By Allie Floden
Are you a believer in ghosts and all things haunting? If you haven’t been to Waverly Hills yet, you’re missing out on one of the best attractions this city has to offer.
Located in southwest Louisville and opening in the early 1900s, the Waverly Hill Sanatorium was a hospital constructed to deal with a widespread outbreak or tuberculosis. During this time, there was no cure for the infectious disease.
With it being airborne and highly contagious, it was important to have a facility dedicated to the care of TB patients.
Unfortunately, throughout the years of operation, it is believed tens of thousands of people died within the hospital walls.
This warranted the addition of a “body chute” to dispose of the numerous people dying daily. This 525-foot tunnel was used to transport the deceased via a rail system. Being mostly underground, it provided a path hidden from other patients to avoid large upsets.
In 2003, after being shut down for over 40 years, the hospital reopened as a tourist attraction. Often appearing in TV and internet web series, this is known as one of the most haunted locations in the country.
While most popular during the fall season, this haunt is open year-round. With cheap admission tickets, tour guides take you on an exploration of the facility and all of its most haunted rooms.
Waverly Hills has even the biggest paranormal skeptics being disproved daily. With a quick online search, you can find numerous posts and Reddit threads of once-nonbelievers with a newfound fear. People post about their unexplainable encounters and eerie photographs, admitting to never believing in the paranormal before they visited Waverly.
Are you brave enough to stay the night?
Photo Courtesy / Kentucky Historic Institutions
