Waverly Hills Sanatorium

During the Halloween season it seems that all we hear about is the haunted Waverly Hills Sanatorium in Louisville, Ky. But is it really haunted? Recently I was able to get myself a reservation and visit this huge hospital for myself. The two-hour paranormal tour is a guided tour that visits the most well-known areas of Waverly Hills, including the morgue, room 502, and even the body chute. There is ID and minimum age requirements to enter no one under 13 years old is permitted inside plus they do have a few strict rules that you must follow.

If you live in or near Jellico Tennessee, this is the driving trip that you can expect to be taking. 2 hours and 42 minutes, 3 hours max. It's a easy drive and pretty much a straight shot to the sanitarium. It's well worth the travel in my opinion.

A little history about the sanatorium

It opened in 1910 as a two-story hospital to accommodate 40 to 50 tuberculosis patients. 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. Louisville, Kentucky had one of the highest death rates by tuberculosis in the entire country. The hospital closed in 1961, due to the antibiotic drug streptomycin that lowered the need for such a hospital. Developer J. Clifford Todd bought the hospital in 1983 for $3,005,000. 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.

Patients were experimented on here by having their ribs removed, dunked in ice water and then immediately being dunked into scalding hot water (this would go on back and forth for hours) being left suspended in the air by cables (yes it's true!) having balloons put in their lungs and even being crushed by heavy weights. Most of the time there was very little if any anesthesia used so the patients felt the full on effects of the experiments.

A nurse aborted a baby on the premises and it was later found in the sewer system, not long after that one of the the nurses in question committed suicide. The doctor was so obsessed in finding a cure that he began completely inhuman and brutal experiments on the patients, most of the deaths in the hospital reportedly came from these horrific treatments more so than the disease itself.

Famous Ghost Hunting Spot

Evidence obtained by members of The Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS) was featured on Sci-Fi Channel’s Ghost Hunters. Evidence included video of a short figure running from one side of a hallway to another.

8000 or more people have reportedly died in this location. Activity experienced at Waverly, ranges from scratches to being thrown to the ground. One man has a jolt to his pacemaker every time he visits and there's not only human spirits but a dark creeper too. People have reported being touched, pushed and even seeing phantoms from the past haunting the halls.

Waverly Hills has been popularized on the television show Ghost Hunters as being one of the "most haunted" hospitals in the United States.

The sanatorium was featured on ABC/FOX Family Channel's Scariest Places on Earth, VH1's Celebrity Paranormal Project, Syfy's Ghost Hunters, Zone Reality's Creepy, the British show Most Haunted, Paranormal Challenge, Ghost Adventures on Travel Channel and in episode 18 ("The Bull and the Beautiful") of season 3 of Animal Planet's series Call of the Wildman. It was also featured on paranormal shows Ghost Asylum and Paranormal Lockdown; both on Destination America. It was also mentioned on The CW's show Supernatural in season 11, episode 23, "Alpha and Omega". Waverly Hills Sanatorium is the subject of the fifth episode of the season 3 of Kindred Spirits. The sanatorium is also featured in the first part of the three-part "Curse of the Underground Worlds" episode of the Science Channel's TV series Mysteries of the Abandoned, first aired on January 4, 2021.

The Ghosts of Waverly Hills

Patients that did not survive Waverly Hills were dropped down a chute called The Body Chute. Bodies went through the tunnel from inside the hospital and landed at the railroad tracks at the base of the hill. This was done so that patients would not see the dead bodies leaving the hospital. Corpses were finally removed on trains. The body chute is said to be one of the most haunted places in the building.

Some more notable stories include a little girl that allegedly runs up and down the third floor hallway and a young boy who is spotted playing with a leather ball on the floor. A female apparition supposedly appears, wrists bleeding, and shouts “Help me!” A man dressed in white walks through the kitchen and the smell of food has been reported there. According to Waverly Hills ghost lore, Room 502 might be the most haunted room of all. Voices have demanded that visitors “Get out!” and black masses resembling bodies have been seen in the windows. Apparently, one nurse hung herself in this room while another jumped out of the window to her death on the ground below. Other paranormal activity includes slamming doors, disembodied voices, disembodied footsteps and screaming.

During my personal visit to Waverly Hills my ghostly experiences were minimal at best. I heard a few random sounds like distant thumps or footsteps following behind. The morgue was definitely the spookiest place for me. The air was thin and heavy and there was an eerie feeling of not being alone. There was a real sense of death lingering in there and chills ran through my body.

But is it really haunted? I for one cannot say for sure that Waverly Hills is actually haunted. As I said, my tour of the grounds yielded minimal haunted activity. What I can say is that millions of people swear that it IS most certainly haunted and there's video evidence to support their claims. As for me, I wont say either way but I will say that it is for sure the spookiest, most unnerving place that I have even been.

The overall history of this place is enough to send fear through your veins. During the guided tour we were told about every last, grisly detail which of course adds to the anticipation and jitters the nerves. If you're looking for a good scare and the chance at possibly seeing a ghost, I'd highly recommend giving Waverly Hills a visit.

Paranormal Guided Tours are $25.00

Historical Guided Tours are $25.00

6 Hour Public Paranormal Investigations are $75.00

Private Paranormal Investigations are $100.00

Haunted Halloween Guided Tour (prices vary) Every Friday & Saturday October 2 – October 31

They even offer a new Christmas Show "Christmas In The Sanatorium"

If you're interesting in visiting one of the most haunted place in America, you should visit the official website for prices, times and rules. Happy Hauntings!

https://www.therealwaverlyhills.com