Waverly Park History

Scott’s first novel, published in 1814,
was titled Waverley, and subsequent
novels became collectively known
as the Waverley Novels.
Ms. Harris loved the writings so much
that she named the school Waverley
School. Major Hays liked the name
as well, and he named his entire
property Waverley Hills. Somewhere
along the line, the spelling was
changed from “Waverley” to
“Waverly”.
In response to a growing tuberculosis
epidemic, the Anti-Tuberculosis
Association was formed in Louisville
in 1906 and headed up by Judge
Robert Worth Bingham. Two years
later, the association had
incorporated as the Louisville
Tuberculosis Association and
construction of a hospital began on
land purchased from Major Hays. It
was completed in 1910, and the
Louisville Tuberculosis Association
chose to retain the name “Waverly
Hills.” For more than 50 years, the
Waverly Hills Sanatorium operated
as a Tuberculosis Hospital, and
closed in 1961.
A letter dated February 16, 1963,
from Charlie Vettiner, then
Superintendent of the Jefferson
County Playground and Recreation
Board, to his fellow board members
talked about the proposed new
park at Waverly Hills as part of the
new Chain of Rainbow Parks. Mr.
Vettiner indicated that the Jefferson
County Board of Health already
owned 273 acres there, and that the
board should ask Fiscal Court to
purchase an adjacent 29 acres
known as the Joseph Kessler
property, that was being sold by
Kessler’s heirs. The Louisville and
Jefferson County Board of Health
purchased the land for $13,500 on
January 28, 1965, and it became
known as Waverly Park.