It opened in 1910 as a two-story hospital to accommodate 40 to 50 tuberculosis patients. Patients of Waverly Hills Sanatorium / Woodhaven Geriatric Center - Tripod In this procedure, nitrogen is injected into the lungs, forcing them to collapse. 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. More than half of those diagnosed with TB would die in three to five years. While no records exist to report an accurate death count that occurred within the building, it is . The warm, wet weather in Kentucky near the Ohio River was a breeding place for bacteria, and insects often helped to spread disease. In 1961, the hospital finally closed its doors. It opened as a 40 room hospital and they found that they needed to add on very quickly. See. This building would stand at the forefront of America's fight against the deadly disease, Tuberculosis. After World War II, the need for a TB sanatorium waned until the hospital closed in 1961. Records have been lost, but it is estimated that tens of thousands died at Waverly. It is said that 63,000 people died at Waverly Hills over the years, but that is just what records . Waverly Hills was later reportedly given $11 million dollars with which to build a new, larger hospital. In March 1996, Robert Alberhasky bought Waverly Hills. In 1912, patients in advanced stages of infection were moved from from the City Hospital to Waverly Hills Sanatorium. Its also believed that patients whose infection spread to the brain, rendering them insane, were sent to the 5th floor. Treatment for tuberculosis, an infectious bacterial disease . Pour se dbarasser de votre ancien vhicule, voici la liste et les adresses du centres VHU agrs en rgion Auvergne-Rhne-Alpes. 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. 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. Offer subject to change without notice. Are they real, or arent they, that is the question? After Alberhaskys efforts failed, Waverly Hills was sold to Tina and Charlie Mattingly in 2001. The legend of Louisville's haunted hospital: Waverly Hills Sanatorium All proceeds benefit the restoration project. WHS: Patient Death Index - Kentucky Historic Institutions shared photos and the stories of their family members who were patients and staff members of Waverly Hills. This list is organized by date of death and not by name. Powered by www.tripod.com & Copyright 2003, 2004 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. Some have called this long concrete structure the Death Shute over the years. The empty building was purchased by a number of buyers in the following years, but nothing ever saw fruition. A new wing was built that year to accommodate those patients in advanced stages. 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 tunnel itself was originally 525 feet long and ran out to the bottom of the hill. Nothing that went down the death tunnel ever came back up. 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. It was thought that doing so would close up the small holes that tuberculosis causes. If you can correct us on anything we have posted, please do so. Neither story is documented, but neither is completely discounted. Search, watch, and cook every single Tasty recipe and video ever - all in one place! Estimates vary, and records have been destroyed, but there may have been as many as 64,000 deaths at Waverly Sanatorium. These records shed light on public services that often reached across lines of class and race. The SciFi Channel series returned to Kentucky and did a live broadcast on Halloween night. 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. The tunnel was the subject of the 2005 movie The Death Tunnel. The first antibiotic used to treat tuberculosis was called streptomycin, and it was discovered by American biologists in 1943. Our objective is the facts as we are a resource. To be honest, it is very much a B flick at best. Consider supporting our work by becoming a member for as little as $5 a month. 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. This calm grassy field was once a Superfund site full of thousands of nasty chemicals. Due to the rapid increase of Tuberculosis cases, the original hospital was soon to capacity. Waverly Hills Memorial resource site. It was two stories tall and had only enough space for 40 patients in early stages of TB. The sanatorium was established in the early 20th century to help deal with an outbreak of the then-incurable disease tuberculosis. 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. There is an underground tunnel from the sanatorium to the bottom of the hill. Deep under the hospital is the "Death Tunnel" which once were used to secretly remove the dead from the grounds. Letter-writers described the symptoms of consumption, such as drenching night sweats, constant coughing, lack of appetite, weakness, and swollen extremities. Originally a heating duct, this tunnel was also used by the staff to climb the hill in bad weather. Once a state-of-the-art tuberculosis treatment spa, these ruins are now ruled by paintball players. BUT, according to Patti Starr in her book. The 400-bed hospital that opened in 1926 at Waverly Hills Sanatorium. The enormous and haunted Waverly Hills Sanatorium by night. It was considered very state-of-the-art for its day. At the height of the tuberculosis epidemic, it is reported that one patient an hour died. Haunted tours helped raise money for the restoration project, which will eventually include a bed-and-breakfast. All information contained in this website mentioned or used within 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. Room 502 has a reputation due to the two suicides that supposedly occurred there. 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). 2023 Project MUSE. US residents can opt out of "sales" of personal data. EVIL in the DEATH TUNNEL || Waverly Hills Sanatorium - YouTube More Waverly Hills haunted history, after the jump. Waverly Hills Sanatorium has been a TB hospital, a nursing home, a failed religious monument, and now a paranormal investigation site. If the number is true, the cost would equate to roughly. But in 2001, Waverly Hills Sanatorium was purchased and since then, there have been many changes and improvements to the building and surrounding property. Laundry facilities, a maintenance garage, butchery, as well as several hundred acres of farm land were established on the Hill.. Official Waverly Hills Sanatorium/ Woodhaven Geriatric Center Memorial & Historical Resource, Dear Reader / Researcher, Welcome to the Official Waverly Hills/ Woodhaven memorial & historical Originally, Waverly Hills Sanatorium was a two-story frame building with a hipped roof and half-timbering. Since then, theyve worked with the Waverly Hills preservation society to restore the building. The city suffered one of the largest outbreaks in the country. The land that the Waverly Hills Sanatorium sits on was purchased by a wealthy military man, Major Thomas H. Hays, in 1883. 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 . Inside The Haunted Halls Of Waverly Hills Sanatorium - Travel Channel Meet MasterChef Gordon Ramsays Children - Who are They? Welcome to the Official Waverly Hills/ Woodhaven memorial & historical resource site. 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. Ms Harris had a fondness for author Walter Scotts Waverley novels, and she received Hays permission to name the schoolhouse the Waverley School. In 1849, Ann Beatty wrote to her mother about her attacks of spitting bloodone of the most dreaded symptomsand expressed her fear of developing the disease: Pa says that if I am not very careful he thinks I will have consumption. Out of room, the hospital had to house these patients on the grounds, under tents. They were buried by passing through the death tunnel. Locals place their offerings on this nightmarish gnarled tree so the witches won't summon another storm. Hauntings of Waverly Hills Sanatorium - Amy's Crypt The video above is the movies trailer posted by YouTube Movies & Shows. In the film, five college girls fulfill an initiation rite by spending the night in the haunted institution. What makes this tunnel in Kentucky stand out from the others? 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. & Historical Research GroupAll files, pictures, video, E.V.P., articles, trademarks; etc. Construction of this Sanatorium began in March 1924 and opened for business on October 20, 1926. The Haunted Hospital | Mental Floss The hospital, known as Waverly Hills, was opened in 1926 and was considered to be the most advanced tuberculosis hospital in the country. Contributed by Phil Tkacz, Shawn Logan, Jay Gravatte, & Hope Bryant | contact@kyhi.org. This is an active project so check back often for updates. The Haunted Hospital Where 63,000 People Died: Waverly Hills Sanatorium History 2715 North Charles StreetBaltimore, Maryland, USA 21218. However, after massive protest from the surrounding area, the plan was dropped. Alberhaskys plan fell through, as only $3,000 was raised in a year. At the beginning of the 20th century Louisville Kentucky had the one of highest rate of tuberculosis deaths in the United States. Waverly Hills was a self-contained community. Death Tunnel (2005) - IMDb Built in 1910 to combat tuberculosis, the 180,000 sqft, deeply haunted Waverly Hills Sanatorium has seen thousands of deaths and many ghosts. Plans to turn Waverly Hills Sanatorium into a hotel, restaurant, and convention center are moving forward after the Louisville Metro Council approved a zoning change request by the owner on Feb. 27. These include nineteenth-century correspondence, diaries, and medical publications in which Kentuckians wrote of debilitating symptoms and possible treatments. That is, 63,000 people seeking treatment at the Waverly Hills hospital were left to die, they were forced to commit suicide or they lost their minds. Please note: We are not connected to The Waverly Hills Historical Society, Inc. Views, comments, posts, 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. No, it is actually a long tunnel with flooring. 9 Reasons The Waverly Hills Death Tunnel In Kentucky Is Unique 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. 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. It was closed down and quarantined, then renovated. 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. (The myth was further spread by Tina. 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. Like Atlas Obscura and get our latest and greatest stories in your Facebook feed. Offer available only in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico). The LGHS "Waverly Hills Sanatorium" Investigation Its said that the state shut it down due to reports of improper care and physical abuse of the elderly patients there. A city in and of itself, complete with its own zip code. Every state in the country has its fair share of haunted locations, and Kentucky is no different. 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. & Historical Research GroupAll files, pictures, video, E.V.P., articles, trademarks; etc. Spooked: The Ghosts of Waverly Hillsis a horror film about events that took place in thehospital. This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Surgical intervention, including removal of ribs and/or parts of the lungs, was reserved for patients close to death. 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.