Waverly Hills Sanatarium

Today we took a tour of Waverly Hill Sanatarium.  It is located in Louisville, Kentucky and was originally created to house tuberculosis patients.  It has been closed for many years, and the current owners want to eventually turn it into a hotel.  Based on what I saw during our tour, I think the hotel is a long ways off, if it ever happens.  

I booked our two-hour, daytime, historical tour online.  Our tour was to start at 2:00.  The ticket info said to arrive by 1:45.  We got there a little early and were told to wait at the gate; someone would come down to let us all in soon.  More cars continued to arrive, with everyone just sitting outside the gate.  Eventually, people got out of their cars and congregated near the gate.  

Finally, at 2:06, a lady on a golf cart came out to ask for our names.  She also proceeded to look in the rest of our car to make sure we weren't sneaking anyone else inside!!! I couldn't believe this.  

After we were checked off the list, we went in the gate and parked in a lot near the Sanatarium.  We were directed to a nearby building to, once again, check in!

We had to sign in again and receive an admission ticket.  They had a small gift shop, a video playing (that you couldn't hear), and chairs to sit down in.  Finally, an employee went up to the front to go over the rules and then we split into two groups.  

By 2:40 (!), we were finally beginning our tour.

The entrance to Waverly Hills Sanatarium

Going into the body chute area

The body chute

One of the few areas of the building that has begun renovations

Hallway

Electric Shock Therapy

Our guide says they aren't sure if any of these pieces are true to the Sanatarium.  Apparently, a funeral home had them and said they came from the Sanatarium but there is no proof.

What almost all of the rooms look like:

A balcony where some patients were brought for sun therapy

The OR

In this area it is believed that a pregnant nurse committed suicide.  The father was apparently a married doctor.

On the roof of Waverly Hills Sanatarium

I found the daytime, historical tour of Waverly Hills to be a little interesting and a little disappointing.  Our tour guide wasn't there best.  We specifically chose not to do a paranormal tour, but she still included quite a bit of this information.  She also spent half the tour interacting with her flashlight that "kept turning on and off" and the spirits in the room.  It was obviously one of those flashlights that you twist to turn on and off.  She kept getting onto the group about not going inside of rooms and not spending time taking pictures so that we could finish the tour, yet wasted so much time talking to her flashlight.  Also, the Sanatarium is used as a haunted house in the fall.  They have painted many walls for this and have props throughout the building, which take away from the true, historical aspects of the building.  Other than that, it was an interesting tour with a little history thrown in on the time period and its medical implications.