An abandoned hospital with a infamous reputation for ghosts, Waverly Hills had been closed for a long time. It has not been operating under its original purpose for a good number of years now but it still has patients, doctors, as well as nurses roaming its empty halls.
It’s regularly included on the list of most haunted places in America, and it’s appeared on just about every paranormal show in the United States.
Waverly Hills is now a famous tourist attraction in Kentucky and it’s become a part of the state’s history, therefore a tour of Kentucky’s landmarks is not complete without visiting Waverly Hills.
The building is reportedly the home of many ghosts. Disembodied screams and voices; shadow figures; and moans of the sick and the dying are regular reports at Waverly.
Timmy the Boy Ghost
One of the most popular ghosts is a child named Timmy. According to legend, Timmy was a six or seven-year old boy who died in Waverly but is still unable to move on to the next life.
Visitors who go to Waverly often bring with them toy balls to entice Timmy to play with them. The ball will sometimes move on its own however, nonbelievers could say that it’s just because of a draft or uneven floors.
Room 502
Room 502 is one of the hotspots for paranormal activity. It is said that a pregnant nurse allegedly committed suicide in this room. According to legend, the nurse was impregnated by a doctor in the sanatorium and when he wanted nothing to do with her or the baby to be, she decided to hang herself. Other versions of the story say that it was the hospital owner who impregnated the nurse.
Death Tunnel
The death tunnel is a part of Waverly which is very popular too. It is an underground tunnel which leads from the main entrance to the bottom of a steep hill. It was used as means to receive supplies but was also used to transport bodies too, of which there were many. The tunnel was used to remove the dead without upsetting the other patients. Visitors often say they can hear unexplained footsteps and disembodied voices in the tunnel.
The building now caters for ghost hunters, with many opting to enjoy the tour and stay the night.
Brief History
Waverly Hills Sanatorium officially opened on the 26th of July 1910. It houses thousands of patients who were suffering from the then fatal illness tuberculosis. When it opened it originally accommodated just about 50 patients but soon expanded to hold almost 500 patients.
During its 50-year operation several patients have gone through its roof but when a drug was discovered which would drastically change tuberculosis, as well as the people suffering from it, the hospital finally closed its doors. After its closure in 1962, it was renovated, reopened and renamed the Wood Haven Medical Services. However, after appalling evidence of patient neglect was found, it was also closed in 1980.
There is no exact number of deaths but estimates put the death toll at 6,000. Patients in the sanatorium suffered from agonizing treatments which would be considered inhumane today. Some of the treatments which were used were electroshock therapy, as well as collapsing lungs. Heavy sandbags were also placed on patients’ chests. These treatments did not help alleviate the symptoms. What they did was put patients through more pain and agony.