Most People Have No Idea This Unique Tunnel In Kentucky Exists

There are a few abandoned tunnels in Kentucky, but none have quite the reputation of the notorious Waverly Hills Death Tunnel on 4400 Paralee Lane in Louisville. Some have called this long concrete structure the Death Shute over the years. What makes this tunnel in Kentucky stand out from the others? It has a somewhat mysterious and sinister past…

Here are 9 things that make the death tunnel in Kentucky unique:

WHS Memorial

For the past few years, this crumbling tunnel has been featured during the Halloween season. It is part of the Waverly Hills Haunted House tour, which draws waves of haunted house lovers, along with parents and children.

Aaron Vowels

A private tour of the death tunnel is available by appointment. On this grand tour, visitors can get the historical tales of the tunnel's actual purpose. The Halloween season draws much larger crowds and lots of "fright" enthusiasts.

Advertisement

Aaron Vowels

It also had an ulterior and much less sinister purpose. During the World War, the U.S. found the tunnel to be safe in the case of an attack. The Waverly Hills death tunnel actually was considered a sanctuary during an air raid and held enough space to fit everyone in the building safely.

Advertisement

Related Stories

The Witches' Tree In Kentucky Looks Like Something Out Of A Tim Burton Nightmare

14 Haunted Places In Kentucky That Are Truly Chilling

Experience A New Side Of Kentucky On This One-Of-A-Kind Adventure

Aaron Vowels

No, it is actually a long tunnel with flooring. It is made with concrete all around, which makes this tunnel of nightmares a very sturdy structure. Very little of this part of Waverly has fallen down, and the structure itself is still safe.

Aaron Vowels

This tunnel has likely seen more death than most modern hospitals. Waverly has been a tuberculosis hospital, mental hospital, and geriatric center, all of which had the dead transported via the death tunnel so as to not carry off the dead in front of the patients.

Aaron Vowels

The path towards the light connected to the main building via a railway system on the first floor of the original hospital. The tunnel itself was originally 525 feet long and ran out to the bottom of the hill. The dead were left at the end of the tunnel.

3. What happened to the bodies?

The patients that passed on at Waverly were left at the end of the tunnel. It was the workers that would be detached to gather the bodies of the dead and either burn, bury, or transport them elsewhere. Nothing that went down the death tunnel ever came back up. This video by Youtube user JustAVideoPage shows a hauntingly beautiful collage of many faces that may have eventually traveled down the death tunnel.

2. There was even a movie written and produced at Waverly.

To be honest, it is very much a “B” flick… at best. They focused less on the tunnel and more on a college kid storyline, highlighted with a little bit of history. The video above is the movie’s trailer posted by YouTube Movies & Shows.

1. Death tunnel saw thousands of dead.

The tunnel’s main purpose was to protect the morale of other patients. They would not be subjected to seeing dead patients taken away for burial/burning. The second purpose was to protect those who had to transport the dead to the pickup spot to be laid to rest. It has been estimated that the death tunnel actually saw more dead people than most modern hospitals do in its first three years. Fewer than 5% of patients initially survived. The official estimates were admitted at more than 60,000 individuals died from TB or some of the questionable treatments utilized as attempted cures for the ailment. Youtube user Dead Explorer perfectly captured what it’s like to walk through the tunnel in the video above.

The Waverly Hills Sanatorium death tunnel in Kentucky has an interesting history, and you can read more about it in our previous article. The bottom line is that the death tunnel is a must-stop if you happen to be a haunted places enthusiast. Mind you, we are not confirming nor denying that Waverly is haunted, but it has been featured on quite a few documentaries and television shows over the years.

Waverly Hills isn’t the only haunted tunnel around. For more haunted adventures, check out these haunted tunnels in Kentucky.