Waverly Hills Sanatorium

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

Waverly Hills Sanatorium, located in Louisville, 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.

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.[2] He started a one-room schoolhouse on Pages Lane, and hired Lizzie Lee Harris as the teacher.[3] Miss Harris loved her tiny school nestling against the hillside, and remembered her fondness for Walter Scott's Waverley novels, so she named her little school house "Waverly School".[4] Major Hays liked the peaceful-sounding name, so he named his property "Waverly Hill" and the Board of Tuberculosis Hospital kept the name when they bought the land and opened the sanatorium.[5] 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.[6][7][8]

[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.[9][10]
In December of 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[11] making the known “capacity” around 130 patients.[12] 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,[13] 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 of 1961.

[edit] Woodhaven Medical Services

The building was reopened in 1962 as Woodhaven Geriatrics Hospital; Woodhaven was closed in 1981 allegedly due to patient abuse.

[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 from them for $400,000, giving them the money to start the project."[14]

[edit] Statue

Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro
Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro

In March of 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.[15]

The first phase of the development, coming in at a cost of $4,000,000, would have been a statue of 150 feet tall and 150 feet 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.[16]

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.[16]

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.[15]

[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]

[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

 This section may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards.
Please improve this article if you can. (May 2008)

[edit] Room 502

Room 502 is the subject of a local myth about two suicides which are said to have occurred in the room. The first reported death is that of nurse Mary Hillenburg, who is said to have hanged herself from a fixture in 1928 after becoming pregnant out of wedlock; the second, that of a nurse who is said to have been pushed or jumped out the window. Many townspeople of Louisville Kentucky say that Mary Hillenburg didn't hang herself but rather died of infection and that the other nurse is just a made up story. [17]

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[17] 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. [18]

[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 online database where information is being compiled for genealogists.

Many say that the doctors at Waverly Hills tortured some of the patients that had been  
stranded by their family and friends earlier on. Telling the patients that they needed  procedures,  
but really making the patients unaware of the dangers that lay ahead;
leaving them  only a violent death to come. [14]

This site is also affiliated with the Waverly Hills memorial site. [15]

[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 Beverly 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 of 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.

[edit] Sounds of the Underground

Waverly Hills Sanatorium hosted the last show of the touring music festival Sounds of the Underground 2007 on August 11th. 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] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ National Register Information System. National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service (2007-01-23).
  2. ^ article from Waverly Herald, circa 1953 paragraph 7 line 1 [1]
  3. ^ article from Waverly Herald, circa 1953 paragraph 7 line 6 [2]
  4. ^ article from Waverly Herald, circa 1953 paragraph 9 line 4[3]
  5. ^ article from Waverly Herald, circa 1953 paragraph 11[4]
  6. ^ Postcard (with 2nd E) Located in display case in the laundry building at Waverly.[5]
  7. ^ Postcard (without 2nd E)[6]
  8. ^ Endowment booklet (with 2nd E)[7]
  9. ^ History of Waverly Hills from the Waverly Herald, pages 3 & 4
  10. ^ Report of the Board of Tuberculosis Hospitals page 3
  11. ^ History of Waverly Hills from the Waverly Herald, page 12 paragraph 2 [8]
  12. ^ 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]
  13. ^ Sanatorium Has Waiting List for Treatment, Effective In Early Stages - The Louisville Times Dec 5 1928
  14. ^ "Famed hospital now a white elephant" Courier-Journal article in Neighborhoods South-End section Aug 13-14 1986 page 1
  15. ^ a b "World tallest Christ statue planned for Waverly Hills." The Courier-Journal [Louisville] Mar. 1996: 1.
  16. ^ a b "Jesus statue 'would take a miracle'." Kentucky Post 12 Dec. 1997: 1.
  17. ^ a b Waverly Hills Investigation (2003-03-29) Ghost Hunters: episode #214
  18. ^ Kentucky death index
  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

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