This former tuberculosis hospital in Louisville, KY had so many deaths that they built an underground tunnel to transport bodies so as not to disturb other patients. Our group went on a private overnight hunt to experience the wind, shadows, and eerie noises of this massive structure. This was the first hunt we tried using a Spirit Box and it resulted in an odd coincidence.
Date: April 11, 2019
Location: Louisville, KY
Investigators: Chris, Matt, Ana, Kate, El, Jason, Jody, Ryan, Craig, Brian
Location History
Waverly Hills Sanatorium was used as a tuberculosis hospital from the early to mid 1900’s. The facility was one of the most modern treatment facilities of its kind – designed so that each patient had access to fresh air while they tried to recover from their illness.
Unfortunately, many patients perished from this deadly disease. Waverly decided to transport the bodies out from the facility via an underground tunnel so as not to dishearten the other patients.
Today the Sanatorium lies largely in disuse and is featured on many Ghost Hunting television shows as one of the most haunted places in the world.
Our Experience
The Waverly Hunt sparked the creation of GRAVE Paranormal as an official ghost hunting group. We rented out Waverly Hills Sanitorium for a private overnight hunt.
Upon arrival, we were given a brief tour of the facility, then were set free to explore on our own until 4AM. This was a first ever hunt for many of our group, so we chose to stick together for most of the evening.
Our first area of exploration was the infamous underground tunnel. We walked the long length of the tunnel until we arrived at the sealed off exit. Just outside the tunnel exit is the Pump House, which has now been converted to a bunkhouse for ghost hunters to stay after an evening of hunting.
The tunnel itself was cold, wet, and creepy but we didn’t see or hear anything out of the norm.
Trying out the Spirit Box
The staff told us that an angry male presence resides in the main lobby. For the first time, we tried using a Spirit Box, which is a device the scans quickly through AM/FM frequencies providing white noise, where spirit voices seemingly are able to form words. We are not real believers in this science but wanted to try it out. In general, the words that are thrown out are hard to understand and decipher. While one person listened for words, the rest of us threw out random questions to the spirit.
When we asked his name, we thought we heard “Sam.” Later that evening when we stopped back to talk to the caretaker, we asked about the spirit’s name. She said his name is Tim but he likes to tell people it is Sam or other three letter names.
While that seems like we may have verified a paranormal experience, when we think logically, most ears will pick up short clips of sound (i.e. 3 letter words) from these choppy AM/FM frequencies. So, if we are listening for a name, it’s likely we’ll hear short names as a response.
But it was an odd coincidence that we thought we heard “Sam” and later learned that was a name the spirit sometimes uses.
Over the course of the night, we used EMF detectors to search for fluctuating magnetic fields. A laser grid pen was set up to make obvious any movement down hallways.
We were told that ghost children will sometimes engage the visitors, so we had brought balls and dolls to tempt them to come play. Unfortunately for us, they did not seem interested in interacting that night.
A Story from the Caretaker
One interesting tale we heard from the caretaker was about 2 young boys trapped on the 4th floor. There is a door damaged with hatchet strikes. Apparently, several years back a couple of boys broke into the facility and were on the 4th floor when they came face to face with a dark entity. The boys tried to leave the building but found the door firmly stuck.
A night watchman heard their screams and came to investigate. The boys had tried to chop their way through the door and were in the process of trying to squeeze one of the boys through a small window in the door, when the watchman arrived. The door then, having no locking mechanism, easily swung open. With the crisis over, the watchman could find no logical reason that the door would have been stuck closed.
A Strange EVP Experience
We also used digital recorders to run EVP sessions and listen for disembodied voices. One notable experience happened when 8 of our group members were conducting an EVP session on the 5th floor. We distinctly heard a woman’s voice. Our initial thought was that it was the other 2 members coming back to join us, but a quick walkie talkie check confirmed they were nowhere near us.
Could this have been a disembodied voice? Perhaps. While some people would jump to that conclusion, we do have to note that there is a neighborhood nearby. Being that it was a windy night, we can’t completely rule out that it wasn’t a neighborhood woman calling for her dog to come back inside.
A Skeptic’s Perspective
The majority of the facility is designed with long corridors of rooms that are completely open to the elements. This purpose-built design was for tuberculous patients to get fresh air, but for ghost hunting, this created difficulties.
The winds were heavy the night we hunted, creating a cacophony of noise from slamming doors to creaking sounds. This made it hard to discern which noises were created organically and which may have been created spiritually.
Other ghost hunters have reported shadow people running in the hallways. In our experience, this can be easily discounted by the design of the building. The moonlight and winds can create a variety of shadowy visual effects.
Overall, the experience was phenomenal. The building itself is a work of art and the places to explore are endless. We’d love to spend more time at this facility and would highly recommend all ghost hunters make time to visit.
Did we capture paranormal evidence?
Maybe. We caught the name “Sam” on a spirit box which was independently verified by the caretaker as a name the spirit likes to use. Additionally, we heard a woman’s voice which we could not find the origin.
