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Waverly Hills: A Short History Lesson

The current structure was opened in 1926 to accommodate the growing number of
Tuberculosis patients. The sanatorium began with humble beginnings. Originally
another smaller structure had been built, but was unable to keep up with the deadly
disease that was sweeping the state and the country. In order to conceal the deaths with
in the walls of Waverly from the other patients the tunnel that was originally built to
bring supplies and employees up from the trains at the bottom of the hill was then used
to transport bodies down to awaiting trains by means of a rail system in the tunnel.
Thus, the "Body Chute" came to be. Another term used for the chute is the "Death
Tunnel". The name gained notoriety from the "Booth Brothers" movie of the same
name. At the time of its conception the sanatorium was considered state of the art. New
and cutting edge technology was put into place. It operated as a sanatorium until 1961.

It was reopened as Wood Haven Medical Center. The center operated as an geriatrics
facility (old folks home) until it was closed by the state of Kentucky in 1980 for the
mistreatment of its patients. It had been purchased by several persons since then for
various business ventures that never took off, but basically remained abandoned.

Waverly's current owners are Charlie and Tina Mattingly. They are in the process of
restoring the old building. Funding for the project comes from conducting tours and
overnight investigations. Every Halloween the 1st floor is converted into a haunted
house with actors and props. If you ask me they don't need the actors. For more
information on Waverly, see their official website. Click on the link below.
http://www.therealwaverlyhills.com/home.htm

Welcome to our special report of Waverly Hills Sanatorium. Because of
Waverly's popularity and reported activity we wanted to expand our normal
investigation report. As with most paranormal investigators it was a dream
turned reality for us when we were able to investigate one of the most
haunted locations in the U.S.

Here are some tips if you are considering going to Waverly for the first time.

Make sure you book a hotel/motel in advance. There are several in the area. But to
find the best deal, you don't want to wait to late too make the reservations. The closer
to tour or investigation time, the less your chances are for availability. We stayed at
the Days Inn on Cane Run Road, which is a little further than we could have gotten,
but, not so far that it was an inconvenience. We were more than happy with the
accommodations. The rooms were larger than most and was probably one of the
cleanest I had seen in a while.

Scout the drive to Waverly in the daytime. I had directions and still had difficulty
finding the turn off of Dixie Highway. And then Paralee, we passed the road the first
time. Better yet take one of the daytime history tours prior to your actual
investigation. This way you can get outdoor pictures and a better idea of what is where
within the building. It is disorienting in the dark.
Once there for your investigation they will bring you to the old Laundry Room, which
is completely renovated into a waiting area, rest rooms, and gift shop equipped with
drinks and snacks. So if you forget something to drink you can get bottled water etc.
for the night ahead. Be prepared to watch a clip on Waverly as while you wait for the
regular tours to end. They had trespassers that night so we had to wait until the
building was cleared. So don't expect to start investigating at the time they give you.
You can take pictures of some of the artifacts that was recovered while you wait.

While on the tour prior to your investigation make sure you pay attention to the guide.
No matter how prepared you think you are, watching tv, reading articles or books,
searching the internet etc. You will need their input on where everything is located.
Our guide just happened to be part of the Waverly Hills Paranormal Investigation
team and he gave us tips on activity that we did not hear about previously. Be kind to
the folks working at Waverly. They are volunteers and love what they are doing. They
are excited to share info with you. We could,t have met a nicer bunch of people.
If you did not book the entire building for your group, you will be sharing it with
several others. Some of them were investigators while others were just there for the
experience. When we found out that there was a total of 45 poeple going in at the same
time, we thought it would be impossible to catch anything. To be quite honest, we
hardly noticed anyone else there. Just be aware of their presence when reviewing you
evidence.

Another thing to be aware of is that Waverly has installed IR cameras in the building.
So, if you see a strange light on your Sony camcorders, it could be the camera's IR
lights your seeing. It caught us of guard when we first went in. There is also a lot of
reflective areas, so make note of these when filming.

At the "Body Chute", don't expect to spend a lot of time down there. They basically let
you walk down it and back. And, you best be fit to do so. It is a work out coming
back up. We were surprised to find that other than 2 other people we were the only
group to go all the way down. Half way up we knew why. Also there is allot of debris
on the stairs and the flat area where the old rail system existed. You will need your
flashlight.

Louisville has a lot to offer the tourist. So, if possible make plans to visit other areas
while in town. We visited Old Louisville and fell in love with the old Victorian homes
complete with working gaslight street lamps. If you are into history as well as haunting
it is a must see. We also walked downtown and visited the riverfront. We hope you
enjoy your trip, we did.

WE HOPE SOME OF THESE TIPS HELP YOU WITH YOUR JOURNEY

INTITIAL INVESTIGATION