Waverly Hills: Kentucky's Most Haunted Quiz

Answer: Sanatorium

The Waverly School was originally built by the property owner as a school for his daughter. At the turn of the century, the Jefferson County area of Kentucky was beginning to see increased reports of tuberculosis. The little schoolhouse, then known as Waverly School, was rebuilt to house TB patients. The Waverly Hills Sanatorium opened its doors for the first time on July 26, 1910.

Answer: Tuberculosis

The original Waverly Hills Sanatorium, opened in 1910, was only meant to house 40-50 tuberculosis patients, but the disease reached epidemic levels in the Louisville area during the 1920s. The Sanatorium was reconstructed in order to accommodate more than 400 patients. The building as it stands today opened its doors on October 17, 1926.

Answer: Geriatrics Center

Waverly Hills functioned as a Sanatorium for 30 years. When a cure was finally developed for tuberculosis, the sanatorium no longer had a purpose and closed. The buildings on-site were remodeled and reopened in 1962 as WoodHaven Medical Services, a geriatrics center.

It functioned as such until it was shut down by the state in 1980 due to reports of abuse. On an interesting side note, my mother worked for the state and was the one who went to evaluate the WoodHaven Medical Services and ultimately had it shut down.

Answer: The Body Chute

The Body Chute, as it is now referred, was originally intended to transport supplies to and from the Sanatorium. However, at the peak of the tuberculosis epidemic, so many people died by the hour that the staff had no choice but to use the chute to transport the bodies from the Sanatorium.

At that time, doctors believed that the treatment for tuberculosis included mental well-being. If the still living patients saw how many people were actually dying from the same disease they were suffering from, they may give up hope and die also. By using the body chute, the staff could keep the other patients from seeing so many bodies wheeled through the halls of the main building.

Answer: Removal of ribs

Deflating infected parts of the lung was also believed to be a good treatment for tuberculosis by inserting a small balloon into the lungs to inflate and deflate infected areas. However, thoracoplasty refers to the treatment of opening the patient's chest and removing several ribs.

The doctors believed this would help the patients breathe better by removing portions of the body, which they believed put too much pressure on the lungs. By removing the ribs, the lungs would have more room to expand.

It was believed to be necessary to remove seven to eight ribs total, but the doctors (for safety reasons) would only remove two or three ribs at a time causing patients to undergo several of these surgeries. Another gruesome treatment was called lobectomy, where the doctors actually removed the diseased portion of the lungs.

Answer: She was unmarried and pregnant

According to the stories, the woman was a young nurse working the hospital in the 1920s. She was unmarried and discovered that she was pregnant. Unable to deal with her depression over the situation, she decided to hang herself in 1928. Room 502 is supposed to be one of the most haunted areas of the hospital.

It is said that the fifth floor housed the mentally insane tuberculosis patients in order to keep them away from the rest of the patients. People who have entered this room have reported hearing disembodied voices tell them to "Get out", moans, screams, and have seen shapes moving in the shadows. According to the stories, this room seems to be connected to other suicides at the Sanatorium.

Answer: She jumped from the roof patio

According to the stories, this woman was also a nurse at the Sanatorium who worked in room 502. She jumped from the roof patio in 1932. Nowhere does it say why she jumped, though many believe that she may have actually been pushed off the edge. There is no record or actual evidence to prove or disprove the latter.

Answer: Ball

According to those who have seen little Timmy, he is usually seen with a ball. You also know when Timmy is around because people have reported seeing a ball roll up to them from the darkness or bouncing in the hallway. People have also seen the figure of a child run across the hallway into patient rooms. Apparently Timmy is a playful ghost and just wants someone to play with him.

He may have been one of the unfortunate victims of the tuberculosis epidemic.

Answer: All of these have been reported

These are all things that have been reported, and these are only a few examples! The most common of these is probably the shadow people, which visitors have reported seeing all over the Sanatorium. The current owner of Waverly Hills has reported the black cloud and several security guards have reported seeing a hearse drive up the hill.

Some other occurrences at Waverly Hills include people seeing strange lights with their own eyes as well as on photographs (there has not been electricity in the building for many years and all of the windows have been busted out), a ghostly chef accompanied with the smell of freshly baked bread, voices, and disembodied footsteps.

Answer: Fourth

The fourth floor is the only floor that is kept locked. Apparently this is because that floor is not structurally sound and is unsafe for visitors to walk through as parts of the floor have fallen in. Also, it is regarded as the most active part of Waverly Hills. Reports from this floor include shadow people, slamming doors, a man in a long white coat who is seen near the treatment rooms, and strange shapes that pass between the hallway and the rooms.

I hope you learned a little about Kentucky's most haunted place. Maybe it will entice you to come visit the old Sanatorium, they do tours! Thanks for playing. I gathered my information from www.therealwaverlyhills.com and www.prairieghosts.com/waverly_tb.html