There are so many abandoned places in Kentucky! This is a list of the top three abandoned places in Kentucky. Browse through all abandoned places in Kentucky

1. Kentucky and Indiana

I was lucky enough to go down south with a few explorers last year, it was a fun trip with included some roof top, and abandoned sites, which I have yet to top so far, they included a decommissioned nuclear power plant that never made it to operational, a children's Hospital that was left abandoned on active hospital grounds, a chemical plant with grounds still contaminated, and finally a trip to Indiana's ammunition facility

2. Old Taylor Distillery

The Old Taylor distillery is currently a cultural landmark located in Woodford County, Kentucky. It was categorized among Kentucky's physical, cultural and historic features. The distillers were seen as a showcase of bourbon making in the whole state. It was founded and constructed by E.H. Taylor, Jr in 1887 and was well-known for being the first manufacturer of one million cases of straight bourbon whiskey.

History of the Old Taylor Distillery

E.H. Taylor served Frankfurt as the mayor for 16 years, as a representative, and as a senator. Taylor could utilize time while thinking of an industry that would produce a quality product and also laws that would keep the higher standard. One of the laws was the passage of the bottle-in-Bond Act of 1897 which stated the government's standards of quality that were to be observed. The distillery surrounding was unique compared to others as it consisted of a peristyle spring House, sunken gardens, and Castle buildings which give the place a presentable outlook. 

The main offices and plant of the distillery were built using Tyrone which was Kentucky limestone. Many would visit the distillery where Taylor could entertain the guests, state officials, and dignitaries inside the gardens and rooms. As the visitors were given tours around the facility, each could be given miniature bottles of Old Taylor Whiskey as a souvenir. The warm welcome led to the promotion of the distillery's slogan to "Sign of a good host" in the late 1940s. 

The decline of the Old Taylor Distillery 

The management of Old Taylor Distillery was under Taylor until he died in 1922. Thereafter, the local control took over until National Distillers acquired the operation in 1935. They managed to operate the distillery until 1972 when it was partially abandoned. In 1987, Jim Beam bought National Distillers and made use of the warehouses to store and age bourbon whiskey. In 2009, Jim beam sold the Old Taylor brand to Sazerac and his business partner bought the Old Taylor site intending to renovate the site. As a result of financing complications, it wasn't successful therefore the place was abandoned again. 

The current condition of the Old Taylor Distillery

In May 2014, Will Arvin and Wes Murry acquired the abandoned distillery property and came up with plans to reopen the distilling operations. Their renovation project was a success and managed to employ ten full-time jobs by the fall of 2015. Marianne Barnes was made the Master in February 2015. The new bourbon whiskey operations changed the name to Castle and Key in February 2016 due to the existing castle-like buildings. There is the production of Castle and Keys bottled bond bourbon and a botanical gin since 2018.

3. Waverly hills sanatorium

The Waverly Hills Sanatorium was one of the first sanatoria in southwestern Louisville, Kentucky. It officially opened its doors in 1910 to house tuberculosis patients. The primary goal of the hospitals' construction was to aid in the containment of the tuberculosis outbreak that had ravaged Jefferson County. After tuberculosis was eradicated, the hospital was closed down in 1961.

Waverly Hills Sanatorium's History

In 19010, Kentucky, specifically Jefferson County, was confronted with a potentially fatal situation when a tuberculosis outbreak raged throughout the county. As a result, a proposal to build a separate hospital to deal with the outbreak was approved, and by the fall of the same year, a temporary wooden sanitorium was built. Apart from an administration building and two open-air pavilions that could accommodate 20 patients at a time, the hospital didn't have much. Temporary cabins on the left side of the administration building housed doctors, nurses, and other support staff. two years later, all the patients and their doctors were vacated to help create room for the construction of permanent buildings at the site. This was not an easy task but within 3 months, the building was complete and enrolled 40 more patients on top of those who were already there. A year later an expansion was done to include a 50-bed capacity children’s ward. By the end of the modifications, Waverly Hills Sanatorium could host more than 400 patients. 

Closure and life after abandonment

In 1943 an antibiotic medication called streptomycin was introduced which decreased tuberculosis cases. The gradual decrease made the need for a huge hospital useless. The remaining patients were transferred to Hazelwood Sanatorium in Louisville. Waverly Hills shut down in June 1961. In 1960, the building was reopened as Woodhaven Geriatric Center and used as a nursing home for the aging. Overcrowding and understaffing shut the town after 22 years of operation.

J. Clifford Todd purchased the hospital in 1983 with the intention of converting it into a minimum-security prison, but the plans were met with strong opposition from the locals. In 1996, Robert Alberhasky purchased the building with the intention of erecting the world's tallest statue of Jesus Christ, but the plans were halted due to a lack of funds. Private investors currently own the entire sanatorium. Tours of the storage facility are available. Visitors to the sites are strictly taken to the storage which is the only safe building to tour. The rest of the buildings have faced a tremendous amount of beating from vandals and mother nature. A fraction of the main building is almost falling. As for those buildings that still stand, fear of asbestos and lead poisoning have forced the owners to close and restrict their exploration.