What was originally designed to be a care center for tuberculosis patients, became one of the most haunted places in America. Welcome to Waverly Hills Sanatorium.
Waverly Hills Sanatorium was originally built as a school by Major Thomas H. Hays in 1883. He was in need of a school for his daughters to attend, and bought the land for that purpose. He hired a woman by the name of Lizzie Lee Harris to teach at the school. Lizzie loved it so much she named the little school house, Waverly School, after the Waverly Novels by Sir Walter Scott. Major Hays liked the name, and chose to name his property, “Waverly Hill.”
The Board of Tuberculosis Hospital purchased the land and built what is known as the Waverly Hills Sanatorium, keeping the original name. Construction began in 1908 and the sanatorium opened for business on July 26, 1910.
The building was designed to accommodate 40-50 tuberculosis patients. TB was a very serious disease at this time. The clinic soon filled to more than 140 people! Because TB was so contagious, and people, at the time, did not know it was an airborne disease, infected people were not allowed to live among the general population. Thus, Waverly Hills became a self-contained community.
Waverly Hills boasted it’s own Post Office, Water Treatment Facility, Grew it’s own fruits and vegetables, and even raised it’s own meat for slaughter. Everyone, patients, nurses, doctors and other employees had to say goodbye to their outside lives, because once you went to Waverly Hills, you were a permanent resident.
In March of 1924, the Sanatorium underwent renovations, increasing it’s capacity from 40 patients to 400+ patients. The updated facility opened in October 1926 and remained open, serving as a tuberculosis hospital until 1961, when TB was cured by an antibiotic, and rendered the facility obsolete. During it’s run, an approximated 6,000 patients died within the walls of the Waverly Hills Sanatorium.
In 1962 the building was reopened as WoodHaven Medical Services, a geriatric facility. This facility was intended for the care of the elderly, but in 1981, by court order, WoodHaven Medical Services was forced to shut down. They had been mistreating, even killing, their patients.
Paranormal researchers, psychics and visitors to the sanatorium all have very similar stories when they leave. Here are just a few of the reported hauntings.
An elderly female often resorts to running from the main entrance of the hospital. She is bonded by chains and crying out for help. Blood is visible on her wrists where the chains cut into her skin. Then, before anyone can do anything, she vanishes before their eyes.
A young female has been seen on the third floor. She talks to the living, telling them she cannot see, she has no eyes. She can sometimes be seen looking out the window. She is often referred to as “Mary.”
In room 502, you can see the head nurse, who, in 1928, hung herself inside the room. She had just discovered she was pregnant and unwed. Sometimes a second nurse is seen, this one jumped from the window of the room to her death in 1932. Entering the room leaves visitors with a deep sense of foreboding and despair.
In or around the kitchen area, you can often catch the scent of cooking food, or even spot the spirit of the former chef, who had caught tuberculosis while working at the Waverly Hills Sanatorium.
Children can also be seen and heard. A little boy named Timmy, who is about six or seven, likes to roll balls around the building. Investigators have brought toy balls for him to play with, and have had the ball rolled back without any visible cause. There is also a little girl who wanders the building. The children are most often spotted on the roof.
The fourth floor is considered to be the most “active” floor. Ghostly shadow-like images are spotted in the halls, and doors frequently slam for no reason. If you listen carefully, you may also hear angry voices and other noises.
Psychic Marie St. Claire visited Waverly Hills. “I can’t say that there’s necessarily anything evil there, but what I did pick up on was a whole lot of bad feelings and mental pain, which were so strong they made me nauseous. I feel that a lot of this pain came not from the tuberculosis era but from the geriatric era of the hospital.” She concluded, “Waverly is very haunted. I’m not surprised that a place with such a dark history is. I would be more surprised if it wasn’t.”
We have another hospital for you – except this one has a Morgue Tunnel. Check out this story about Candler Hospital.
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