In 1900, Louisville, Kentucky had the highest tuberculosis death rate in the country. This was due to the fact
Louisville is such a low valley area and before development, was basically all swampland and perfect
breeding ground for the Tuberculosis bacteria. As with many other towns and cities across the country,
hospitals were needed to care for the sick. In 1910, a wooden, two-story hospital with 40 beds opened on one
of the highest elevated hills in southern Jefferson County to try and contain this ravaging disease. Officials
soon found that this small hospital was simply too small, as they were soon housing more than 130 cases of
tuberculosis. Louisville needed a much larger facility and money began to be raised for its construction. Land
was donated and $11 million was used to started construction on the new hospital in 1924. The hospital,
known as Waverly Hills, was opened in 1926 and was considered to be the most advanced tuberculosis
hospital in the country. If a patient had any chance of surviving the disease, Waverly Hills was the place to
come for treatment. Of course, treatment in those days was primitive at best, meaning that many simply came
here to die. In those days, it was believed that the best cure for tuberculosis was plenty of nutritional food,
plenty of rest and plenty of fresh air. Many patients came to Waverly and were actually cured and became well
enough to once again enter society. For those not as fortunate, Waverly was the last place they ever saw.
Records have been lost, but it is estimated that tens of thousands died at Waverly. At the height of the
tuberculosis epidemic, it is reported that one patient an hour died. In total there have been over 63,000
deaths at Waverly, including the supposed satanic sacrifice of a man and his dog in the 80's, as well as the
death of a young man who fell from the roof in the late 80's or early 90's.
In 1928, the head nurse in room 502 was found dead in this room. She had hanged herself from the light fixture in an
apparent fit of depression. According to further research, she was 29 years-old at the time, unmarried and pregnant. It is
unknown just how long she may have been left hanging in this room before her body was finally discovered. In 1932,
another nurse who worked in room 502 jumped from the balcony of the roof that leads from the room and was killed when
she struck the ground several stories below. This is one of the most mentioned rooms in Waverly Hills, and on our visit it
lived up to its reputation. Although we were rushed in and out of the room by the tour guides we managed to snap these
pictures which were not very exciting but we captured an amazing EVP which seems to say, "Nooo!!!!"
Waverly Hills Sanitarium
Louisville, KY
|
