Waverly Hills Sanitorium - Comments

[Firesite]

To the hundreds of comments lost, I am truly sorry.  Please feel free to discuss, complain, encourage, or goof around here as much as you want.

Thanks &  have fun!

[TD_Maker]

Firesite,
I grew up in the Valley Station are of Louisville, Kentucky, and I used to go up to Waverly Hills quite often as a young boy. This was in the 70's mostly.  There were two unmarked entrances from the road (One of those required going through Bobby Nichols Golf Course) We used to ride our Mini Bikes up there and look at the people who were staring out the windows to get a little sunshine.  Funny thing is, the inmates were up there in the dead of winter as well, and you could actually see their breath coming from their mouths because it was so cold inside the building as well.  The patients would just stare at us in their long white hospital robes without ever changing their expression.  Kind of freaky really.

Waverly Hills served dual purposes as a tuberculosis  hospital, and a mental institution.  Indeed, there was a "Death Tunnel" which led from the basement to the road below, and trucks of all kinds would be there waiting for their cargo (human or not) 

Later on after the institution was preparing to close, a bunch of us actually got the nerve to enter the place.  It was totally freaky. We had heard about the "502" room, and we went and found it.  There was indeed alot of old medical equipment, patient charts, beds, and other stuff which was just left in the building.  Then, we walked down the "Death Tunnel"  There was years and years of writings printed on the walls from pencils, old grease pencils, and ink pens from people who actually traversed down the long and dark tunnel. I have never been more freaked out in my life; however, I did not let that stop me from taking my girlfriend up there for unpure purposes.

I have alot of memories about this place, and I would be happy to share them if you are interested.

[Firesite]

I have alot of memories about this place, and I would be happy to share them if you are interested.

Absoluty!  You wouldn't have happened to take any pictures all those years ago?  That would be cool  to see how things were just left in place.  Ever see a ghost there?

[TD_Maker]

Ghost sitings were very common at the time; however, we were not aware of what they really were.  For instance:  I once was walking down the "Death Tunnel" by myself during a dark night (on a dare) .  I felt something on my shoulder, and I turned to find an old man who had his hand outreached to me as if to say "Help me"   I started to run, but something trip me as if they had me by the ankle.  Now I played football, so I know what it felt like to be tackled, and this did not feel any different than that!  I kicked free and ran to the end of the tunnel where my friends were waiting for me.  We all ran like hell from that place.  The next day, we all went back into the tunnel where it was not quite so dark, and there was an old shoe laying exactly where the incident happened.  I swear, the shoe had not been there the day before.  We all felt a cold breeze come upon us, and again, we ran like hell.

Waverly was a strange place.  One time, we went up there and found a guy just walking around the grounds.  He did have the typical long white hospital gown on, but he was freely walking around like he owned the place.  We tried to get him to say something, but he was just staring at us.  Finally, we got up enough nerve to go inside of the building to find some help getting this guy back inside. When we finally got some help, the patient had disappeared.  We later found out that there was no one missing, and we were told that we "kids" had an active imagination.  No way!  We chased that guy for 30 minutes.

During Christmas time, Waverly would put up a giant blue cross on top of the building (all lit up like Elvis' house)  The cross could be seen for miles.  During a snow storm, the grounds would make for GREAT sled riding because the roads leading from the hospital would freeze over, and it would be fast and slick. We would go up there at night, and we would see dozens of patients looking out the windows in the atrium watching us ride.  I actually, felt bad for them.  It had to be hell inside of that place.

[Schmoogs]

I dont thing u should  give up on Waverly  Hills Sanitorium if  possible go to the owners and if they are not in agreement  to   your research then  take it higher.... people want to know  heck I can do paper shuffling for  you ..DON'T GIVE UP!!!!! We are always  questioning as a society  ghosts and the unknown well this  could  be the key with this many deaths the answers are there.. Can  you be the makers of modern day history? The road  you must travel  is going to lok hopeless but the answers will be well worth  your troubles.. Signed, Schmoogs

[Firesite]

Hello Owen,
 
          First I'd like to say that you did a phenomenal job on your coverage of the Waverly Hills Sanitorium. I enjoyed reading it very much.
 
          I was looking at the pictures you posted and I noticed that some of the background buildings were still very dark. I downloaded one picture, in particular, and used one of my programs to add some light and contrast to the background. It may be just some strange play of light and shadow, but it really looks like a figure standing at one of the windows. I also did a zoom in on the picture and it definately looks like something is there.
 
         I'm attaching the pics so you can see what you think. I've done nothing to the pic except add some light and contrast - and I drew a white circle just to define the area in question.
 
        If it's nothing, then it's nothing, but since you have considerable more experience in this sort of thing, I thought you should decide it.
 
Thanks again,
 
Paul

Looks like it could be something to me, and I believe it's in the same window the other humanoid figures showed up in.  It's either shadows from the flash, someone in there, or a ghost.

I'd put money on shadows from flashes.

-O

[Firesite]

I it is in fact the same room:

[Mongo]

Looks like a spot on the wall inside to me.

[Firesite]

Looks like a spot on the wall inside to me.

That could be, but the only reason I don't think so is because the picture the viewer sent & the one that shows just a 'head' peeking out...were almost the same angle...one was closer and to the right.  A spot on the wall that big should have shown up in both, no?

If I ever go back, I am spending the night in that room.

[Mongo]

Hard to say, pix are always weird.  It would definitely be worth a trip to go look at the room and see what's there. 

[Firesite]

Someone also pointed out in that picture with the head, if you look at the window in the upper right hand corner there seems to be a woman's fiigure....

I just thought...could that be a nurse?

Doubt it...that's more shadows and wall crap, but I could be wrong.

[gunslinger]

This is the zoom shot from the original above. I don't know if it adds definition or takes away from it, but I can clearly see what appears to be a forearm and left hand coming from a robe-like sleeve. The right hand, near the waist, is less visible, but there. And the legs are discernable also. I believe the dark area around the shoulders is part of the window frame, but the lower dark area could be part of the figure's clothing. Let me say that this is only as it appears to me, and may or may not be what is really there. I also need to say that this is Owen's pic, not mine. There are several pics on this site and I noticed some of the background buildings were quite dark. Given the history of Waverly Hills, I thought it might be interesting to light up the background a bit and see what showed up. Also, I just noticed one other thing - In all the other pics that show this window, there is the distinct window frame. 3 bold horizontal black lines and 1 vertical one running from the very bottom frame to the top one. But in this pic, I only see 2 upper bold black lines and a very short vertical one. Quite different from the other pics.

[Firesite]

Also, I just noticed one other thing - In all the other pics that show this window, there is the distinct window frame. 3 bold horizontal black lines and 1 vertical one running from the very bottom frame to the top one. But in this pic, I only see 2 upper bold black lines and a very short vertical one. Quite different from the other pics.

I noticed that too.  It is the same window.  Take a look at the full picture and look at the windows around it.  What ever the black thing is, is blending in with the frame.

I still think it's just shadows....maybe from the tree or something...





(I got a skeptical reputation to keep here)

[Firesite]

Also, it is important to not that those pictures were taken in the courtyard area.  That's why you see the gates in the one picture.  The Courtyard is supposed to be one of the most active areas on the property.

Just sayin'...

Ghosts ain't real.

[Mongo]

In the last one the shadow is covering up the stile in the upper window that's slid down.  It actually blurs it all the way to the top horizontal bar.