Waverly Hills Sanatorium

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Waverly Hills Tuberculosis Sanatorium Historic Buildings
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Waverly Hills Sanatorium main entrance
Location: Louisville, KY
Architect: Gaffney,J. J.; Murphy,D. X.
Architectural style(s): Other
Governing body: State
MPS: Jefferson County MRA
Added to NRHP: July 12, 1983
NRHP Reference#: 83002746[1]

Waverly Hills Sanatorium, located in southwestern Louisville-Jefferson County, Kentucky, opened in 1910 as a two-story hospital to accommodate 40 to 50 tuberculosis patients. It has been popularized on television as being one of the "most haunted" hospitals in the eastern United States, and was seen on ABC/FOX Family Channel's Scariest Places On Earth as well as VH1's Celebrity Paranormal Project. It was also seen on the Sci Fi Channel's Ghost Hunters and featured in an episode of the 11th series of the British TV show Most Haunted.

The current plan for the sanatorium is to turn it into a hotel that will cater to the haunted hotel crowd as well regular hotel patrons.[2]

Contents

[edit] History

The land that is today known as Waverly Hill was purchased by Major Thomas H. Hays in 1883 as the Hays Family home. Since the new home was now so far away from any existing schools, Mr. Hays decided to open a local school for his daughters to attend.[3] He started a one-room schoolhouse on Pages Lane, and hired Lizzie Lee Harris as the teacher.[4] Miss Harris loved her tiny school nestled against the hillside, and remembered her fondness for Walter Scott's Waverley novels, so she named her little school house "Waverley School".[5] Major Hays liked the peaceful-sounding name, so he named his property "Waverley Hill" and the Board of Tuberculosis Hospital kept the name when they bought the land and opened the sanatorium.[6] It is not known exactly when the spelling changed to exclude the second "e" and became Waverly Hills. However the spelling fluctuated between both spellings many times over the years.[7][8][9]

[edit] Original Sanatorium

In the early 20th century, Jefferson County was severely stricken with an outbreak of tuberculosis. There were many tuberculosis cases in Louisville at the time because of all the swampland, which was perfect for the tuberculosis bacteria. To try to contain the disease, a two-story wooden sanatorium was opened which consisted of an administrative/main building and two open air pavilions, each housing 20 patients, for the treatment of "early cases".
"In the early part of 1911, the city of Louisville began to make preparations to build a new Louisville City Hospital, and the hospital commissioners decided in their plans that there would be no provision made in the new City Hospital for the admission of pulmonary tuberculosis, and the Board of Tuberculosis Hospital was given $25,000 to erect a hospital for the care of advanced cases of pulmonary tuberculosis". [11]

On 22 Aug 1911, all tuberculosis patients from the City Hospital were relocated to temporary quarters in tents on the grounds of Waverly Hills pending the completion of a hospital for advanced cases.[10][11]
In December 1912 a hospital for advanced cases opened for the treatment of another 50 patients. And in 1916 a children’s pavilion added another 40 beds[12] making the known “capacity” around 130 patients.[13] This report also mentions that the goal was to add a new building each year to continually grow so there may have even been more beds available than specifically listed. It is a common misconception that the hospital made for 40 was over packed with well over 100 patients, but this is just a miscalculation due to lack of information, with only one major exception which is mentioned above.

[edit] Sanatorium expansions

Due to constant need for repairs on the wooden structures, need for a more durable structure, as well as need for more beds so that people wouldn’t be turned away due to lack of space,[14] construction of a five-story building that could hold more than 400 patients began in March 1924. The new building opened on October 17, 1926, but after the introduction of streptomycin in 1943, the number of tuberculosis cases gradually lowered, until there was no longer need for such a large hospital. The remaining patients were sent to Hazelwood Sanatorium, which was also located in Louisville, and Waverly Hills closed in June 1962.

[edit] Woodhaven Medical Services

The building was reopened in 1962 as Woodhaven Geriatrics Hospital; Woodhaven was closed in 1981 allegedly due to patient abuse. Urban myths say that during this time patients were treated for mental problems and the term "insane asylum" and other similar terms have been used to describe the hospital during those years.

[edit] "The Body Chute" or "Death Tunnel"

A tunnel was constructed at the same time as the main building beginning on the first floor and traveling 500 feet (150 m) to the bottom of the hill. One side had steps to allow workers to enter and exit the hospital without having to traverse a dangerous and in some places, steep, hill. The other side had a set of rails and a cart powered by a motorized cable system so that supplies could easily be transported to the top. Air ducts leading from the roof of the tunnel to above ground level were incorporated every hundred feet to let in light and fresh air. Since there was no cure yet, treatment mainly consisted of heat lamps, fresh air, high spirits, and reassurances of an eventual quick and full recovery. The sight of the dead being hauled away in full view of patients caused their morale to plummet, causing them to lose hope and become depressed, further contributing to their deaths. Therefore, when the death toll began to climb, the tunnel was given another use: when patients died, the bodies were placed on the cart and lowered to the bottom where they were placed on a nearby railroad line to be taken away discreetly, the entire process taking place out of view of patients and saving morale. A common misconception, attributed to urban legend, is that this tunnel is a "body chute" and that when dead, patients were simply tossed in the chute. Some variations on the legend, adding absurdity to the misconception is that the mere force of the body being thrown in and simple gravity would propel the bodies down to the bottom.

The tunnel, among other buildings, is shown in the map, linked below.

[edit] Recent developments

[edit] Prison

"Simpsonville developer J. Clifford Todd bought the old hospital in 1983 for $305,000. He and architect Milton Thompson wanted to convert it into a minimum-security prison for the state, but the developers dropped the plan after neighbors protested. Todd and Thompson then proposed converting the hospital into apartments, but they counted on Jefferson Fiscal Court to buy around 140 acres (0.57 km2) from them for $400,000, giving them the money to start the project."[15]

[edit] Statue

Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro

In March 1996, Robert Alberhasky bought Waverly Hills and the surrounding area. Alberhasky's Christ the Redeemer Foundation Inc. had plans to construct the world's tallest statue of Jesus on the Waverly site, along with an arts and worship center. The statue, which was inspired by the famed Christ the Redeemer statue on Corcovado Mountain in Rio de Janeiro, would have been designed by local sculptor Ed Hamilton and architect Jasper Ward.[16]

The first phase of the development, coming in at a cost of $4,000,000, would have been a statue of 150 feet (46 m) tall and 150 feet (46 m) wide, situated on the roof of the sanatorium. The second phase would convert the old sanatorium into a chapel, theater, and a gift shop at a cost of $8,000,000 or more.[17]

The plan to construct this religious icon fell through because donations to the project fell well short of expectations. In a period of a year, only $3,000 was raised towards the effort despite efforts to pool money from across the nation. The project was cancelled in December 1997.[17]

As a result, Alberhasky abandoned the Waverly Hills property. In order to recoup some of his costs, Alberhasky attempted to have the property condemned so that it could be torn down and redeveloped. That notion was denied by the county, and James Melvin then attempted to undermine the structural foundations of Francesca by bulldozing around the southern perimeter in order to receive insurance money.[16]

[edit] Restoration

After Alberhasky's efforts failed, Waverly Hills was sold to current owners Tina and Charlie Mattingly in 2001. Charlie's father, who died in 2005, worked as an orderly at Waverly Hills for approximately four years. The Mattinglys currently hold tours of Waverly Hills and convert the building into a haunted house attraction each Halloween. There are also historical tours, ghost tours, as well as overnight investigations available for a fee. Proceeds go toward saving the building and the restoration of the property.

[edit] Private property

The building and surrounding property are now private property with multiple security measures. "No Trespassing" signs are posted throughout the property. Security cameras are installed in various spots on the property, including the exterior and interior of the building. Further, volunteer security guards watch the site around the clock.[citation needed]

Since December 2008, Plans have been made to turn the building into a four star hotel and restore the fourth floor to its original condition.

Tours and overnight stays are offered during the warm months of the year. Please visit the link below for more information:

http://www.therealwaverlyhills.com/

[edit] Structures

Much of the following information comes from a hand drawn map and accompanying pages of building descriptions that were obtained from the Waverly Herald. The exact date is not on the pages that were acquired however it is estimated that it was from the May 1953 issue.

[edit] Edgewood

Originally the home of the Hayes family, this building was already standing when the land was purchased in 1908. It was used by the sanatorium as a nurses dorm, and later as staff housing. It was eventually destroyed by fire.
See No.15 on the above map

[edit] Original sanatorium

The original wooden structure, opened in 26 July 1910, was an administrative building which contained offices, treatment rooms, and a kitchen. It was torn down due to its poor condition. [12]

[edit] Pavilion buildings

The wooden pavilion buildings were built at various times in the operation of the sanatorium. The first two were standing in 1910 when the original sanatorium opened. One housed 20-25 male patients, the other 20-25 female patients. Later, with the construction of the new Main building, the southernmost pavilion building was moved to the parking lot to make room for the north wing. This building was used as housing for male staff members.
See numbers 3 & 11 on the above maps. Also see 2,12,13 for additional pavilion type buildings on the property.

[edit] Hospital for advanced cases

This two story structure opened December 18, 1912 [13] and was designed to care for 50 advanced cases of pulmonary tuberculosis.
Later, with the opening of the Main building, this building became the "Colored Hospital", and later still was used as staff housing.
See No.21 on the above map

[edit] Main building

October 20, 1926, was the official opening ceremony and dedication of the new building. This state of the art building is one of the few buildings still standing on the land.

[edit] Tunnel

Completed in 1926, this inclined corridor was first constructed for workers to be able to move supplies in and out of the building from the railroad spur at the bottom of the hill. One side of the tunnel consists of concrete steps while the other is made up of a motorized rail and cable system. At some point it was decided that the tunnel could also be used to discreetly transport bodies off of the hill without other patients witnessing it, thereby protecting their morale. The bodies of the dead were placed on a cart and then lowered to the bottom. According to the current owner of Waverly Hills Sanatorium on Ghost Hunters - "Haunted Sanatorium" (2006), a maintenance worker lost his arm while repairing the cable at about the same time a body was being lowered down to the morgue. The maintenance worker's disembodied arm made it into the same area where they kept the deceased bodies.

[edit] Legends

[edit] Room 502

Room 502 is the subject of a local myth about a suicide which is said to have occurred in the room; a nurse who is said to have been pushed or jumped out the window. [18] Another myth was that the nurse became depressed and despondent over all the sickness and death going on around her, fueling the suicide theory.

According to the owners of Waverly Hills, the death of another nurse, Mary Hillenburg, occurred on the fifth floor of the Sanatorium. She was pregnant with the illegitimate child of a doctor at the Sanatorium. It is unknown whether she committed suicide or was assisted in her death, but it is claimed that it was the product of an "abortion gone wrong." She was found hanging from the pipes of the top floor of the hospital, and the aborted fetus was later found in the well system. On the tour of this floor, pregnant women are said to become nauseous or suffer severe headaches.

Any contemporary investigations of the myth have been unable to locate any documented evidence of the deaths, this includes efforts by Sci-Fi Channel production Ghost Hunters[18] as well as several local researchers. Records from 1911 onwards indicated that only two individuals by the name of Hillenburg died in the region, but that both deaths occurred after Waverly Hills had closed. Also, The pipes near the ceiling are part of the sprinkler system that was not installed until 1972 according to plans drawn by "Automatic Sprinkler Corporation International" the company out of Cincinnati OH contracted to install them. This can easily be confirmed by a trip to the county archives and looking up the plans.[original research?]

[edit] Death rate

Legend
The estimated death toll at Waverly Hills is about 63,000.
Additional Facts
Evidence has suggested that the worst single year total of deaths at Waverly was 152, which would make the overall death count considerably less than the legend. (7,752 being the highest possible total for the 51 years of operation)
This information was found in the autobiography of Assistant Medical Director Dr. J. Frank W. Stewart, who states that the worst time for deaths was at the end of the Second World War when troops were returning from overseas with very advanced tuberculosis cases.[19] This information was then double checked against death certificates for the time frame in question and it was found that 162 people died at Waverly in 1945, which would make the highest possible total 8,212. The 152 quote seems to be a simple typographical error. This and other factual and documented information can be found at an on-line database where information is being compiled for genealogists.[14]This site is also affiliated with the Waverly Hills memorial site. [15]

[edit] Other Hauntings

- There have been several hauntings in different forms to be confirmed by multiple visitors to the grounds. While Room 502 and the Death Tunnel are nearly synonymous with Waverly Hills, those familiar with the hospitals paranormal history have either heard or seen the child known simply as "Timmy". While no real history into the child's human life is known, there have been scattered claims that the young ghost enjoys playing interactive games, such as hide and seek. There have been reports of sudden temperature plummets in an area or room as well as people feeling "cold spots" in various areas or even the sensation of a physical contact as that of a person's hand. There are even reports of an elderly woman, wrists chained and bleeding (most likely from the geriatric hospital days) running out of the front door pleading for help. Still others outside the hospital have made claims of rooms lighting up briefly despite there being no electricity since the hospital closed.

- Other forms of paranormal activity reported to be found in the hospital include: "Shadow people" (Apparitions shaped as a human but with no physical detail); Orbs (Balls of light that inexplicably appear on film but not to the naked eye), and Electronic Voice Phenomenon (EVP) Recordings, which are essentially voice "footprints" left behind by a spirit without any physical form necessarily connected to it that are usually heard best through a special high-power audio recorder that then plays back what one might not have heard on their own.

According to the many ghost hunters and guests that descend upon Waverly Hills, the most common paranormal activity is the phenomenon of shadow people, "moving shadows" that seemingly have substance and are able to "walk" across doorways. They are also supposedly able to block some light when a laser is pointed at them. - Areas of alleged activity include the fifth floor and roof patios, where young children often played atop a rooftop playground.

- Many visitors claim to have seen glowing orbs and plasma in their photographs. Others claim that entire rooms at Waverly Hills light up at night for no apparent reason. Other sightings include various "brown imps" on the grounds.

- Electronic voice phenomenon recordings have been made on the property by various ghost hunters; many claim that their EVP provides factual proof that ghosts do inhabit the old sanatorium. Recorded phrases have included "Get out" and "What kind of hospital is this?" The makers of the movie Death Tunnel and the documentary Spooked both claim that they recorded many such voices and sounds while filming. Many doubt the credibility of both production crews, however.

- On the morning of Halloween 2006, local radio station WXMA 102.3 aired an annual live broadcast from the Waverly site. That year, a listener from Environmental Health Management, a local company, brought in thermal imaging equipment in hopes of capturing anything out of the normal on film. At approximately 8AM EST, two small, child-like figures are caught on film rising from a hallway floor and then disappearing into a wall.[16]

[edit] Waverly Hills in entertainment

  • The October 31, 2007, live Halloween special of SciFi Channel show Ghost Hunters took place at Waverly Hills Sanatorium.[20]
  • On July 19, 2001, ABC Family's Scariest Places On Earth was taped at Waverly Hills by Triage Entertainment.
  • In 2004, the movie, Death Tunnel and the documentary Spooked, were filmed at Waverly Hills. Death Tunnel was released by Sony Pictures on February 28, 2006.
  • The March 29, 2006, episode of the SciFi Channel show Ghost Hunters was taped at Waverly Hills.
  • The documentary Spooked premiered on June 7, 2006 at 9:00PM EDT on the SciFi Channel.
  • The VH1 Celebreality show Celebrity Paranormal Project which premiered on October 22, 2006 was taped at Waverly Hills.
  • A portion of the documentary Haunted, set to premiere in 2007 was filmed at Waverly Hills.
  • "Terror Normal", a paranormal investigative series, filmed "Episode 1: The Ghosts of the Waverly Hills Sanatorium" in December 2006, and was released in February 2007.
  • A French comic book series, Pandemonium by Christophe Bec and Stefano Raffaele, is based on the paranormal events supposed to have occurred at Waverly Hills Sanatorium.
  • On October 31, 2003, the 39 minute radio show Live From Waverly Hills was supposedly broadcast "live" on 91.9 WFPK-FM (Louisville, Kentucky) from a "secret room" of the Sanatorium. The cast included a station on-air personality, a ghost hunter, two station interns, a professor of medical history, and a medium who conducted an on-air seance. By the end of the seance, it became clear that it was actually an edited and fictional taped drama (the professor, interns, and medium were actors) as the characters attempted to escape from malevolent forces. Although the show was recorded in WFPK's studio, it did include sound effects made on location from Waverly Hills. The show was written, directed and produced by Adam Watson.

British Television presenter Yvette Fielding and her team of investigators spent 24 hours at the sanitorium in August for an episode of Most Haunted which aired on November 25, 2008. The episode shows some intriguing phenomena witnessed by the team, including some nasty scratches inflicted on one of them.

[edit] Sounds of the Underground

Waverly Hills Sanatorium hosted the last show of the touring music festival Sounds of the Underground 2007 on August 11. The show featured prominent acts in the extreme metal and metalcore scene, including Job for a Cowboy, The Acacia Strain, Hatebreed, Shadows Fall, Chimaira, GWAR, Lamb of God and The Number Twelve Looks Like You. Similar Festivals or concerts will likely not happen again at the Waverly Hills Sanatorium, due to complaints made by local residents, as seen in this Courier Journal article:

Courier Journal
Wednesday, August 22, 2007 "PLEASURE RIDGE PARK
Waverly Hills rock concert was its last
Neighbors outraged by noise, vulgarities"

Which went on to say:

There will be no more loud rock concerts at the old Waverly Hills hospital in Pleasure Ridge
Park like the one on Aug. 11 that upset nearby residents, metro officials say.

[edit] References

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2007-01-23. http://www.nr.nps.gov/. 
  2. ^ Davis, Alex. Spooky Waverly Hills may return as hotel Courier-Journal August 7, 2008
  3. ^ article from Waverly Herald, circa 1953 paragraph 7 line 1 [1]
  4. ^ article from Waverly Herald, circa 1953 paragraph 7 line 6 [2]
  5. ^ article from Waverly Herald, circa 1953 paragraph 9 line 4[3]
  6. ^ article from Waverly Herald, circa 1953 paragraph 11[4]
  7. ^ Postcard (with 2nd E) Located in display case in the laundry building at Waverly.[5]
  8. ^ Postcard (without 2nd E)[6]
  9. ^ Endowment booklet (with 2nd E) - [7]
  10. ^ History of Waverly Hills from the Waverly Herald, pages 3 & 4
  11. ^ Report of the Board of Tuberculosis Hospitals page 3
  12. ^ History of Waverly Hills from the Waverly Herald, page 12 paragraph 2 [8]
  13. ^ Report of the Board of Tuberculosis Hospital written by Dr. Dunning S Wilson (Medical Director of Waverly Hills) and L. J. Dittmar (President of the Board of Tuberculosis Hospital)[9]
  14. ^ Sanatorium Has Waiting List for Treatment, Effective In Early Stages - The Louisville Times Dec 5 1928
  15. ^ "Famed hospital now a white elephant" Courier-Journal article in Neighborhoods South-End section Aug 13-14 1986 page 1
  16. ^ a b "World tallest Christ statue planned for Waverly Hills." The Courier-Journal [Louisville] Mar. 1996: 1.
  17. ^ a b "Jesus statue 'would take a miracle'." Kentucky Post 12 Dec. 1997: 1.
  18. ^ a b Waverly Hills Investigation (2003-03-29) Ghost Hunters: episode #214
  19. ^ Sunrise/Sunset-Autobiography written by Dr. J. Frank W. Stewart who was Assistant Medical Director at Waverly Hills. Worked at Waverly Hills from 1945-1955
  20. ^ Interview with Jason and Grant from Ghost Hunters [10]
  • Spooked: The Ghosts of Waverly Hills Sanatorium, (2006) documentary.

[edit] External links

Coordinates: 38°07′48.53″N 85°50′30.22″W / 38.1301472°N 85.8417278°W / 38.1301472; -85.8417278

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waverly_Hills_Sanatorium"
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