Sanitarium Hill

Lake View Hill County Park, better known as Sanitarium Hill, occupies the grounds of the former Lake View Sanatorium on Madison’s North Side. The tuberculosis sanatorium was built in 1929 and opened in 1930, when tuberculosis patients were treated with a regimen centered around fresh air, sunlight and rest. The facility eventually closed in 1966, but its history remains part of the landscape. Today, the wooded 41-acre property is a Dane County park, with the former sanatorium buildings and surrounding grounds preserving an unusual piece of Madison’s medical history.

The history of death at the former sanatorium has also spawned some grim local legends. According to stories associated with Sanitarium Hill, an underground tunnel was once used to move the bodies of patients who died at the facility, while another legend claims that bodies were burned in a smokestack. These stories have become part of the location’s haunted reputation, although they are not established historical facts. Visitors and paranormal investigators have reported orbs, eerie mist, unexplained voices, apparitions, cold spots and other unexplained phenomena around the former sanatorium grounds. With its wooded trails, institutional history and decades of stories about paranormal activity, Sanitarium Hill remains one of Madison’s most unusual places to explore after dark.

Reported Paranormal Activity

• Orbs have reportedly been photographed and observed around the property
• Eerie mist has been reported appearing in and around the wooded grounds
• Visitors have reported unexplained voices and sounds
• Apparitions and unexplained figures have been associated with the former sanatorium
• Cold spots and unexplained sensations have reportedly been experienced by visitors
• Local legends claim an underground tunnel was used to move the dead
• Another local legend claims bodies were burned in a smokestack at the former sanatorium