Waverly Hills Sanatorium sits on land that was originally purchased by Major Thomas H. Hays in 1883. Major Hays was in need of a school for his daughters to attend, so he started a one room school house that was located on Pages Lane. He hired a woman named Lizzie Lee Harris to teach at the school. Her love for the tiny school in addition to her fondness for Scott’s “Waverley Novels”, prompted her to name the little school house, “Waverley School.” Major Hays liked the name, and chose to name his property “Waverley Hill.” The Board of Tuberculosis Hospital kept the name after purchasing the land and opening the Sanatorium.
