| Waverly Hills Sanatorium |
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| CATEGORIES ABOUT WAVERLY HILLS SANATORIUM | |
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In the early 20th Century , Jefferson County was severely stricken with an outbreak of tuberculosis. The original Waverly Hills building was soon home to over 140 patients. Needing a larger hospital for the overwhelming number of patients coming in, construction of a new five-story building, that could hold 400+ patients, began in March 1924 . The new building opened on October 17 , 1926 . It was eventually closed in June 1961 . The building was reopened in 1962 as Woodhaven Geriatrics Hospital. Woodhaven was closed by health inspectors due to the horrid conditions and lack of patient care that was caused by being understaffed. In 1996, Bob Alberhasky bought Waverly Hills and the surrounding area. After attempting demolition and failing, he reopened Waverly Hills to all elements including trespassers in late October 1999 in order to attempt to receive insurance settlements for his claims of dilapidation. The building was unused from 1981 until current owners Tina and Charlie Mattingly bought the building from Alberhasky in 2001. Charlie's father worked as an orderly at Waverly Hills for approx. four years. He passed on in late 2005. One of the most famous legends of Waverly Hills is the story of Room 502. Folklore says that a nurse committed suicide in this room by hanging herself. Also of note is the "death tunnel," which was constructed to allow the staff to move dead bodies to the bottom of the hill on which the sanatorium was built. The staff believed this would help keep up the morale of the patients by not allowing them to see the hearses picking up the deceased, since at its height there was as many as seven to ten people dying each day. On July 19 , 2001 , '' Fox's Scariest Places on Earth'' was filmed at Waverly Hills by Triage Entertainment . In 2004 , two Movie s, '' Death Tunnel '' and '' Spooked '', were filmed at Waverly Hills. Death Tunnel was released by Sony Pictures on February 28 , 2006 . '' Spooked '' is soon to be released by a major cable channel. The approximate date of release is May 2006. On March 29 , 2006 , the SciFi Channel broadcast an episode of Ghosthunters that was filmed at Waverly Hills. Tina and Charlie Mattingly currently hold tours of Waverly Hills, as well as a haunted house each Halloween. Proceeds go towards the renovation of the building. EXTERNAL LINKS
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