High on a hill on the south side of Louisville, Kentucky, a massive Tudor Gothic Revival building still stands as a testament to past struggles with a deadly disease. The structure was once part of the sprawling complex of Waverly Hills Sanatorium, established in 1910 for the treatment of tuberculosis. Waverly Hills expanded rapidly, with racially segregated facilities housing up to five hundred patients a day by World War II before new medical developments led to the institution's closure in 1961. Join author Lynn Pohl for an investigation of Waverly Hills Sanatorium's rich history and mixed legacy, explored through photographs, public health records, newspaper accounts and the stories of patients and employees.
Lynn M. Pohl holds a BS in history from Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi, and an MA and PhD in history from Indiana University, Bloomington. She has taught history at Indiana University and colleges in Asheville, North Carolina, and Louisville, Kentucky. She moved with her family to Louisville in 2006 to live in the same neighborhood as her sister, and she hopes to remain in her adopted hometown for many more years. She has worked at the Filson Historical Society since 2018.