30/09/2025
The Haunted Halls of Waverly Hills Sanatorium
Waverly Hills Sanatorium opened in 1910 and expanded in 1926 to house patients suffering from the highly contagious and often deadly disease of the time: tuberculosis, or the "White Plague." Designed to be a state-of-the-art facility, its sheer size and the number of people who passed through its doors gave rise to its grim reputation as one of the most haunted places in the world.
During the peak of the tuberculosis epidemic, a staggering number of patients died within its walls—some sources claim over 63,000. The sheer volume of death led the staff to devise a discreet way to remove bodies without demoralizing the still-living patients. This solution was the Body Chute, a 500-foot-long tunnel that ran from the hospital's first floor down to the base of the hill, where bodies could be loaded onto vehicles in secret. This tunnel is now a central focus of the facility's haunting stories.
The hospital's atmosphere was one of despair, as the treatments were often gruesome, ineffective, and nearly as terrifying as the disease itself. This legacy of suffering is believed to have left a powerful paranormal imprint:
Room 502: One of the most infamous stories is connected to Room 502 on the fifth floor. It is said that a nurse, who was unmarried and pregnant, took her own life in this room by hanging herself from a light fixture in 1928. Just four years later, another nurse reportedly jumped to her death from the same floor. Visitors today report seeing a shadowy figure in the room and hearing disembodied screams.
The Little Boy Timmy: The spirit of a young boy named Timmy is frequently reported to inhabit the halls. Paranormal investigators and guests claim to hear his playful laughter and sometimes see the spirit of a child rolling a ball. He is believed to be a former patient who never left.
The Creeper: A terrifying entity known as "The Creeper" is often reported on the fourth floor. Described as a shadowy figure, witnesses claim to have seen it climbing the walls or darting across the halls, adding to the atmosphere of oppressive dread.
Waverly Hills eventually closed in 1961 and briefly reopened as a geriatric center, but reports of patient abuse and mysterious deaths continued until its final closure. Today, it stands as a decaying monument to human suffering, inviting the brave for tours and overnight investigations into the thousands of spirits believed to still linger
