A Tale of Two Sisters: Waverly Hills Sanatorium

Lois Higgs at 
Waverly Hills Sanatorium c. 1950's

Between 1926 and 1961, countless patients suffering from tuberculosis called Louisville's Waverly Hills Sanatorium home. Unfortunately, it would become a permanent home for many, as their only escape from the massive brick structure would be through death. Today, two of the facility's most well-known and well-loved patients are a pair of sisters who were both in and out of the hospital several times as young women. However, the outcome for these two ladies would be very different...

Audrey Mae and Lois Lindsey were just two of at least nine children born to William Roscoe Lindsey and Unia Myrtle "Minnie" White Lindsey. Audrey was the older of the two, being born on February 27, 1921, while lil' sis Lois was born on May 15, 1928. In the 1930 census, the family is living in Edmonson County Kentucky, and their father's occupation is listed as 'farmer.' 

At some point in the girls' lives, they contracted the dreaded 'White Plague.' According to various sources, both girls were in and out of Waverly Hills. At some point early on, Audrey gave birth to two boys, Bill and Roger Goode (according to a newspaper article, Roger was 13 in 1959). As of this writing, I couldn't determine if Audrey was divorced, never married, or simply just kept her last name, but she was still known as Audrey Lindsey during her hospital stays. 

The Courier-Journal
19 August 1956

Lois, on the other hand, was definitely married. She and her husband, Charlie Higgs, had three boys. The first, Ronnie, was born in 1947 and died in infancy. Charles Von/Vaughn would come next around 1949, and finally Larry would be born around 1952. Sadly, it is told to Waverly Hills tour patrons that (presumably) Larry was conceived on a rare sabbatical when Lois was well enough to leave the hospital and visit home. But, to protect the infant from catching TB, he was taken away from her right after birth. She watched him grow up from the solarium outside of her hospital room, while family members in the parking lot below would hold him up for her to see and to wave to. 

Although I haven't been able to pinpoint exactly when the two sisters were at Waverly Hills, they both are listed as being patients there on the 1950 census. In fact, Audrey and Lois shared a room: Room 220. And sadly, we also know that Lois was a patient at Waverly Hills in 1956 because that is where she passed away on August 18 at 4:30am. Her funeral was held at Sweeden Baptist Church, and she was buried in the church's graveyard. 

But, life moves on. Charles would remarry and have several more children, one whom he named Lois after his first wife. Audrey would go on to recover from tuberculosis. She got married to a man with the last name Wright, and had a daughter. Audrey passed away in Louisville on November 18, 1996. She had finally joined her sister in the afterlife. Whether or not either one actually moved on is up for debate...

The Courier-Journal
19 November 1996

Audrey and Lois were extremely close in life. Lois, who seemingly spent much more time at Waverly Hills, struggled with loneliness and isolation away from her family. I'm sure it was a huge comfort to have her older sister literally right by her side during this struggle towards health. As a result of this closeness, many believe the two girls are still in Room 220, eager to interact with visitors to the hospital. The girls loved the music of Elvis Presley, so ghost hunters eagerly play favorite songs and leave gifts, especially flowers. They are often rewarded with seeing things like mists and other light anomalies, or catching EVPs in the room. Several people have caught EVPs or heard messages through various ghost boxes calling for Audrey, asking for cigarettes, etc.  While SRI was visiting in August 2024, it sounded like 'Audrey' came over the SB-7, but I couldn't be sure. 

If you're planning a visit to Waverly Hills, make sure to stop by the second floor patient room where Lois took her last breath. You'll know it's the right room because it's the only one set up with a bed and a small table. If so inclined, leave a small gift for the girls. Play some Elvis for them. And most importantly, remember that each of the thousands of patients who called Waverly Hills home have their own story to tell, and if you listen closely, you might just hear it. 

1950 Census

Photos from SRI's Investigation on 10 August 2024