night at Waverly Hills

[Millhouse]

Just over 3 weeks ago, I did my first overnight paranormal investigation ever and it was at the old abandoned Waverly Hills Sanatorium in Louisville, KY. It was fully built in 1926 for the sole purpose of treating tuberculosis patients. The bat wing design was done on purpose for better air-flow. It shut down in 1962 when tb was cured, but re-opened a couple years later known as Woodhaven Geriatric Center which lasted until 1982 before being shutdown by the state due to poor care of patients (lack of funding for them and many others like them). Those would be considered the darker years of the building, but when it was Waverly it regarded as first class in the country. Patients were treated very well, as the body chute was built to hide the numerous bodies leaving the building so the staff and patients wouldn't see. But in the end it was the last place for many people including countless little ones. And even though it was first class, many patients never saw their loved ones again once they entered, and many didn't die a peaceful death though the staff on hand did the best they could.

The small group I was with had the place to ourselves from 8 to 4am as we had free reign of the entire building by ourselves. There was only one way in, and one way out which was through an underground tunnel from their main office/store etc. There are no lights in the building except for a small handful of exit lights for the middle main stairs, so it was exactly as it is seen on t.v. when groups go in there.  

Before I go on, I should note that I am a believer of that there is something out there that we just cant scientifically prove yet when it comes to ghosts & spirits.  But I am very skeptical of people when it comes to the paranormal. Just too many fakes and fakers out there. And though I do believe of something out there, I ask is it more supernatural or more science, or a bit of both? If it is a lingering undiscovered energy of past living organic bodies similar to a record player (ghost), then that to me would seem more science or at least something an atheist could nod their head at. If it is more of  supernatural energy that can "communicate" or have an intelligence about it (spirits/''demons''/etc), then that is when it gets real interesting when it comes to thinking of the afterlife.  Now onto Waverly.

The place was freaking huge. There were four main floors with the fifth being a small nurses station on the top middle. A wing juts off one end which was where we had to walk through to get to main building, and was big in its own right (cafeteria, kitchen, entertainment room, etc). I geared up with a sweet high beam small flashlight and a backup pocket flashlight. Extra batteries for them too. My camera which is a Nikon Coolpix model ($300-400) was a bit hefty to carry as it was about 75 degrees and 100% humidity that night, but paid off in the end. And I also bought a decent voice recorder Olympus brand for possible evps (electronic voice phenomena).

We started off as a big group on the initial tour, but broke up and I didnt see some of again for a few hours, to put it in perspective how big the place is. I wont go much into detail here but we explored rooms like the morgue, electroshock therapy, laboratory, operating room, chapel, and the roof/5th floor which is the highest point in all of Louisville. We also went down into the body chute which I wouldn't advise for claustrophobics.

After the first couple of hours I wandered off on my own for about an hour and a half. I went from the roof, and snaked my way down to the 2nd floor walking through the halls each floor. I took my time, walking slowly and stopping here and there. I ended my solo run in the body chute for a few minutes, then headed back to homebase where I met up with others. After that we paired up and I did it all over again basically. At the end of the night I spent a half hour alone in the chapel room on the 2nd floor. I sat in the chair in there and just laid my head back against the wall listening to Waverly. I got up, said a respectful goodbye to the place and that was my night.

Now comes the questions that have to be asked. Is Waverly Hills haunted? Did I have an experience(s)? Are there debunkable explanations for past claims there by numerous people over the years? My answers to those three questions are yes, nothing major but yes, and yes for some things like shadows.

I didnt have any major experience. I didnt see an apparition(s) with my eyes or hear something talking to me. I didnt see anything move like a toy ball or a door. But I did get numerous cold chills at times. Heard footsteps but I told myself it was an echo (which it wasnt). Had a really sharp pain through my right shoulder clavicle area that lasted for awhile actually, but perhaps that was from the humidity and me sweating 50 pounds off. But it went away for the last few hours of the night (I took some advil). Heard a woman yelp, which was weird and caught it on my recorder as I was sitting with another person. Might have been others in our group, but they would have had to come our way to be heard then turn around as no one came our way (cafeteria). But I did get a lot of chills at times. Some I know were brought on by me, but a few of them just hit me out of nowhere and, well, hard to explain.

To conclude I can't wait to go back. I will definitely do it solo again, but I will be better guarded and more prepared. After looking over all evidence and playing with the lighting of my pics, there is something unexplained going on there I want to explore further. Cameras and recorders capture what is present, and can capture things our eyes and ears cant as mine did. As of now I wont post any paranormal pics but one. I took this in a middle hallway when I was alone & I dont know which floor yet. It was resized down for here, but it is in 1980x1080. No lighting has been tampered with, but tinker with the lighting (contrast, backlight, etc.), and something odd may appear, or not. (I use PhotoScape, a good rare free software)



***The next post will be pics of it I found the net from historical pics to current ones. Also google "Waverly Hills Sanatorium", lot of stuff on utube & websites out there.   

[Millhouse]

[Beaker]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WElvEZj0Ltw

[Wes Mantooth]

Very cool. I don't know if I believe a lot of the ghost stuff (my thoughts are similar to the ones you described), but I'm a sucker for all the paranormal shows.

Any chance you guys are going to do one at Bobby Mackey's?

[Millhouse]

(08-01-2015, 10:42 AM)Wes Mantooth Wrote: Very cool.  I don't know if I believe a lot of the ghost stuff (my thoughts are similar to the ones you described), but I'm a sucker for all the paranormal shows.  

Any chance you guys are going to do one at Bobby Mackey's?

Yeah I used to watch all the paranormal shows, but anymore I just watch the Ghost Adventure guys. Cool thing was that they did Waverly about 5 years ago (on u-tube), and Tina who is co-owner of the place was on it. She gave us our initial tour of the building and the grounds when we got there, and I was asking her about them guys and the Ghost Hunters when they were there years ago. Pretty cool, she said they were no different on cam than in person. But they also had to be respectful to be allowed to do their show there.

I dont know about Mackey's though. IF there is something there, then I dont want to find it to be honest. Maybe the Ghost Adventure guys are bs'ing, but they refuse to ever go back there again after two investigations. They did one episode at Sedamsville Rectory in Cincy, and went to Mackey's in that episode, but had someone else go inside for something, I dont know what,  as both refused to go in, even during the day. So yeah, I dont know. I'm into all this obviously, but I want to find a Casper not  an Insidious thing  lol.

[Benton]

Interesting read. I'm planning a trip there with some family at the end of August.

[Millhouse]

(08-01-2015, 02:57 PM)Benton Wrote: Interesting read. I'm planning a trip there with some family at the end of August.

Thanks. Here's the best site to check out if you havent already on the historical aspect of it:

http://whsmemorial.tripod.com/  
http://whsmemorial.tripod.com/id33.html   floors of the building which is useful to know before going. It took me about 4 hours to get acclimated to it and get my bearings down. I ended up not even using a flashlight most of the time in the main batwing building.

Also which tour are you doing?

[Rotobeast]

I havn't been to Waverly yet, but it's on the list.
I can recommend Hillview Manor in PA though.
It was fantastic and has one spot in it that even makes the overseers nervous.
If you plan on doing this a lot, shell out the cash and get an Ovilus X.
We get great results with ours.
https://www.digitaldowsing.com/ovilus-x-overview/

[*Awful Llama*]

Well, that's just creepy as ****.  Reminds me of the movie Session 9. 

[Millhouse]

(08-02-2015, 10:35 AM)Rotobeast Wrote: I havn't been to  Waverly yet, but it's on the list.
I can recommend Hillview Manor in PA though.
It was fantastic and has one spot in it that even makes the overseers nervous.
If you plan on doing this a lot,  shell out the cash and get an Ovilus X.
We get great results with ours.
https://www.digitaldowsing.com/ovilus-x-overview/

That place looks sweet, not real too far plus its half the cost as Waverly. Thanks! I dont know if will do this a lot, but after being there my curiosity multiplied a ton. And I have already been looking into better ways of protecting myself, just in case. 

[Rotobeast]

(08-06-2015, 11:31 PM)Millhouse Wrote: That place looks sweet, not real too far plus its half the cost as Waverly. Thanks! I dont know if will do this a lot, but after being there my curiosity multiplied a ton. And I have already been looking into better ways of protecting myself, just in case. 

You don't have to worry about ghosts.
It's things that never lived before that is the problem (demons, imps, ect.)
Faith is your best protection,  but never challenge or engage them, in any way.
You'll notice the different atmosphere,  as soon as you're near them.
I always wear a crucifix.

[Wes Mantooth]

(08-07-2015, 07:50 AM)Rotobeast Wrote: You don't have to worry about ghosts.
It's things that never lived before that is the problem (demons, imps, ect.)
Faith is your best protection,  but never challenge or engage them, in any way.
You'll notice the different atmosphere,  as soon as you're near them.
I always wear a crucifix.

While I consider myself a skeptic, boy do I love me some paranormal stories.  Got any to share?

[WeezyBengal]

Really cool write up. I am also a believer. I have a friend who grew up in a haunted house. He was almost brought to tears when he was telling me stories about it. Some of the instances he described were black and white, hard not to be something paranormal. Its kind of hard not to believe something like that...

In my opinion ghosts and spirits here on earth are souls that are not at peace with themselves. They are trapped between our world and the after life.

[WeezyBengal]

(08-01-2015, 02:48 PM)Millhouse Wrote: Yeah I used to watch all the paranormal shows, but anymore I just watch the Ghost Adventure guys. Cool thing was that they did Waverly about 5 years ago (on u-tube), and Tina who is co-owner of the place was on it. She gave us our initial tour of the building and the grounds when we got there, and I was asking her about them guys and the Ghost Hunters when they were there years ago. Pretty cool, she said they were no different on cam than in person. But they also had to be respectful to be allowed to do their show there.

I dont know about Mackey's though. IF there is something there, then I dont want to find it to be honest. Maybe the Ghost Adventure guys are bs'ing, but they refuse to ever go back there again after two investigations. They did one episode at Sedamsville Rectory in Cincy, and went to Mackey's in that episode, but had someone else go inside for something, I dont know what,  as both refused to go in, even during the day. So yeah, I dont know. I'm into all this obviously, but I want to find a Casper not  an Insidious thing  lol.

Thats kind of how I am with this stuff. I believe in it, I just dont want to mess with it. Im too scared first and foremost, but I also think it can be dangerous at times. 

I've been to Bobby Mackey's exactly one time in my life. We got trapped there until late at night because of a snow storm. It was literally me, my friend, and the bartender. We were there until about 4 am by ourselves until someone picked us up. I'll never forget going off into the bathroom of that place by myself to piss. Nothing happened, but it freaked the hell out of me. Just being alone in that place with no noise or anything. That was a freaky night. 

[WeezyBengal]

(10-05-2016, 01:29 PM)Wes Mantooth Wrote: While I consider myself a skeptic, boy do I love me some paranormal stories.  Got any to share?

I can share you the stories that my friend told me when he was growing up in his house:

His mom would lose her wedding right quite often. She would put it in her ring holder thing (little plate) and it would turn up missing. She would go a few days without being able to find it and then it would just show up right back in the ring holder. 

My friend also told me that quite often when he was sleeping he would feel someone pushing down on his chest. He also said that he would feel a cold tingly sensation on his feet in the middle of the night. 

One of the more traumatic episodes he had was when he was home alone. He said he was in the kitchen making a sandwhich late at night when from the corner of his eye he saw something run past him, up the stairs, and slam one of the doors. He thought it was his brother getting home late at night so he ignored it. Turns out when he went upstairs no one was home. 

Apparently their house was built on a plot of land that had some history behind it. They found out that a man once proposed to a woman there, she said no, and he then hung himself on a tree there. I believe they said they researched it through old newspaper articles. 

This is the same guy I was telling you about above that started breaking down when he was telling me all this stuff. I 100% believe him. 

[Wes Mantooth]

(10-06-2016, 10:01 AM)WeezyBengal Wrote: Thats kind of how I am with this stuff. I believe in it, I just dont want to mess with it. Im too scared first and foremost, but I also think it can be dangerous at times. 

I've been to Bobby Mackey's exactly one time in my life. We got trapped there until late at night because of a snow storm. It was literally me, my friend, and the bartender. We were there until about 4 am by ourselves until someone picked us up. I'll never forget going off into the bathroom of that place by myself to piss. Nothing happened, but it freaked the hell out of me. Just being alone in that place with no noise or anything. That was a freaky night. 

Yeah, I wouldn't dig that either.  I always hear stories about that bathroom too.  People getting shoved, pushed, grabbed, or whatever.  Even if it is all bs I don't think I want to mess with it.

A few friends of mine decided to go down there a few years ago on a weekend just to check it out.  Said it was a normal enough bar, but it's a country place or whatever.  I told them to have fun, I aint stepping foot in that place.  I'm sure I'm a huge ***** here, but I'll find somewhere else to drink.

[Wes Mantooth]

(10-06-2016, 10:10 AM)WeezyBengal Wrote: I can share you the stories that my friend told me when he was growing up in his house:

His mom would lose her wedding right quite often. She would put it in her ring holder thing (little plate) and it would turn up missing. She would go a few days without being able to find it and then it would just show up right back in the ring holder. 

My friend also told me that quite often when he was sleeping he would feel someone pushing down on his chest. He also said that he would feel a cold tingly sensation on his feet in the middle of the night. 

One of the more traumatic episodes he had was when he was home alone. He said he was in the kitchen making a sandwhich late at night when from the corner of his eye he saw something run past him, up the stairs, and slam one of the doors. He thought it was his brother getting home late at night so he ignored it. Turns out when he went upstairs no one was home. 

Apparently their house was built on a plot of land that had some history behind it. They found out that a man once proposed to a woman there, she said no, and he then hung himself on a tree there. I believe they said they researched it through old newspaper articles. 

This is the same guy I was telling you about above that started breaking down when he was telling me all this stuff. I 100% believe him. 

Similar story.  One of my closest friends in grade school lived in a place like that.  It's actually one of the oldest homes on this side of town.  I want to say it was built in the mid 1800's.  Really cool place.  Anyways, he had a ton of stories.  Not only him, but his mom, brother, sister all swore by them.  The mom actually said they didn't bother her at all and she'd somewhat talk to them jokingly when stuff would happen (she was weird).

All I know is spending the night there was a literal nightmare.  For some reason the system went like this, if he had more than 1 person over for a sleepover, one would sleep upstairs in his room with him, and the other one (or two) would be relegated to the couches downstairs.  You never wanted to be sleeping downstairs by yourself.  That shit sucked when you're 12.  They had this painting in the living room that basically came with the house.  It was some old lady from way back when.  His goofy hippie mom thought it was neat and decided to keep it and hung it there.  I can vividly remember trying like hell to fall asleep, scared and pissed off because I got the couch, and looking at the terrifying painting in the dark.  Just thinking about now is making me a little nervous.

Needless to say, when I stayed there I got about 1 hour of sleep.  But he did have Mortal Combat so it was a decent enough trade off.

[WeezyBengal]

(10-06-2016, 03:38 PM)Wes Mantooth Wrote: Yeah, I wouldn't dig that either.  I always hear stories about that bathroom too.  People getting shoved, pushed, grabbed, or whatever.  Even if it is all bs I don't think I want to mess with it.

A few friends of mine decided to go down there a few years ago on a weekend just to check it out.  Said it was a normal enough bar, but it's a country place or whatever.  I told them to have fun, I aint stepping foot in that place.  I'm sure I'm a huge ***** here, but I'll find somewhere else to drink.

Me and my buddy were both pretty drunk at the time. I was freaking out, he was yelling at the ghosts telling them to "**** off" and was calling them pieces of shit. No way in hell I was going to yell that kind of stuff. 

[Rotobeast]

(10-05-2016, 01:29 PM)Wes Mantooth Wrote: While I consider myself a skeptic, boy do I love me some paranormal stories.  Got any to share?

I'll try to remember to put some up, when I have more time.



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[Wes Mantooth]

(10-06-2016, 04:53 PM)WeezyBengal Wrote: Me and my buddy were both pretty drunk at the time. I was freaking out, he was yelling at the ghosts telling them to "**** off" and was calling them pieces of shit. No way in hell I was going to yell that kind of stuff. 

I would have been legitimately pissed at him.  I guess I'm just that weird and big of ***** about messing with them.

I had a conversation one time with one of my friends about Quiji boards.  We used to play around with them when we were kids, but I was telling him that I wouldn't even want in my house now.  He thought that was hilarious and was calling me a ***** and whatnot  He told me he still had his and he was going to bring it down the next time I had people over.  So sure enough ******* shows up to my door with his Quiji board a few weekends later.  Everybody is all stoked about trying it and I was like get that ***** thing outta here.  He kept joking that when I got up he was going to go get it and invite whatever answered to move in with me.  I laughed it off, but inside I was thinking please, please don't do that.  I wanted to punt that board right out of the house.