baby -- and that because it was so taboo at the time, the death wouldnt have been recorded. Tuberculosis and Waverly Hills Sanatorium in the Filsons Collections, The Filson Historical Society and Cincinnati Museum Center. The same problems persisted, as well as suicides of the patients. These records shed light on public services that often reached across lines of class and race. 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. However it wouldnt be until 1949 when Streptomycin would be available to the patients at Waverly Hills. A chute was built to aid in disposing dead bodies in such a way that the sick did not have to see them leaving. Youtube user Dead Explorer perfectly captured what its like to walk through the tunnel in the video above. Some time before the property was purchased in 2001, a story circulated about a group of teenage boys who snuck into the sanatorium. For the past few years, this crumbling tunnel has been featured during the Halloween season. 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. What makes this tunnel in Kentucky stand out from the others? Even with many new procedures available, it was impossible to save everyone. 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. Four years later, in 1932, some say another nurse jumped to her death from the 5th floor patio near Room 502. resource site. In turn, he renamed his property Waverley Hill. will currently be the memorial for the tuberculosis & geriatric hospitals. Waverly Hills Sanatorium in Louisville, Kentucky opened in 1910 to treat tuberculosis patients. 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. Tina and Charlie Mattingly bought the property in 2001 with the aim of completely restoring it. Alberhaskys intentions were to construct the worlds tallest statue ofJesuson the site, along with an arts and worship center. Waverly Hills Sanatorium once housed hundreds, perhaps thousands of tuberculosis patients during a major, years-long outbreak in Jefferson County, Kentucky the building that still stands today is said to be haunted by those who died there. This list is organized by date of death and not by name. Please click here to view the index. From 1962 to 1981, the building served as a medical facility for geriatric patients: the Woodhaven Geriatrics Center. The tunnel was the subject of the 2005 movie The Death Tunnel. Every weekday we compile our most wondrous stories and deliver them straight to you. I am somewhat a cliche'. (Please get in the death tunnel.). It was thought that doing so would close up the small holes that tuberculosis causes. 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! The Waverly Hills Sanatorium death tunnel in Kentucky has an interesting history, and you can read more about it in our previous article. **Research compiled for Ryan & Shane on January 27, 2017 by Micki Taylor. The tunnel itself was originally 525 feet long and ran out to the bottom of the hill. Official Waverly Hills Sanatorium/ Woodhaven Geriatric Center Memorial & Historical Resource. 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 list includes only patients that died at the hospital. & W.G.C. 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. Then, the tuberculosis epidemic began to spread in Jefferson County, and the hospital could not keep up. A childrens pavilion was also built to house not only young victims of the disease, but also children whose parents were too ill to care for them. Every state in the country has its fair share of haunted locations, and Kentucky is no different. Originally, Waverly Hills Sanatorium was a two-story frame building with a hipped roof and half-timbering. 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. Edward A. Arthur Waverly Hills photograph collection, 019PC9, Filson Historical Society. Construction of this Sanatorium began in March 1924 and opened for business on October 20, 1926. Deep under the hospital is the "Death Tunnel" which once were used to secretly remove the dead from the grounds. 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. Meet MasterChef Gordon Ramsays Children - Who are They? The new Sanatarium was officially opened July 26, 1910. In the nineteenth century, tuberculosis killed as many as one in seven people in the United States. A childrens pavilion was built in 1916 that housed 40 children and included a schoolroom. The TV show Ghost Hunters did a program on Waverly Hills in March of 2006. In crowded cities in the 19th century, anywhere from 70 to 90% of the population may have been infected with the bacteria, which could lie dormant for any amount of time. The Waverly Hills Death Tunnel. It was considered very state-of-the-art for its day. KEY: S - Submitted NP - Newspaper Article KDR - Kentucky Death Records TB - Waverly Hills Sanatorium G - Woodhaven Geriatrics Center 20 - 1920 Census Report This calm grassy field was once a Superfund site full of thousands of nasty chemicals. 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. We do not own all of the materials on this website/blog. Our objective is to provide a resource and a memorial for all the building and the people whose lives made Records have been lost, but it is estimated that tens of thousands died at Waverly. ome improvement began to present itself in those who spent a restful retreat in the mountains. Today, it stands today as a monument in the fight against the dreaded disease. During its time as a hospital, Waverly Hills would sadly see many deaths. In fact, it has been called one of the most haunted places in the world Room 502 (Real location, unsubstantiated myths). Sincerely, Waverly The only building in Louisville (hopefully) that contains two ancient holy skeletons. Estimates vary, and records have been destroyed, but there may have been as many as 64,000 deaths at Waverly Sanatorium. 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. Symptoms of tuberculosis include: a lasting cough, chest pains, fever, loss of appetite / weight loss, hills, sweating, and coughing up blood. In 2014, the most recent year for which the CDC reports a mortality figure, 493 people died of TB. Once a state-of-the-art tuberculosis treatment spa, these ruins are now ruled by paintball players. If the number is true, the cost would equate to roughly. It wasnt until 1882 that Robert Koch published a paper identifying this bacillus for the first time. 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. The land that the Waverly Hills Sanatorium sits on was purchased by a wealthy military man, Major Thomas H. Hays, in 1883. Waverly Hills Sanatorium has been a TB hospital, a nursing home, a failed religious monument, and now a paranormal investigation site. He hired a woman named Lizzie Lee Harris to teach at the school. At the time, Tuberculosis was a very serious disease. All information contained in this website Obsessed with travel? Letter-writers described the symptoms of consumption, such as drenching night sweats, constant coughing, lack of appetite, weakness, and swollen extremities. Reporting on what you care about. Haunted tours helped raise money for the restoration project, which will eventually include a bed-and-breakfast. 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. There have been reported ghost sightings in Room 502 at the sanatorium, particularly the ghost of a nurse in uniform. The two TB sanatoriums were open for a total of 51 years, which means that 3 to 4 people would have died every single day. Laundry facilities, a maintenance garage, butchery, as well as several hundred acres of farm land were established on the Hill.. Treatment for tuberculosis, an infectious bacterial disease . Other accounts tell of ghostly appearances by a little girl named Mary and a little boy named Bobby in other areas of the hospital. 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. This road trip takes you to some of the most haunted places in Kentucky, including notorious paranormal hotspots like Mammoth Cave, the Jailers Inn, Maple Hill Manor Bed and Breakfast, and what might just be the most haunted place in the country: Bobby Mackeys Music World.. In 2001, Charles and Tina Mattingly bought the property. nothing without you. This list is organized by date of death and not by name. Self care and ideas to help you live a healthier, happier life. Many people claimed that the souls of the people who died in the hospital were still wandering in the corridors. To be honest, it is very much a B flick at best. The hospital, known as Waverly Hills, was opened in 1926 and was considered to be the most advanced tuberculosis hospital in the country. 2023 Project MUSE. 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. Tuberculosis, also known as consumption, or "the white plague", had a high mortality rate before streptomycin was introduced as a treatment in 1943. Several people have claimed shadowy figures have peered around corners at them. He went as far as using a bulldozer to undermine the foundation, but the building refused to collapse. Waverly Hills Sanatorium We now have a patient death index for patients that died at Waverly Hills starting in 1911. This site 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. If left untreated, the bacteria would begin to eat away at the lungs and could spread throughout the body -- consuming it. The Child-Eating Bunyip Haunts Australias Wetlands. A new wing was built that year to accommodate those patients in advanced stages. In Stewarts autobiography, he recalls that the highest number of deaths in any year that he worked at the sanatorium was 153, and that most of the worst years followed World War II, when soldiers returned, infected, from overseas. A dedicated staff worked with thousands of TB patients, often contracting the disease themselves. We do not have access to records of any patients from Waverly Hills and we cannot accommodate any requests at this time. Good news: When you visit WHS, you can get in the death tunnel. Even with the building of additional pavilions, space for patients was consistently at a minimal. 2025. If you get lost the address to the Golf Course is 4301 East Pages Lane, Louisville, KY 40272. It was two stories tall and had only enough space for 40 patients in early stages of TB. 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. Key: Romania: Castles, Ruins, and Medieval Villages, Iceland in Summer: Journey Through a Fabled Land, Monster of the Month w/ Colin Dickey: Mokele-Mbembe, Accidental Discoveries: A Celebration of Historical Mistakes, Antiques and Their Afterlives: Stories from the Collection of Ryan and Regina Cohn, Monster of the Month w/ Colin Dickey: Satanists, Once Upon a Time: Fairy Tale Writing With Anca Szilgyi, Gourds Gone Wild: Growing and Crafting Gourds With Gourdlandia, Playing Ancient Games: History & Mythology With John Bucher, Secrets of Tarot Reading: History & Practice With T. Susan Chang, Why 18th-Century Scots Performed Mock Human Sacrifices Over Cake. This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. It has been estimated that the death tunnel actually saw more dead people than most modern hospitals do in its first three years. Produced by Johns Hopkins University Press in collaboration with The Sheridan Libraries. Please note: We are not connected to The Waverly Hills Historical Society, Inc. Views, comments, posts, Sanatoriums were built on high hills surrounded by peaceful woods to create a serene atmosphere to help the patients recover. 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 Waverly Hills Historical Society continue to work tirelessly and devote their lives to restoring the historic gem that is Waverly Hills to its once amazing splendor! Get more stories delivered right to your email. The city suffered one of the largest outbreaks in the country. The tunnels main purpose was to protect the morale of other patients. 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. The first antibiotic used to treat tuberculosis was called streptomycin, and it was discovered by American biologists in 1943. 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. The massive structure looms large in the history of tuberculosis in Louisville, but it was not the only means of combating the citys high rates of the disease. Please click here to view the index. During the World War, the U.S. found the tunnel to be safe in the case of an attack. Waverly Hills was a self-contained community. The Halloween season draws much larger crowds and lots of fright enthusiasts. The 400-bed hospital that opened in 1926 at Waverly Hills Sanatorium. Our objective is the facts as we are a resource. Located just outside of Elizabethtown, Kasey Cemetery is so haunted, its known as the Gates of Hell. Some have called this long concrete structure the Death Shute over the years. Patients in every condition were accepted including those in early stages to those in the final stages. Before we go any further, its important to note that abandoned places can be extremely dangerous and many are off-limits to the public. This tunnel has likely seen more death than most modern hospitals. During the Halloween season, Waverly Hills turns itself into a thrilling Haunted House. Here are 9 things that make the death tunnel in Kentucky unique: The patients that passed on at Waverly were left at the end of the tunnel. This is an active project so check back often for updates. In 1962, the building reopened as a nursing home that eventually became known as Woodhaven Medical Services, a geriatric facility. It was not known at the time that Tuberculosis was an airborne disease. can not be used in any means without written persmission from the owner of the media. KDR - Kentucky Death RecordsS - SubmittedNP - NewspaperO - Other20 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. The hospital was deteriorating badly when they took possession. Are they real, or arent they, that is the question? The SciFi Channel series returned to Kentucky and did a live broadcast on Halloween night. This new treatment meant that newer cases could now be treated as outpatients in a regular hospital. Consumption was the most common name for pulmonary tuberculosis, the form of the disease that affected the lungs and, per its name, seemed to consume the body as it progressed in stages over many years. 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. Discover unique things to do, places to eat, and sights to see in the best destinations around the world with Bring Me! . Everyone at Waverly patients, nurses, doctors, and other employees had to say goodbye to everything they knew on the outside world. He hired a woman named Lizzie Lee Harris to teach at the school. Can I visit any abandoned places in Kentucky? 2023 Waverly Hills Historical Society | All Rights Reserved. Vital Statistics Original Death Certificates Microfilm (1911-1964). If you can correct us on anything we have posted, please do so. Buildings were added to the institution in 1912, 1916, and 1926. 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. this website are the property of their respective owners or Waverly Hills Memorial & Historical Research Groupand Nothing that went down the death tunnel ever came back up. 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. Ain (01) Allier (03) Ardche (07) Cantal (15) Drme (26) 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. Like us on Facebook to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders. Waverly Hills Memorial A documentary named Spooked was also made during the filming of The Death Tunnel. If you can correct us on anything we have posted, please do so. All proceeds benefit the restoration project. When the visit was over, the visitors left Waverly and ventured back out into the community. Contributed by Phil Tkacz, Shawn Logan, Jay Gravatte, & Hope Bryant | contact@kyhi.org. Nestled on the top of a placid hill, the old Waverly Hills Sanatorium once tried to heal tuberculosis with peace and good vibes. In 1926, the massive building seen today opened its doors to accommodate another 450 beds. At the beginning of the 20th century Louisville Kentucky had the one of highest rate of tuberculosis deaths in the United States. As no reason has been given for why she would have committed suicide, rumor is, she was actually pushed. Tuberculosis was becoming an epidemic in Valley Station, Pleasure Ridge Park, and other parts of Jefferson County in Kentucky. 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 . Official Waverly Hills Sanatorium/ Woodhaven Geriatric Center Memorial & Historical Resource, Dear Reader / Researcher, Welcome to the Official Waverly Hills/ Woodhaven memorial & historical 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. 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. (Note the slightly different spelling of Waverley here. (E to H) Patients of W.H.S. Its also believed that patients whose infection spread to the brain, rendering them insane, were sent to the 5th floor. A total of 63,000 people lost their lives up until 1961, the year when the hospital was closed. No, it is actually a long tunnel with flooring. The search began for a proper location to constructed the much needed facility. 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. 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. (The myth was further spread by Tina Mattingly on an episode of. 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 second phase was to convert the old sanatorium into a chapel, theater, and agift shopat a cost of $8 million or more. There are currently 10 different medications available in the US to treat tuberculosis. The dead were left at the end of the tunnel. The following index contains recorded patient deaths at Waverly Hills between 1911-1960. Today, it stands today as a monument in the fight against the . Louisville's Waverly Hills Sanatorium has been called "the most terrifying building in America," with an infamous history that draws paranormal thrill-seekers from all over the world.Lately, the . 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