In March
of 1996, Robert Alberhasky bought Waverly
Hills and the surrounding area. Alberhasky's
Christ the Redeemer Foundation Inc. had
plans to construct the world's tallest
statue of Jesus on the Waverly site, along
with an arts and worship center. The statue,
which was inspired by the famed Christ
the Redeemer statue on Corcovado Mountain
in Rio de Janeiro, would have been designed
by local sculptor Ed Hamilton and architect
Jasper Ward. The statue would have rested
on the roof of the sanatorium.
The first phase, coming in at a cost
of $4,000,000, would be a statue of Jesus
150-foot tall and 150-foot wide. The second
phase would convert the old sanatorium
into a chapel, theater, and a gift shop
at a cost of $8,000,000 or more.
The plan to construct this religious
icon fell through because donations to
the project fell well short of expectations.
In a period of a year, only $3,000 was
raised towards the effort despite efforts
to pool money from across the nation.
As a result, the project was cancelled
in December of 1997.
As a result, Alberhasky abandoned the
Waverly Hills property. In order to recoup
some of the costs of purchasing the property
and then some, Alberhasky attempted to
have the property condemned so that it
could be torn down and redeveloped. That
notion was denied by the county, and Alberhasky
then attempted to undermine the structural
foundations of the building by bulldozing
around the southern perimeter in order
to receive insurance money.
After Alberhasky's efforts failed, Waverly
Hills was sold to current owners Tina
and Charlie Mattingly in 2001. Charlie's
father, who died in 2005, worked as an
orderly at Waverly Hills for approximately
four years. The Mattinglys currently hold
tours of Waverly Hills and convert the
building into a haunted house attraction
each Halloween. Proceeds go toward the
renovation of the property.
Room 502
Haunting
Room 502 is perhaps the most notable location
in Waverly Hills and the number has sometimes
been adopted symbolically. One story claims
that a nurse hanged herself after finding
she was pregnant out of wedlock and attempting
surgery upon herself to abort the illegitimate
child. Another tells a different nurse
who jumped from a balcony. However, the
SciFi Channel series Ghost Hunters turned
up no records or death certificates to
confirm the legends, although there is
confirmation of the nurse's suicide by
hanging and her discovery in official
records. Some sources claim there is also
confirmation of the second death, but
it is currently disputed. Other common
sightings in Waverly Hills include the
vista of young children running through
the halls, as the hospital had a large
number of children and families housed
there.
Apparitions & Other
Strange Events
The most common experience of visitors
seems to be "moving shadows"
or "shadow people". These are
shadows that appear to have some substance
- able to "walk" across doorways
and, demonstrated in the Sci-Fi Channel
special Spooked, able to block some light
when a laser is pointed at them. There
are many reports of these shadows both
inside and outside the building.
Glowing Orbs (nicknamed "Soul Orbs"
by some) have also been photographed there.
These small balls of light appear almost
like lightbulbs or specks of dust when
captured on film, but there has been no
electric power to the building in years.
They are often reported to fly around
corridors and spawn other orbs.
Some photos show indistinct "brown
imps" outside the grounds too, but
these humanoid shapes are a less common
sighting. The existing photographic evidence
of the imps is dubious to say the least.
There have been many Electronic_voice_phenomenon
recordings made in the building and grounds.
Varying from the more common "Get
out" or "Go away" to more
specific statments like "What kind
of hospital is this?" and "The
winch" (referring to the winch that
powered the Death Tunnel's body card,
and recorded in that area). The makers
of the movie Death Tunnel (and the documentary
Spooked) recorded many such voices and
sounds while filming.
Ghosts
Often a boy bouncing a ball is seen and
at least one small, old, leather ball
has been found in the building. Investigators
once found a ball rolling towards them,
and it being moved by an unseen force.
Electronic_voice_phenomenon recordings
feature a child saying "I am three".
There have been numerous sightings and
recordings of small children.
Another notable vision is the sight of
a woman - reports vary as to the age and
appearance - bearing chains around bloodied
wrists chanting or screaming "Help
me!" at the entrance of the building.
The most common apparition though is
of a young girl with no eyes which has
appeared on photos and been encountered
by witnesses. This girl is called "Mary"
by staff and researchers, based on a recovered
photo of a young woman that was recovered
and was signed "Love, Mary Lee".
However, the girl in the photo is older
than most reports of the ghosts percieved
age. Mary is the most conversational of
the ghosts and has spoken to many people,
usually wanting to play games with them.
Also of note is the "death tunnel"
or "body chute" which was first
constructed to move supplies to the building
during the cold winters. Because of the
increasing number of daily deaths from
the horrible disease, the staff also transported
dead bodies in the tunnel to the bottom
of the hill on which the sanatorium was
built. They believed this would help keep
up the morale of the patients by not allowing
them to see the hearses picking up the
deceased. At the height of epidemic, there
were as many as seven to ten deaths each
day. At one point in time, it was reported
that as many as three per hour died there,
but there is no independant confirmation
of that figure.
The Death Tunnel! This tunnel has to be
the most famous tunnel up at Waverly Hills.
It has been a major subject of discussion
among people who have been to visit Waverly
on tours during October. For some reason...this
tunnel has come to be called " the
body chute." Actually however, this
is an incorrect term...because a chute
is a slide. Bodies of deceased patients
were never slid down this tunnel and piled
up at the bottom in heaps - a popular
misconception that alot of people have
come to have about this tunnel.
In reality, this tunnel was originally
a steam tunnel that supplied the sanatorium
with hot steam for the radiators. Yes,
the boiler room was at one time at the
very bottom of the hill because of the
black smoke produced by the coal fed boilers.
The tunnel was also a good way for employees
to get up and down the hill during the
winter time and keep warm at the same
time. Transporting the bodies of deceased
tuberculosis patients was only ONE of
the uses of the tunnel. During the peak
years of tuberculosis there were a lot
of deaths at the sanatorium, and the staff
realized that it would be very discouraging
for patients to look out the windows and
see hearses pulling up and taking away
people who had died. Try to imagine yourself
being administered to the sanatorium with
a diagnosis of having TB. It is the late
1920's, and antibiotics have not been
invented yet. So, you realize that you
have a chance to get cured and live, but...you
could die too if the treatments they gave
you didn't work well enough. Now, imagine
how discouraged you would feel if you
looked out from your assigned room, and
when you pull the curtains back...you
see people who have died being picked
up with a hearse. And to make matters
worse...you see that perhaps many times
throughout a day. It would be so emotionally
depressing to you that you might give
up the fight to live. Then ....your bodies
defenses dwindle. It is a known fact that
if a person gets very depressed emotionally....it
can affect their bodies defense system
to the point that it may not fight off
a disease as well as if the person is
in good spirits. So, that is the reason
why the staff at Waverly would sneak the
bodies down through this tunnel!
Estimates vary wildly of how many died
at Waverly, though the owners of the building
say that it was around 63,000. This estimate
would be consistent with other TB hosptitals,
considering Waverly's size.
Do not enter the property
if you are not scheduled for a tour or
during other times without consent of
the owners.
Directions: Take East Pages Lane to Paralee
Lane that leads into Bobby Nichols Golf
Course. On the right, at the top of the
hill, is the renovated Laundry Room. Park
in the designated parking areas.
Need to know: Cameras, camcorders and
tripods are allowed. A few areas, due
to construction, are off-limits, but visitors
will see the vast majority and the roof
of the main structure and the laundry
facility. A video introduction is offered
in the laundry facility as well.
Waverly Tour Information
Waverly Tour Schedule
Fridays: Paranormal/Historical Tour 8:30pm
& 9:30pm
Saturdays: Paranormal/Historical Tour
8:30pm & 9:30pm
Sundays: Historical 2:30pm
Cost is $20.00 donation per person and
tour times must be reserved in advance.
Please contact and schedule your tour
with:
waverlytours@bellsouth.net
or call
502-417-4526 or 502-933-2142\
Keith
Age
President and founder of the Louisville
Ghost Hunters Society based in Louisville,
Kentucky and a long-time rep for
the American Ghost Society. His
investigations have taken him all
over the country, including to infamous
locations like the Waverly Hills
Sanatorium, Bobby Mackey's Music
World, the Willard Library and many
others. He is also the author of
the upcoming book, "Haunted
Louisville" and appears in
the documentary "Spooked",
which was filmed in conjunction
with the much anticipated "Death
Tunnel", filmed at Waverly
Hills.
Voted
as one of the "TOP TEN
GHOST HUNTERS PARANORML INVESTIGATORS
IN AMERICA 2007".
See
Who Else Made The Top Ten List
Visit Here!
Keith Age has also appeared on
numerous radio and television programs,
both local and National. Recently,
Keith Age was the Host of the Sci-Fi
Channel's airing of "Spooked:
The Ghosts of Waverly Hills Sanatorium,"
a career move which has moved him
from local celebrity status to being
nationally recognized as one of
the premiere paranormal investigators
of present day.
KEITH
AGE |
Commonly
referred to as "The
Rock & Roll Ghost Hunter,"
Keith Age, president of
the Louisville Ghost Hunters,
will soon be shooting another
installment of "Spooked,"
a documentary that made
its debut on SciFi in June
2005.
|
Louisville Ghost
Hunters Society
KEITH
AGE OFFICIAL WEBSITE www.louisvilleghs.com |
WAVERLY HILLS SANATORIUM DESKTOP WALLPAPERS
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Spooked: The Ghosts of
Waverly Hills Sanatorium
Premise: Waverly Hills Sanatorium, a former
tuberculosis treatment institution in
Louisville, is visited for an investigation
of alleged ghost sightings.
Premieres June 7 at 9/8C Sci Fi channel.
The most paranormal evidence captured
at a 1928 haunted sanatorium. If you don't
belive in ghosts, you will NOW! SPOOKED;
a Supernatural Documentary presented by
Sci Fi channel. "We spent over three
weeks inside Waverly and over 18 hours
inside the Death Tunnel," "Spooked"
producer Christopher Saint Booth said.
Directors
Christopher Saint Booth
Shane Dax Taylor
: SPOOKED / THE GHOSTS OF WAVERLY HILLS
SANATORIUM / DOCUMENTARY : SPOOKED PRODUCTIONS
: WWW.SPOOKED.ORG : Production Address:17939
Chatsworth Street, #130, Granada Hills,
California, 91344 USA / Contact Personal:
Christopher Saint @ TEL: Office 818-895-8872
Fax 818-895-8972 Email: eardig@aol.com
/ Blog: www.spookednews.blogspot.com /
www.myspace.com/spookedghosts
SPOOKED, The Ghosts of Waverly Hills
Sanatorium, documents paranormal evidence
including, ORBS, EVPS, Shadow People,
Ghostly Photography and video, interviews
with actual patients, ghost hunters and
the people of Waverly Hills Sanatorium.
If you don't believe in ghosts, you will
NOW!!! 87 minutes of ghostly evidence
of the damned. No documentary takes you
closer to the truth that ghosts exist.
HEAR and SEE the FEAR.
Spooked: The Ghosts of Waverly Hills Sanatorium
Sun, Jun 25 07:00 PM 2006 SCI-FI
Waverly Hills Sanatorium
On the Internet
Official
Waverly Hills Sanatorium/ Woodhaven Geriatric
Center Memorial & Historical Resource
http://whsmemorial.tripod.com/
SPOOKED
SPOOKED Ghosts Of Waverly Hills Sanatorium
Chilling documentary reveals the most
startling paranormal evidence ever recorded
Dir. Christopher Saint.
http://www.spooked.org/
WAVERLY
HILLS SANATORIUM!
Those Who Linger: The History & Hauntings
of the Waverly Hills Sanatorium in Louisville,
Kentucky.
http://www.prairieghosts.com/waverly_tb.html
Official
Waverly Hills Sanatorium/ Woodhaven Geriatric
Center ...
Welcome to the Official Waverly Hills
and Woodhaven memorial site. Our objective
is to provide a resource and a memorial
for all the people who lives made ...
http://whsmemorial.tripod.com/
What
is Waverly Hills Sanatorium?
Official Waverly Hills Sanatorium/ Woodhaven
Geriatric Center Memorial & Historical
Resource. What is Waverly Hills Sanatorium?
...
http://whsmemorial.tripod.com/id32.html
Waverly
Hills Sanatorium
Beth's trip to Waverly Hills Sanatorium,
Louisville, Kentucky.
http://www.graveaddiction.com/waverlyh.html
Waverly
Hills Sanatorium - Wikipedia, the free
encyclopedia
Waverly Hills Sanatorium, located in Louisville,
Kentucky, ... Waverly Hills Sanatorium
at Abandoned Online - Incl. tour information
and contacts. ...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waverly_Hills_Sanatorium
waverly.htm
Located
near Louisville, Kentucky, the Waverly
Hills Sanatorium was originally ... Originally
photographed at the Waverly Hills Sanatorium,
it now has been ...
http://www.paratexas.com/waverly.htm
Waverly
Hills Sanatorium - September 25, 2004
Ghosts-a-go-go! Welcome to the metaphysical
world of paranormal investigator Dr. Becky
Ray. Becky is a member of the local Kansas
City group, PAI, ...
http://ghostsagogo.com/waverly.html
SCIFI.COM
| Spooked
scifi.com logo. scifi.com navigation.
http://www.scifi.com/spooked/
www.Ghost-Investigators.com
- Stories - Waverly Hills Sanatorium
Web site devoted to ghosts and hauntings
in Kansas City.
http://www.ghost-investigators.com/Stories/view_story.php?story_num=27
Waverly
Hills Sanatorium: Information From Answers.com
Waverly Hills Sanatorium Waverly Hills
Sanatorium , located in Louisville, Kentucky
, was constructed begining in 1908 and
opened in 1910 as a.
http://www.answers.com/topic/waverly-hills-sanatorium
Ghost
Articles & Haunted Stories
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