Kentucky’s 5 Spookiest Old Asylums Still Standing Today

Just the very word asylum can send a shiver down your spine. In particular, if you happen to know anything about the history of these mental institutions in Kentucky, and across the US. The old mental "sanctuaries" were places of experimental treatments, and in some cases, torture. Here are the five creepiest abandoned asylums in Kentucky that still stand today.

1. Waverly Hills Sanitarium

The sanatorium was built in 1910 to treat victims of the "white plague" that was ravaging the country. It closed in 1961 as antibiotics were helping squelch the disease. In 1962 it reopened its doors as the Woodhaven Geriatric Center, primarily housing patients with Dementia and other mental illnesses. It closed its doors again in 1982 because of patient neglect, according to reports. The facility has been featured on "Ghost Hunters," "Scariest Places on Earth," "Celebrity Paranormal Project," "Paranormal Challenge," and "Ghost Adventures," along with "Creepy" and "Most Haunted" in Britain.

2. Western State Hospital

This was originally called the Western Lunatic Asylum and was opened in 1854. The facility had over 2200 inpatients by 1950. The institute is still open today, though treatment and conditions are much better.

3. Eastern State Hospital

This institute is the second oldest asylum in the US. It has gone by many names, including Fayette Hospital (1817-1822), the politically incorrect, Lunatic Asylum (1822- 1844), The Kentucky Lunatic Asylum (1844-1849), and a collection of nine variations using "Lunatic" until 1894. It then became known as the "Eastern KY Asylum for the Insane," until 1912, at which point it became, and still is, Eastern State Hospital. There is an onsite graveyard for unclaimed or unknown patients.

4. Central State

Central Insane Asylum Lakeland began in 1869 and is today known as Central State Hospital. It initially housed juvenile delinquents but in 1873, it became the Central Kentucky Lunatic Asylum. In 1877, it was simply called, The Asylum. Patients were treated for insanity, brain damage, brain trauma, and a variety of other mentally debilitating illnesses. Some were just housed because their families didn’t know how to deal with them. In the 1950s, things began to change, but the facility is still an intimidating structure.

5. Kosair Crippled Children Hospital

In the 1920s, members of Kosair Shrine Temple and other community leaders saw a need to provide medical care to crippled children in the Louisville region and throughout Kentucky. They believed a free-standing, specialized care hospital was necessary, deciding on centrally-located Louisville as the site.

In addition, Louisville was the site of the only medical college in the state, where Dr. Owen, an active member of the Shrine temple, was a prominent member of the Jefferson County Medical Society and Kentucky State, Southern, and American Medical Associations and a nationally known orthopedic surgeon. He was best-known for his work as chief of staff of the Kosair Crippled Children Hospital. The conditions for this children's hospital, however, were less than ideal. Today the Norton Children's Hospital stands at the site of the former Kosair Children's Hospital. It is a pediatric acute care children's hospital located in Louisville, Kentucky and affiliated with the University of Louisville School of Medicine.

Kentucky is no stranger to haunted lore and legends, with spirits said to wander some of the state’s most legendary establishments. The Bluegrass is also home to its very own ghost town, too, an abandoned mine that’s an eerie reminder of a bygone time. But these abandoned asylums in Kentucky might just take the (creepy) cake!