The tunnel is supposed to be haunted by those who made their last journey through it. The Waverly Hills Death Tunnel. The 1920 & 1930 census reports were all hand written. Tuberculosis, also known as consumption, or "the white plague", had a high mortality rate before streptomycin was introduced as a treatment in 1943. In 1883, Major Thomas Hercules Hays, who had served in the Confederate army during the Civil War and fought at the. 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 first Waverly Hills Sanatorium building opened on July 26, 1910. In 1926, the massive building seen today opened its doors to accommodate another 450 beds. They had noticed that some improvement began to present itself in those who spent a restful retreat in the mountains. will currently be the memorial for the tuberculosis & geriatric hospitals. All proceeds benefit the restoration project. Today, the building is spooky enough to give anyone chills. Alberhaskys plan fell through, as only $3,000 was raised in a year. Microfilm rolls #7016130-7041803. 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. This video by Youtube user JustAVideoPage shows a hauntingly beautiful collage of many faces that may have eventually traveled down the death tunnel. The tunnel itself was originally 525 feet long and ran out to the bottom of the hill. An event referred to as the Lbeck disaster, in which a contaminated vaccine ended up killing 72 children in Germany, curtailed the popularity of the BCG vaccine for several years -- even though the vaccine itself was exonerated. This is an active project so check back often for updates. In this procedure, nitrogen is injected into the lungs, forcing them to collapse. If the number is true, the cost would equate to roughly. Many people claimed that the souls of the people who died in the hospital were still wandering in the corridors. In 1873, Agatha Logan Marshall wrote matter-of-factly to her brother-in-law Thomas W. Bullitt about her recent diagnosis of consumption and her concerns about her future well-being and economic security: Dr Bush made an examination of my lungs and told me they were very seriously involveda fact I have known all alongof course I am in no immediate danger for consumption is a lingering disease but I have no hope or expectation of ever being well again and I am very anxious if possible to have my little prosperity so it will yield me an income. Marshall aptly characterized consumption as a lingering disease, one in which symptoms could come and go and progress slowly over years. The facility served as a tuberculosis hospital until 1961 when the discovery of an antibiotic that successfully treated and cured TB rendered the facility obsolete. It's a place where the smell of death is hidden, and where the painful screams are still in the air. If left untreated, the bacteria would begin to eat away at the lungs and could spread throughout the body -- consuming it. (The myth was further spread by Tina. The numbers are hard to believe, however. It was also a disease that could end in a painful death. I grew up running around barefoot on a farm in Kentucky. nothing without you. It opened as a 40 room hospital and they found that they needed to add on very quickly. 2023 Atlas Obscura. The area known today as Waverly Hill was purchased by Major Thomas H. Hays in 1883 as the Hays family home. All information contained in this website The land that the Waverly Hills Sanatorium sits on was purchased by a wealthy military man, Major Thomas H. Hays, in 1883. It opened in 1910 as a two-story hospital to accommodate 40 to 50 tuberculosis patients. Construction of this Sanatorium began in March 1924 and opened for business on October 20, 1926. The Halloween season draws much larger crowds and lots of fright enthusiasts. 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. 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. 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. A private tour of the death tunnel is available by appointment. Let's see what might have caused all these tragic deaths. 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. 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. 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. Louisville, KY, is home to the Waverly Hills Sanatorium, which many people believe is one of the most haunted places on Earth. They were buried by passing through the death tunnel. Research notes for Supernatural Season 2 Episode 4. It is part of the. This list does not included patient data from the geriatric center after inpatient tuberculosis treatment had stopped. Tina and Charlie Mattingly bought the property in 2001 with the aim of completely restoring it. Four years later, in 1932, some say another nurse jumped to her death from the 5th floor patio near Room 502. this website are the property of their respective owners or Waverly Hills Memorial & Historical Research Groupand 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. 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. In 1961, the hospital finally closed its doors. We do not own all of the materials on this website/blog. Tuberculosis and Waverly Hills Sanatorium in the Filsons Collections, The Filson Historical Society and Cincinnati Museum Center. 2023 Waverly Hills Historical Society | All Rights Reserved. The History Behind the Waverly Hills Sanatorium. Director Philip Adrian Booth Writers Christopher Saint Booth & W.G.C. Originally, Waverly Hills Sanatorium was a two-story frame building with a hipped roof and half-timbering. this website are the property of their respective owners or Waverly Hills Memorial & Historical Research Groupand 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. Spookiest Stories Ever: Four Seasons of Kentucky Ghosts, Tuberculosis (also known as TB, consumption, the White Death, or the White Plague) is a highly communicable bacterial infection contracted by breathing in air containing. Deep under the hospital is the "Death Tunnel" which once were used to secretly remove the dead from the grounds. It also had an ulterior and much less sinister purpose. The tunnel was the subject of the 2005 movie The Death Tunnel. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waverly_Hills_Sanatorium, http://paranormal.about.com/od/hauntedplaces/ig/World-s-Most-Haunted-Place/Waverly-Hills-Sanatorium.htm, http://practicalwanderlust.com/2016/09/louisville-kentucky-a-locals-guide-to-visiting-fall.html. 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 reported seeing shapes near the window in room 502 and even a voice saying, Get out.. He hired a woman named Lizzie Lee Harris to teach at the school. (The myth was further spread by Tina Mattingly on an episode of. TB - Tuberculosis PatientG - Geriatric Patient 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. Some of the names were difficult if not impossible to read. Nestled on the top of a placid hill, the old Waverly Hills Sanatorium once tried to heal tuberculosis with peace and good vibes. There are said to be several ghosts still haunting the echoing halls. This is an active project so check back often for updates. Patients in every condition were accepted including those in early stages to those in the final stages. It was not known at the time that Tuberculosis was an airborne disease. Obsessed with travel? This new treatment meant that newer cases could now be treated as outpatients in a regular hospital. However, after massive protest from the surrounding area, the plan was dropped. 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. The hospital was deteriorating badly when they took possession. Treatment for tuberculosis, an infectious bacterial disease . 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. Estimates vary, and records have been destroyed, but there may have been as many as 64,000 deaths at Waverly Sanatorium. If the bacteria did become an infection, there was an 80% chance of death at that time. ***Note:***The 1920 & 1930census reports were all hand written. Waverly Hills Sanatorium We now have a patient death index for patients that died at Waverly Hills starting in 1911. 2025. Tuberculosis was becoming an epidemic in Valley Station, Pleasure Ridge Park, and other parts of Jefferson County in Kentucky. This list does not included patient data from the geriatric center after inpatient tuberculosis treatment had stopped. Tuberculosis became a major concern in Kentucky around the turn of the 20th century. Today, it stands today as a monument in the fight against the dreaded disease. 2023 Project MUSE. To be honest, it is very much a B flick at best. There are tales of an apparition seemingly draped in white, like a doctors coat. - 1920 Census Report30 - 1930 Census Report 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. 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. & W.G.C. Even those who don't believe in ghosts enjoy the site for its history, its controversy, or for its popularity. 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. In the first few years of possession, the Mattinglys removed the asbestos and replaced 100 broken windows. This tunnel has likely seen more death than most modern hospitals. This is an active project so check back often for updates. Waverly Hills Sanatorium in Louisville opened in 1910 to accommodate tuberculosis patients. In the film, five college girls fulfill an initiation rite by spending the night in the haunted institution. At the beginning of the 20th century Louisville Kentucky had the one of highest rate of tuberculosis deaths in the United States. for all the names listed and to be listed. Room 502 has a reputation due to the two suicides that supposedly occurred there. Even with many new procedures available, it was impossible to save everyone. mentioned or used within Some of the names were difficult if not impossible to read. Welcome to the Official Waverly Hills/ Woodhaven memorial & historical resource site. can not be used in any means without written persmission from the owner of the media. To learn more about the Historical Society, see the Historical Society section under About. For the past few years, this crumbling tunnel has been featured during the Halloween season. Waverly Hills became known outside of the area when the TV series The Scariest Places on Earth profiled the institution in 2001. Now and Always,The Trusted Content Your Research Requires, Now and Always, The Trusted Content Your Research Requires, Built on the Johns Hopkins University Campus. The Waverly Hills Sanatorium death tunnel in Kentucky has an interesting history, and you can read more about it in our previous article. Thank you! It has a somewhat mysterious and sinister past. 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. 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. They added that they heard the painful screams in the morning. 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. Follow us on Twitter to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders. No purchase necessary. (M to P) 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. Kentucky. 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. Other accounts tell of ghostly appearances by a little girl named Mary and a little boy named Bobby in other areas of the hospital. can not be used in any means without written persmission from the owner of the media. After Alberhaskys efforts failed, Waverly Hills was sold to Tina and Charlie Mattingly in 2001. The Child-Eating Bunyip Haunts Australias Wetlands. I am somewhat a cliche'. In 1907, the Louisville Tuberculosis Association established Hazelwood Sanatorium for the treatment of white patients from any part of Kentucky, even before Waverly Hills Sanatorium opened, in 1910, for city and county residents. This company operated the nursing home facility until 1982 when it was closed by the state for violations and the mistreatment of patients. 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. (A to D) Patients of W.H.S. (Please get in the death tunnel.). The search began for a proper location to constructed the much needed facility. He went as far as using a bulldozer to undermine the foundation, but the building refused to collapse. From 1962 to 1981, the building served as a medical facility for geriatric patients: the Woodhaven Geriatrics Center. Locals place their offerings on this nightmarish gnarled tree so the witches won't summon another storm. Its also believed that patients whose infection spread to the brain, rendering them insane, were sent to the 5th floor. Frank J. Stewart served as the assistant medical director and as a physician at the sanatorium up until the 1950s. Waverly Hills was later reportedly given $11 million dollars with which to build a new, larger hospital. When the visit was over, the visitors left Waverly and ventured back out into the community. Tuberculosis got its nicknames from the sickly pallor of the victims the disease claimed. 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. Another of Todds plans was the refurbishing of the building into apartments, this also feel through due to lack of funding. For more haunted adventures, check out these haunted tunnels in Kentucky. Haunted tours helped raise money for the restoration project, which will eventually include a bed-and-breakfast. (Note the slightly different spelling of Waverley here. It is said that 63,000 people died at Waverly Hills over the years, but that is just what records . 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. This list includes only patients that died at the hospital. To this effect the original facility consisted of two open-air pavilions which housed 40 victims of the disease. In fact, it has been called one of the most haunted places in the world Room 502 (Real location, unsubstantiated myths). In 1962 the hospital was purchased by the state and used as a nursing home. I love writing, art, sunshine, all animals and my incredibly patient husband, who tolerates my "crazy animal lady" side. In 1850, James Stewart wrote of a friend who suffered exquisite pain during almost nine months spent in bed. 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". 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). No matter the good vibes the site espoused, it still ended up as place to scare people. Like Atlas Obscura and get our latest and greatest stories in your Facebook feed. KEY: S - Submitted NP - Newspaper Article KDR - Kentucky Death Records TB - Waverly Hills Sanatorium G - Woodhaven Geriatrics Center 20 - 1920 Census Report We hold major institutions accountable and expose wrongdoing. Reporting on what you care about. 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. 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. 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. 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. Some time before the property was purchased in 2001, a story circulated about a group of teenage boys who snuck into the sanatorium. 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. The same problems persisted, as well as suicides of the patients. Key: After being vacant for almost a year, the building was reopened in 1962 asWoodhaven Geriatric Center, a nursing home primarily treating aging patients with various stages of dementia and mobility limits, as well as the severely mentally handicapped. What are the creepiest cemeteries in Kentucky? At the time, Tuberculosis was a very serious disease. The building was designed to accommodate 40-50 tuberculosis patients safely. 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. Search, watch, and cook every single Tasty recipe and video ever - all in one place! Our objective is to provide a resource and a memorial for all the building and the people whose lives made Surgical intervention, including removal of ribs and/or parts of the lungs, was reserved for patients close to death. At the same time they also reveal stark racial disparities in mortality rates and institutional treatment. 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 project was canceled in December 1997. 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 following index contains recorded patient deaths at Waverly Hills between 1911-1960. Land was donated and $11 million was used to started construction on the new hospital in 1924. After World War II, the need for a TB sanatorium waned until the hospital closed in 1961. Previous property owners had no desire to maintain the luster of the building and did little to stop people from slowly destroying her. Waverly Hills Sanatorium sits on land that was originally purchased by Major Thomas H. Hays in 1883. Official Waverly Hills Sanatorium/ Woodhaven Geriatric Center Memorial & Historical Resource. Project MUSE promotes the creation and dissemination of essential humanities and social science resources through collaboration with libraries, publishers, and scholars worldwide. WoodHaven Medical was closed by the state in 1981. Vandalized, damaged, nearly condemned. The first phase of the development, coming in at a cost of $4 million, would have been a constructing the 150 foot tell statue, to be situated on the roof of the sanatorium. memorial. Winner will be selected at random on 06/01/2023. 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. Since then, theyve worked with the Waverly Hills preservation society to restore the building. However, many people owe their lives to the care they received at Waverly Hills. Its believed that tuberculosis has claimed roughly. 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. 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. The only building in Louisville (hopefully) that contains two ancient holy skeletons. Get more stories delivered right to your email. 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. Ms Harris had a fondness for author Walter Scotts Waverley novels, and she received Hays permission to name the schoolhouse the Waverley School. Later it was leased to a private nursing firm and the name was changed to Woodhaven Geriatric Center. Built in 1910 to combat tuberculosis, the 180,000 sqft, deeply haunted Waverly Hills Sanatorium has seen thousands of deaths and many ghosts. Everyone at Waverly patients, nurses, doctors, and other employees had to say goodbye to everything they knew on the outside world. But in 2001, Waverly Hills Sanatorium was purchased and since then, there have been many changes and improvements to the building and surrounding property. This website wouldbe After the geriatric center closed down, various owners considered turning the building into a number of things, including a jail and. The second e was dropped at some point.). Its said that the state shut it down due to reports of improper care and physical abuse of the elderly patients there. Some have called this long concrete structure the Death Shute over the years. 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. Our objective is the facts as we are a resource. img7.mynet.com They were buried by passing through the death tunnel. Without cookies your experience may not be seamless. Discover unique things to do, places to eat, and sights to see in the best destinations around the world with Bring Me! Waverly Hills was a self-contained community. We wouldnt want you to end up in the hospital, or worse, jail. The dead were left at the end of the tunnel. 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. KDR - Kentucky Death Records S - Submitted NP - Newspaper O - Other 20 - 1920 Census Report 30 - 1930 Census Report * followed by year - Died at WHS/WGC in that year Patients of W.H.S. . Contributed by Phil Tkacz, Shawn Logan, Jay Gravatte, & Hope Bryant | contact@kyhi.org. There are currently 10 different medications available in the US to treat tuberculosis. Waverly Hills Memorial an impact on Louisville's history. 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. They focused less on the tunnel and more on a college kid storyline, highlighted with a little bit of history. Symptoms of tuberculosis include: a lasting cough, chest pains, fever, loss of appetite / weight loss, hills, sweating, and coughing up blood. Fewer than 5% of patients initially survived. 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. The tubercle bacillus that causes tuberculosis was identified in an Egyptian mummy that dated back to 3000 BCE.