When you think of haunted, horrific hospitals there is no doubt that the Waverly Hills Sanatorium comes to mind, with a dark history of abuse, scandals and hauntings there is no other hospital on earth that has a dark reputation like Waverly Hills.
Horror Facts has put together the ultimate collection of Waverly Hills Sanatorium facts to provide in depth information about the abandoned hospital for both new readers and those who are familiar with the famous tuberculosis wards inside this legendary location.
The History of Waverly Hills
The hospital originally opened in 1910 with a purpose of housing those infected by the tuberculosis epidemic. Taking a look back into the the early 1900s, Jefferson County was one of the largest hotspots or super spreaders for its time causing wave after wave of of tuberculosis – which was being called the “White Plague”. Due to the severity of the disease and its uncontrollable spread the state had called for construction of a new hospital.
While Waverly Hills Sanatorium was created to help ease the patients suffering and provide top quality medical care for TB (tuberculosis) the amount of pain and suffering that would follow nobody would have ever expected.
From August 31, 1912 until the completion of Waverly Hills Hospital for advanced infection cases, all tuberculosis patients from the Louisville, Kentucky City Hospital were moved into temporary medical tents on the Waverly Hills grounds whilst construction was being completed.
An advanced cases’ medical hospital opened in December 1912 to treat 40 additional patients. There were 130 patients in the hospital by 1914 when a new children’s pavilion was added. In addition to ill children, the children’s pavilion also provided care to tuberculosis patients’ children who needed it creating a social or state run care system. As new buildings were added each year, the number of beds may have even exceeded what was listed. Nobody knows for certain just how many may have passed through the care system implemented.
The hospital continued to expand into not just one ward but many wards, even including an underground tunnel which has been given the name ‘ Death Tunnel ‘.
Now that you know the history on the original plan for the renowned hospital, lets dive into the facts about Waverly Hills Sanatorium
Stats and Facts
A highly populated area of Louisville, Kentucky suffered from the most tuberculosis deaths in the country, leading to over 8000 deaths occurring just inside the walls of Waverly Hills.
At the same time as the main building, a tunnel (also called “the body chute”) was built. It begins on the first floor and continues down 500 feet (150 meters) to the very bottom of the hill. Steps were installed on one side of the hospital so workers could enter and exit without having to climb a steep, dangerous hill. In order to transport supplies to the top of the tower, the other side of the tower had rails and carts powered by motors.
The Ultimate Resource for Waverly Hills Sanatorium Facts: Find even more haunted locations and facts in our facts database.
