In 1883, a man named Thomas Major Hayes bought a plot of land, which he built a school for his daughters to attend. He started as a one room school house in the woolen pages in Louisville. He hired a woman named Lizzie Lee Harris to teach the new school. He loved the tiny one-room schoolhouse and loved Scott’s Waverley Novels. He started calling the school “Waverly School”. The mayor liked the name and took ownership of Waverly Hill.
In the early 1900s there was an outbreak of tuberculosis. The Louisville swamp has flooded several times over the years and this has provided perfect conditions for the growth of tuberculosis bacteria. So in 1908, plans were in place to build a facility to treat patients stricken with tuberculosis. The Tuberculosis Board, which was set up to find a suitable site, was awarded $25,000 to take care of building a new hospital in Waverly Hill, Ill.
In 1911 all the most serious patients were moved from the state hospital to Waverly Hill and housed in hanging tents to complete the new tuberculosis hospital. And in December 1912 a new hospital was opened. He started building two stories building with wonderful roofs and in the house only 40-50 patients at a time.
However, with tuberculosis reaching epidemic proportions, it became a tiny public hospital with more than 140 patients. Soon the plans for the hospital chapter were passed. The new care facility was designed to accommodate 400 patients in a huge gothic style senatorial building. He was also concerned with the ease of his modern times. Approval was given to begin construction of a more equipped hospital and it began in March of 1924.
On October 17, 1926, a new 5-story hospital opened its doors. In 1943 a new treatment called Streptomycin was introduced. After its introduction, the number of tuberculosis cases dropped until there was no longer a need for such a large care facility. And lastly the rest of the sick were transported to Hazel-wood, which was much less in Louisville. Waverly Hills was closed for quarantine in June 1961.
In 1962 the Geriatric Hospital building was re-opened as Wood. In 1981 Wood-port was ordered by the courts to close due to alleged patient abuse. Although it was widely reported that this had happened, no documentation can be found.
In 1983 the property was purchased with the plan to convert the building into a prison. Due to protests, the project was abandoned. And the building was empty for more than 10 years.
In 1996, a man named Robert Alberta, a life-long resident of Louisville, purchased property with plans to erect the world’s largest statue. day-saints”>Jesus Christ at the Waverly site, along with the worship center. But his plans fell short of funds. For this reason the property was left abandoned for several years until he tried to have the building condemned. developed country His motion was denied because the building was considered a historic landmark. So he tried to damage the structure by bulldozing around the southern parameters, hoping that the structure would give way and collapse. With the hope of money from insurance. The effort failed, the owners sold Tina & Charlie Mattingly in 2001. They intend to restore the original building to its original state.
In an effort to raise funds to restore the historic building, Mattingly took on tours. Every October they turn the building into a Haunted House attraction. They also hold ghost tours throughout the year. For a fee you can be a paranormal investigator and hunt down the shadows of past patients. They have two levels of Holy Ghosts, one that offers a full search night, and the other is a partial search. It all goes to the preservation of this historic site.
Mattingly’s efforts are not only preserving the history of Waverly Hills, but the history of all Kentuckians, because Waverly Hills is part of the whole history.
