Hayswood Hospital is located in Maysville, Kentucky and before becoming "abandoned," had a long history of serving the people of the state. In the 1800s, there was no hospital in the area. Instead, a lady by the name of May Pearl Wilson built and ran an infirmary for many years, which catered to the ill. However, Pearl died in 1908, and the building was torn down to make room for the Hayswood Seminary, built in 1915. The Hayswood Seminary eventually evolved into the Hayswood Hospital by 1923, with additions being added in both 1925 and 1971, resulting in the massive 4-story brick building which stands today.
Progress, however, could not be averted, and eventually the town's population and needs outgrew the hospital. It was closed in 1983 with the construction of the new Meadowview Regional Medical Center. After sitting empty for 11 years, the property was finally purchased at a public auction, only to sit in limbo. It seems that the residents of Maysville see the building as an eyesore, and would rather have the building torn down and turned into a parking lot.
On the other hand, ghost hunters across the country would love to see the building preserved...because according to several sites, the hospital is one of the top three most haunted locations in the state, if not in the world, securing television appearances even on the Maury Show!
The ghost sightings associated with the building started long before it closed. Patients would claim to see the apparitions of doctors and nurses. One of the creepiest sightings, however, did not involve staff, but perhaps another patient. The apparition of a woman carrying a baby has been seen throughout the maternity ward. At times, the woman simply stands, holding the crying infant. It is theorized that both the woman and child died in childbirth at the hospital.
Other experiences involve seeing shadows darting around the halls of the hospital and a stretcher that apparently moves on its own. One does not actually have to ENTER the hospital to experience the paranormal, though! Townspeople and visitors to the property have reported going by the hospital and having a feeling of being watched. Some even take that claim a step further and report an apparition looking down at them from the last window on the third story.
Hi I'm Tammy McKenzie I'm from Indiana. I do however have family that live in Maysville, KY. My two sister's and I were sight seeing around Maysville and came upon this building not even knowing that it was one of top haunted places, until my cousin sent us this link. We pulled up and tried to look in windows but it was a creepy feeling being there. But that is so awesome to find out we were actually there.
ReplyDeleteHi, Tammy! Thanks for visiting the site and sharing. I've never visited this location myself, so I'm totally jealous!
DeleteI worked at Hayswood Hosptial for 10 years, it makes me sad that the building is falling apart. It was a very nice building.
ReplyDeleteIt is sad; there are so many wonderful uses for these old buildings that not only serve the current needs of the community, but honor the history as well. Hopefully this building will find one of those uses before its too late.
DeleteMy father was born here. From my grandmother's account, she did say it was a rather creepy hospital to give birth in. Heh, maybe I should ask her more about it *v*
ReplyDeleteDefinitely do that! Hehe, I gave birth in a haunted hospital here in the Kanawha Valley. In fact, I had a month-long stay when I went into early labor, and I actually did have some interesting things happen during that time.
DeleteI've stumbled upon this place before while cruising through Maysville before and it is rather creepy, I myself have actually seen a ghost on the last window on the right on the 3rd floor, and then took a picture and seen a face on the 2nd floor.
ReplyDeleteNow that's creepy!
DeleteA couple of my friends and I are very big in the mysterious world of the paranormal. We had actually gone into the building the other night. Although we have no actual equipment, we did however take video and recording on our phones. We did not go upstairs due to the horrible condition, though. We had captured an orb floating toward our camera, and mysterious unexplainable lights. We had went back outside and to the cafeteria where we had felt an overwhelming uneasiness. My chest had started to feel very heavy and we decided that it was time to leave. I don't believe anything wanted to cause harm, but I do fully believe that there are multiple spirits inside of this hospital. We hope to go back soon to try and remake some of the sightings we had captured to really see if they are real, and to spend more time inside. (That's if we don't get caught by anyone this time.) Very spooky, but amazing building.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your experiences, and if you go back, please be careful. Also, please note that the official stance of Theresa's Haunted History is to seek proper permission before entering any haunted location listed on this blog. Take care and stay spooky.
DeleteI am from around the Maysville area and I wanted to share my experience with you. My friend and I went out swimming in Maysville a few years ago and we thought we were the real shit then. We had a thing for wanting to find ghost at the time. We had heard all about hayswood and decided to go see for ourselves. It was around possibly three pm. We were walking around the building she had decided to walk torwards the right side of the bulding while I went left. as I made it around the building I noticed the very old ambulance doors. We both knew better than to go in so we stayed outside. but as I came back from the ambulance doors I looked up torwards the windows. On the third floor last window on the left. there is a symbol painted on the window it reminded me of a sun. However as I studied the window, I noticed a mans face. My reaction was obviously panic as I ran to my friend I told her what I had seen and we made it back around when nothing was there. Honestly im not sure if I just imagined the face or not. However I know that the feeling I had in my gut was very very uncomfortable.
ReplyDeletecontact me at cheytwilson@hotmail.com
Thank you so much for sharing your experiences! That's definitely weird.
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