Waverly Hills Ghost Tour

Waverly Hills Ghost Tour
By: Debra Shapiro

Nothing like a stroll thru an expansive old pitch black building sitting on top of a Louisville Kentucky hill, with a known history of death due to the white plague that count into the thousands, to have you opening your wallet and extracting those precious funds for a 2-hour tour of the historic and historically haunted, Waverly Hills Sanatorium.

Yes, there is a long woods incased driveway to the top of this hill.  Not to mention, no real sign at the road’s entrance saying “Turn Here for Waverly” on a dark moonless night.  But, amazingly, upon seeing this vast bat-winged shaped building with large windows missing any sign of glass, seems to stand erect with dignity and almost demands both reverence and respect.

The tour begins in the large main office, where a brief film is shown about those famous TV shows filmed at Waverly.  Dates and deaths are all noted by our tour guides who also give out the do’s and don’t do’s of the tour. For the experienced ghost hunter, it is all-important to hear this vintage information but it is very difficult to sit still while the mind rages, “just let me get inside the place!”

About 100 people joined me that evening. Some thrill seekers, some, like me, investigators of the paranormal, most just young people out for something to do on a Friday/Saturday evening. Everyone is holding their breath for what experience may await them before the end of the evening.

My group of 50 tourists was first led to the infamous Death Tunnel, reported to have been the body chute that carried many victims of TB away at life’s end toward their endless rest. You can’t have a long pitch-black tunnel without a ghost or two and the Death Tunnel passes the  Haunt-O-Meter test superbly. If you are expecting to do any investigating during these tours, it won’t happen. So, just relax and go with the flow and soak in the knowledge and stories you’ll hear during your 2-hour visit.

Once inside Waverly proper, you will be led through all floors. Each floor has a tale and some of those tales are still being replayed today in the form of shadow people, EVPs and apparitions. Stories of suicide by hanging of a distraught young woman outside of Room 502 to the dark entity that roams the 4th floor to the youngster/s that enjoy playing with rubber balls left behind for their eternal recess. Every nook and cranny of Waverly Hills is open to the spinning of psychologically induced chills. Our tour guides speak impressively and openly of their own personal paranormal experiences and do try to remain as historically factual as possible though, as in the case of the woman who committed suicide, no records have ever been produced to substantiate her death or lingering essence in Room 502.

Though this legendary building was quite the night I toured it, I have it on very good authority that when this building is active, there is no mistaking the energy being emitted. If you find yourself even remotely close to Louisville, KY and are either a history buff or a world-class paranormal investigator, do take the time to go on one of Waverly Hills' nighttime ghost tours. You will not regret it……………….unless the building is active and in full power that night.