For the past few years, this crumbling tunnel has been featured during the Halloween season. Good news: When you visit WHS, you can get in the death tunnel. 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. No matter the good vibes the site espoused, it still ended up as place to scare people. nothing without you. If a patient had any chance of surviving the disease, Waverly Hills was the place to come for treatment. It was closed down and quarantined, then renovated. KEY: S - Submitted NP - Newspaper Article KDR - Kentucky Death Records TB - Waverly Hills Sanatorium G - Woodhaven Geriatrics Center 20 - 1920 Census Report With the discovery of a new antibiotic, Streptomyc in 1943, there was finally a way to combat Tuberculosis . 10 Horrifying Stories From The Waverly Hills Sanatorium - Ranker 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. This is an active project so check back often for updates. 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. In 2014, the most recent year for which the CDC reports a mortality figure, 493 people died of TB. 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. They had noticed that some improvement began to present itself in those who spent a restful retreat in the mountains. It wasnt until 1882 that Robert Koch published a paper identifying this bacillus for the first time. Even so, the CDC reported 9,557 cases in the United States in 2015. We do not own all of the materials on this website/blog. The LGHS "Waverly Hills Sanatorium" Investigation There are currently 10 different medications available in the US to treat tuberculosis. . can not be used in any means without written persmission from the owner of the media. A new sanatorium opened on October 17, 1926 that could accommodate 400-500 patients. an impact on Louisville's history. It opened as a 40 room hospital and they found that they needed to add on very quickly. However, many people owe their lives to the care they received at Waverly Hills. The first antibiotic used to treat tuberculosis was called streptomycin, and it was discovered by American biologists in 1943. It was the workers that would be detached to gather the bodies of the dead and either burn, bury, or transport them elsewhere. Please click here to view the index. For more haunted adventures, check out these haunted tunnels in Kentucky. 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. Room 502 has a reputation due to the two suicides that supposedly occurred there. 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. Centres VHU Agrs - Rgion : Auvergne-Rhne-Alpes Notes For Unsolved: Waverly Hills Sanatorium - BuzzFeed 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. The tunnel is supposed to be haunted by those who made their last journey through it. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. In later years, the property was repeatedly vandalized, and landowners didnt seem to care much about upkeep on the building -- which was nearly condemned. WAVERLY HILLS SANATORIUM - arch.thomas-industriesinc.com Tuberculosis, also known as consumption, or "the white plague", had a high mortality rate before streptomycin was introduced as a treatment in 1943. If the number is true, the cost would equate to roughly. A dedicated staff worked with thousands of TB patients, often contracting the disease themselves. Sign up for our newsletter and enter to win the second edition of our book. (The myth was further spread by Tina Mattingly on an episode of. The History Behind the Waverly Hills Sanatorium. There is an underground tunnel from the sanatorium to the bottom of the hill. 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! If you can correct us on anything we have posted, please do so. What are the most haunted places in Kentucky? We wouldnt want you to end up in the hospital, or worse, jail. It opened in 1910 as a two-story hospital to accommodate 40 to 50 tuberculosis patients. During the late 1800s, roughly one in five deaths (20%) was attributed to tuberculosis. 2023 Atlas Obscura. This list is organized by date of death and not by name. Waverly Hills Sanatorium - Kentucky Historic Institutions In turn, he renamed his property Waverley Hill. A homeless man and his dog supposedly fell down the elevator shaft when the building was vacant, and some have seen the. (Please get in the death tunnel.). Waverly Hills became known outside of the area when the TV series The Scariest Places on Earth profiled the institution in 2001. Thank you! Today, it stands today as a monument in the fight against the dreaded disease. 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. Director Philip Adrian Booth Writers Christopher Saint Booth The TV show Ghost Hunters did a program on Waverly Hills in March of 2006. What are the creepiest cemeteries in Kentucky? 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. They do this through offering tours, am annual haunted house held on the main buildings first floor, as well hosting private events in the restored laundry room. Powered by www.tripod.com & Youtube user Dead Explorer perfectly captured what its like to walk through the tunnel in the video above. Waverly Hills was later reportedly given $11 million dollars with which to build a new, larger hospital. 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. 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. Obsessed with travel? Ruins of a historic medical facility sits eerily by the water. 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. KDR - Kentucky Death RecordsS - SubmittedNP - NewspaperO - Other20 This video by Youtube user JustAVideoPage shows a hauntingly beautiful collage of many faces that may have eventually traveled down the death tunnel. Please click here to view the index. Even with many new procedures available, it was impossible to save everyone. Tuberculosis, also known as consumption, or "the white plague" , had a. 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. 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. 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. The path towards the light connected to the main building via a railway system on the first floor of the original hospital. (E to H) Patients of W.H.S. Waverly Hills was a self-contained community. Hills Memorial Research Group. Tuberculosis was becoming an epidemic in Valley Station, Pleasure Ridge Park, and other parts of Jefferson County in Kentucky. Welcome to the Official Waverly Hills/ Woodhaven memorial & historical resource site. Like us on Facebook to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders. All information / names gathered from research and visitors will be added to the Everyone at Waverly patients, nurses, doctors, and other employees had to say goodbye to everything they knew on the outside world. Spooked: The Ghosts of Waverly Hillsis a horror film about events that took place in thehospital. Let's see what might have caused all these tragic deaths. 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. Nestled on the top of a placid hill, the old Waverly Hills Sanatorium once tried to heal tuberculosis with peace and good vibes. But in 2001, Waverly Hills Sanatorium was purchased and since then, there have been many changes and improvements to the building and surrounding property. 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. No purchase necessary. The legend of Louisville's haunted hospital: Waverly Hills Sanatorium Pour se dbarasser de votre ancien vhicule, voici la liste et les adresses du centres VHU agrs en rgion Auvergne-Rhne-Alpes. 9 Reasons The Waverly Hills Death Tunnel In Kentucky Is Unique Sanatoriums were built on high hills surrounded by peaceful woods to create a serene atmosphere to help the patients recover. Sincerely, Waverly Waverly Hills Sanatorium The Waverly Hills Sanatorium was closed in 1961; it was first quarantined and then renovated. In 1961, Waverly Hills Sanatorium was closed because there was no longer a need for a tuberculosis facility. An abandoned tuberculosis hospital moulders on into an uncertain future. Follow us on social media to add even more wonder to your day. 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. Even with many new procedures available, it was impossible to save everyone. During the TB years, this tunnel was also used to transport the dead, so they wouldn't be seen by other patients. Nothing that went down the death tunnel ever came back up. The first Waverly Hills Sanatorium building opened on July 26, 1910. The warm, wet weather in Kentucky near the Ohio River was a breeding place for bacteria, and insects often helped to spread disease. 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. (A to D) Patients of W.H.S. Over the next few decades, Waverly Hills would fall into more dark times. 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Another of Todds plans was the refurbishing of the building into apartments, this also feel through due to lack of funding. Its said that the state shut it down due to reports of improper care and physical abuse of the elderly patients there. Offer available only in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico). A total of 63,000 people lost their lives up until 1961, the year when the hospital was closed. This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Follow us on Twitter to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders. Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives, Frankfort, Kentucky. The SciFi Channel series returned to Kentucky and did a live broadcast on Halloween night. This tunnel has likely seen more death than most modern hospitals. All rights reserved. Waverly Hills Memorial Please note: We are not connected to The Waverly Hills Historical Society, Inc. Views, comments, posts,