Hello everyone, happy November! Halloween was a couple of weeks ago, but that doesn’t mean it’s too late to get spooky. This post is all about my very first trip to the haunted Waverly Hills Sanatorium.
You may have never heard of Waverly Hills before. I’ll start by explaining the history of Waverly. Waverly Hills opened in 1910 in Louisville, Kentucky, as a tuberculosis hospital. The Louisville area had an outbreak of tuberculosis cases staring in the early 1900s. There were so many cases that they had to build a large building just for treating tuberculosis patients. The hospital stayed open until 1961 when the cure for tuberculosis was found. Shortly after closing as a tuberculosis hospital, Waverly Hills opened back up and became a nursing home. The nursing home was called Woodhaven. Woodhaven took care of mostly dementia and other mentally ill patients. Woodhaven ended up shutting down in the early 1980s due to supposed patient abuse and low funds. After Woodhaven shut down, the building was left abandoned for years. Eventually, the building was bought and used for paranormal investigation tours after realizing that it was very haunted. The number of deaths in Waverly Hills is unknown. despite not knowing the exact number, Waverly is one of the most haunted buildings in the country.
My parents started going to Waverly Hills when I was a kid, probably not even ten years old yet. At the time, I wasn’t old enough to go with them. I remember they would always come home and talk about the things they heard or saw at Waverly. Hearing all the stories as I grew up is the main thing that sparked my interest in the paranormal. I was so excited when I bought my ticket earlier this year; I could finally experience my first ghost tour at Waverly Hills.
On the day of the tour, I met with my group of friends that were coming with me. We stayed together hanging out all day, even though we didn’t have to be at Waverly until midnight that night. Despite how excited I was, I was feeling a bit nervous before the tour. I was concerned that I might freak out if I actually saw a ghost, haha. Even still, the fear wouldn’t stop me from going on the tour and marking this off of my bucket list.
When we arrived at Waverly Hills at midnight, I was still feeling anxious, but I was excited to get started. We got checked in at the gate, it was time to go inside. After waiting in the lobby for a few minutes, our tour guide came in to get us started. The tour guide split us all into two groups for the night in which I got separated from my dad and sister. Thankfully, I was in a group with all of my friends, although I was unable to stick with my family. Each group would be touring a different floor for one hour and trading off throughout the night.
My friends and I got sent to tour the third floor first. Knowing that we had to start on the third floor made me more nervous because I heard that it was the scariest floor. We hesitantly made our way up the stairs to the third floor. As soon as we made it up the stairs, I looked down the long hallway and saw nothing but darkness. We were on the third floor for about thirty seconds when already, a rubber ball rolled out of a nearby room towards my brother in law. He was the first one to start screaming, obviously, haha. After that incident, we were all freaked out and huddled together while walking down the hallway. We may have even heard a door shut somewhere behind us in the hallway. A few minutes later, our tour guide heard us getting scared and screaming, oops haha. He had to tell us not to be afraid and to stay calm. Not that easy, but we stayed quiet after that.
The remainder of the night went smoothly and it was the best time. After being inside for the night, the fear went away, but excitement kicked in. Now I will get to some of the big highlights that happened that night. On the fourth floor, some of us mysteriously started feeling a little sick. Some of us had a slightly nauseous feeling. Our tour guide did tell us that something like that commonly happens in Waverly. On one of the floors, I can’t remember which, we saw a balcony door open on its own. Something like that may have happened because of wind, but who knows, maybe it was paranormal. We heard some questionable sounds throughout the night, whispers, thuds, and more. We also saw shadows and things passing through the hallways that made us wonder if it was real or imagined. I even captured a picture with what looks to be a ghost-like figure. I drew a circle around the figure, in case anyone has trouble seeing it!
Overall I had a great experience at Waverly and I witnessed a large amount of activity. After my tour at Waverly Hills, I believe that it is a haunted place. I plan to visit Waverly Hills again in the future because I had such a blast on my first tour. Whether you believe in the paranormal or not, I hope that you enjoyed this post. Have a safe November! Until next post.
Love, Abby
Abby Style 