Hey today i printed out 4 pages on the history of the Waverly Hills Sanitorium in Louisville, Kentucky. Me, my friend Rose, and her mom are 'possibly' going to it during the summer this year. I'll tell you the history of it since i have nothing better to do.
THE WAVERLY HILLS SANITORIUM HISTORY-BY CAITLIN
In 1926, it was built to become a hospital for victims of the dreadful disease, tuberculosis. Tuberculosis is a disease of the lungs, where the person(s) cough up mucus and sputum, get a high fever, lose weight, and have severe chest pain. Most people die if not properly treated for it. In those days, people did not have medicine to treat the disease, so doctors thought the best way to treat it was fresh air, nutritional food, and lots of rest. Most patients survived at Waverly Hills, but it is said that more than 10,000 people died there.
Most of the time, the treatments for the disease were worse than the disease itself. Some of them would be considered 'barbaric' to society now. Their lungs were exposed to ultra-violet light to stop the spread of bacteria, which were done in the sun rooms, balloons were surgically implanted in the lungs and then filled with air to expand them, and muscles and ribs were removed to allow the lungs to let more oxygen in. Few of the patients survived the gruesome treatments.
Although some patients left through the front door, many let through what is known as the 'Body Chute', an enclosed tunnel where the dead went from the hospital to the railroad racks at the bottom of the hill. Then they would secretly be lowered into awaiting trains to take them away. It was done in secret so the other patients couldn't see how many were dying.
By the late 1930's, there weren't as many out breaks of tuberculosis, and by 1943, new medicines had been created to help treat the disease. In 1961, Waverly Hills Sanitorium closed down, but reopened a year later as the Woodhaven Geriatrics Sanitarium. Many rumors of patient abuse were heard about the Geriatrics Sanitarium, as well as unusual experiments done on patients, like 'electroshock therapy', which is where electrodes are strapped to the head and electricity is passed through the brain to cause a brief seizure. It was used especially wit people who have mental diseases or depression.
In the 1960's and 1970's, budget cuts led to both patient mistreatment and horrible conditions. Finally, in 1982, it was closed down for good.
That's the history of Waverly Hills Sanitorium. Send me comments if you wanna know why it is haunted. (Haha, i'm making you wait)
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