The Worlds Most Haunted Places
Worlds Most Haunted Places Page !
The World's Most Haunted Places
A tour of some of the creepiest, most ghost-infested places on the planet
By Stephen Wagner, About.com Guide
There are certain haunted places where the restless spirits of the night linger. They manifest as eerie voices and strange perfumes; they move things about; they creep out of the shadows as apparitions. Sometimes they even attack.
These are the places, through years of experiences and unnerving reputation, that are considered the most haunted places in the world.
Page 2
The World's Most Haunted Places
Haunted Places
Ashlar Hall Memphis TN.
Ashlar Hall
Submitted by cossitt on Sat, 01/10/2009 - 1:39pm.
Status:
Preserved
Address:
1397 Central Ave
image:
Date Built:
1896
During the 1800s and early 1900s, America was ravaged by a deadly disease known by many as the “white death” --- tuberculosis. This terrifying and very contagious plague, for which no cure existed, claimed entire families and sometimes entire towns. In 1900, Louisville, Kentucky had one of the highest tuberculosis death rates in America. Built on low, swampland, the area was the perfect breeding ground for disease and in 1910, a hospital was constructed on a windswept hill in southern Jefferson County that had been designed to combat the horrific disease. The hospital quickly became overcrowded though and with donations of money and land, a new hospital was started in 1924.
The new structure, known as Waverly Hills, opened two years later in 1926. It was considered the most advanced tuberculosis sanatorium in the country but even then, most of the patients succumbed to the disease. In those days before medicine was available to treat the disease, it was thought that the best treatment for tuberculosis was fresh air, plenty of nutritious food and lots of rest. Many patients survived their stay at Waverly Hills but it is estimated that hundreds died here at the height of the epidemic.
In many cases, the treatments for the disease were as bad as the disease itself. Some of the experiments that were conducted in search of a cure seem barbaric by today’s standards but others are now common practice. Patient’s lungs were exposed to ultraviolet light to try and stop the spread of bacteria. This was done in “sun rooms”, using artificial light in place of sunlight, or on the roof or open porches of the hospital. Since fresh air was thought to also be a possible cure, patients were often placed in front of huge windows or on the open porches, no matter what the season. Old photographs show patients lounging in chairs, taking in the fresh air, while literally covered with snow.
Other treatments were less pleasant --- and much bloodier. Balloons would be surgically implanted in the lungs and then filled with air to expand them. Needless to say, this often had disastrous results, as did operations where muscles and ribs were removed from a patient’s chest to allow the lungs to expand further and let in more oxygen. This blood-soaked procedure was seen as a “last resort” and few of the patients survived it.
While the patients who survived both the disease and the treatments left Waverly Hills through the front door, the majority of patients left through what came to be known as the “body chute”. This enclosed tunnel for the dead led from the hospital to the railroad tracks at the bottom of the hill. Using a motorized rail and cable system, the bodies were lowered in secret to the waiting trains. This was done so that patients would not see how many were leaving the hospital as corpses. Their mental health, the doctors believed, was just as important as their physical health.
Patients take in the sunlight on the open porches outside of the rooms.(U of L Archives)
(Left) A staged display of the Pneumothorax procedure -- without all of the blood (U of L Archives) 
(Right) Patients making the best of life at Waverly Hills(U of L Archive Photos)
By the late 1930s, tuberculosis had begun to decline around the world and by 1943, new medicines had largely eradicated in the United States. In 1961, Waverly Hills was closed down but was re-opened a year later as Woodhaven Geriatrics Sanitarium. There have been many rumors and stories told about patient mistreatment and unusual experiments during the years that the building was used an old age home. Some of them have been proven to be false but others have unfortunately turned out to be true. Electroshock therapy, which was considered to be highly effective in those days, was widely used for a variety of ailments. Budget cuts in the 1960s and 1970s led to both horrible conditions and patient mistreatments and in 1982, the state closed the facility for good.
Is any wonder, after all of the death, pain and agony within these walls, that Waverly Hills is considered to be one of the most haunted places in the country?
The buildings and land that made up Waverly Hills were auctioned off and changed hands many times over the course of the next two decades. By 2001, the once stately building had nearly destroyed by time, the elements and the vandals who came here looking for a thrill. Waverly Hills had become the local “haunted house” and it became a magnet for the homeless, looking for shelter, and teenagers, who broke in looking for ghosts. The hospital soon gained a reputation for being haunted and stories began to circulate of resident ghosts like the little girl who was seen running up and down the third floor solarium, the little boy who was spotted with a leather ball, the hearse that appeared in the back of the building dropping off coffins, the woman with the bleeding wrists who cried for help and others. Visitors told of slamming doors, lights in the windows as if power was still running through the building, strange sounds and eerie footsteps in empty rooms.
It was at this time that the hospital came to the attention of Keith Age, and the Louisville Ghost Hunter’s Society. Keith was a long-time friend of mine and a representative for the American Ghost Society in Louisville. It would be his work with a television show that would bring him to Waverly Hills. Over the course of the next several years, the group had a number of unexplainable encounters in the building.
One of the legends told of Waverly Hills involves a man in a white coat who has been seen walking in the kitchen and the smell of cooking food that sometimes wafts through the room. During their initial visit, they found the kitchen was a disaster, a ruin of broken windows, fallen plaster, broken tables and chairs and puddles of water and debris that resulted from a leaking roof. The cafeteria had not fared much better. It was also in ruins and the team quickly retreated. Before they could do so though, several of them reported the sounds of footsteps, a door swinging shut and the smell of fresh baked bread in the air. A quick search revealed that no one else was in the building and there was certainly no one cooking anything in the kitchen. They could come up with no logical explanation for what had occurred.
Ghost researchers are always drawn to the fifth floor of the former hospital. The fifth floor consisted of two nurses’ stations, a pantry, a linen room, medicine room and two medium-sized rooms on both sides of the two nurses’ stations. One of these, Room 502, is the subject of many rumors and legends and just about every curiosity-seeker that had broken into Waverly Hills over the years wanted to see it. This is where, according to the stories, people have jumped to their deaths, have seen shapes moving in the windows and have heard disembodied voices that order trespassers to “get out”.
There is a lot of speculation as to what went on in this part of the hospital but what is believed is that mentally insane tuberculosis patients were housed on the fifth floor. This kept them far away from the rest of the patients in the hospital but still in an area where they could benefit from the fresh air and sunshine. This floor is actually centered in the middle of the hospital and the two wards, extending out from the nurses’ station, is glassed in on all sides and opens out onto a patio-type roof. The patients were isolated on either side of the nurses’ stations and they had to go to a half door at each station to get their food and medicine and to use the restroom, which was located adjacent to the station.
The legends of the fifth floor are many:
Stories say that in 1928, the head nurse in Room 502 was found dead in Room 502. She had committed suicide by hanging herself from the light fixture. She was 29 years-old at the time of her death and allegedly, unmarried and pregnant. Her depression over the situation led her to take her own life. It’s unknown how long she may have been hanging in this room before her body was discovered. And this would not be the only tragedy to occur in this room.
In 1932, another nurse who worked in Room 502 was said to have jumped from the roof patio and plunged several stories to her death. No one seems to know why she would have done this but many have speculated that she may have actually have been pushed over the edge. There are no records to indicate this but rumors continue to persist.
The Louisville Ghost Hunters Society was completely overwhelmed by Waverly Hills over the course of the next several years. They introduced the sanatorium to a national television audience, held two ghost conferences there and spent scores of thankless hours taking literally thousands of people through the building on more haunted tours than they could begin to count. They would also, during independent investigations and tours, experience numerous incidents of paranormal activity.
During a less than five year period, members of the Louisville Ghost Hunters Society experienced ghostly sounds, heard slamming doors, saw lights appear in the building when there should have been none, had objects thrown at them, were struck by unseen hands, saw apparitions in doorways and corridors and more. But none of the stories that I had been told could have prepared me for my first visit to Waverly Hills.
The first time that I visited Waverly Hills was in September 2002. I was in town for the first Mid-South Paranormal Convention and one of the places that I asked Keith Age to show me in Louisville was Waverly Hills. I was already interested in the history of the place and had heard about the investigations that had been conducted there. I was anxious to see it and so Keith arranged a tour. It was literally a dark and stormy night when we arrived at the hospital and it had been raining all day. I was looking forward to seeing the place, no matter what the weather, and not because I was convinced that I would meet one of the former patients face to face -- it was simply to experience the place for myself. By this time, I had traveled all over the country and had been to hundreds of places that were alleged to be haunted. I had felt just this same way before exploring all of them, so Waverly Hills was no different. To me, it was just an old, spooky building with a fascinating history. The fact that it was alleged to be haunted simply added to the experience. I had long since abandoned the idea of going in expecting too much.
After meeting with the owners, Keith and I went inside and started our exploration of the building. The building was almost silent. All that I could hear was the sound of our own footsteps, our hushed voices and the drip of rain as it slipped through the cracks in the roof and splashed down onto the floor. Keith led me through the place and pointed out the various rooms, the treatment areas, the kitchen, morgue and on and on. We climbed the stairs to the top floor and I saw legendary Room 502, as well as the lights of Louisville as they reflected off the low and ominous-looking clouds that had gathered above the city.
During our excursion, I mentioned to Keith that there had been one floor that we had missed ---- the fourth floor. He explained that this was the only floor in the building whose entrance was kept locked and he had saved it for last. I remembered then some of the stories that had been passed on to me about this floor. Most of those who had spent much time here regarded the fourth floor as the most active --- and most frightening --- part of Waverly Hills.
When I entered the fourth floor for the first time, I got the distinct feeling that something strange was in the air. I make absolutely no claims of any psychic ability whatsoever but there was just something about this floor of the hospital that felt different than any of the others. What had been nothing more than just an old ramshackle and broken down building suddenly seemed different. I can’t really put into words what felt so strange about it but it almost seemed to be a tangible “presence” that I had not encountered anywhere else in the place. And right away, eerie things started to happen.
We had entered the floor in what I believe was the center of the building. Behind us was a wing that I was told was not safe to enter. Sections of the floor had fallen in and this area was off-limits to tours and visitors. The strange thing about it was that both Keith and I clearly heard the sounds of doors slamming from this part of the building. I can assure the reader that it was not the wind either. The wind was not strong enough that night to have moved those heavy doors and this clearly sounded as though someone was closing them very hard. When I questioned Keith about who else could be up there with us, he explained me about how unsafe the floors were in that section. I investigated on my own and determined that he was correct --- there was no one walking around on that part of the fourth floor.
As we started down the hallway, Keith told me about some of the other experiences that had been experienced by investigators on this floor. The experiences involved the strange shapes that had been seen. The sightings had started the previous October when, on consecutive nights, investigators were able to see what looked like human shadows moving up and down the fourth floor hallway. One of the shadows in particular actually appeared to look around corners at them and all of the shapes passed back and forth across the doorways. Keith added that sightings like this had occurred at other times as well and happened most often when no flashlights were used in the corridor.
I switched off my flashlight and we walked down the corridor using only the dim, ambient light from outside. The hallway runs through the center of the building and on either side of it are former patient rooms. Beyond the rooms is the “porch” area that opens to the outside. It was here where the patients were placed to take in the fresh air. There was no glass ever placed in the huge outer windows, which has left the interior of the floor open to the elements ever since. On this night, the windows also illuminated the corridor, thanks to the low-hanging clouds that glowed with the lights of Louisville. We walked down through the dark and murky corridor and I began to see shadows that flickered back and forth. I was sure that this was trick of the eye though, likely caused by the lights or the wind moving something outside and so I urged Keith on for a closer look. It was where the corridor angled to the right that I got a look at something that was definitely not a trick of the eye!
So that the reader can understand what I saw, I have to explain that the hallway ahead of us continued straight for a short distance and then turned sharply to the right. In the early 1900s, most institutions of this type were designed in this manner. It was what was dubbed the “bat-wing” design, which meant that there was a main center in each building and then the wings extended right and left, then angled again so that they ran slightly backward like a bird, or bat, wings. Directly at the angle ahead of us was a doorway that led into a treatment room. I only noticed the doorway in the darkness because the dim light from the windows beyond it had caused it to glow slightly. This made it impossible to miss since it was straight ahead of us.
We took a few more steps and then, without warning, the clear and distinct silhouette of a man crossed the lighted doorway, passed into the hall and then vanished into a room on the other side of the corridor! I got a distinct look at the figure and I know that it was a man and that he was wearing what appeared to be a long, white drape that could have been a doctor’s coat. The sighting only lasted a few seconds but I knew what I had seen.
And for some reason, it shocked and startled me so badly that I let out a yell and grabbed a hold of Keith’s jacket. I am not sure why it affected me in that way but perhaps it was the setting, the man’s sudden appearance, my own anxiety --- or likely all of these things. Regardless, after my yell, I demanded that Keith turn on the light and that he help me to examine the room the man had vanished into. After my initial fright, I became convinced that someone else was on the floor with us. Keith assured me we were the only ones there but he did help me search for the intruder. There was no one there, though, he was right, whoever the figure had been, he had utterly and completely vanished.
I was not the first person to have seen this mysterious figure on the fourth floor and it’s unlikely that I will be the last. However, for me, this put Waverly Hills into a unique category for there are not many places that I will firmly state are genuinely haunted. Before I can do that, I have to have my own unexplainable experience and hopefully, it will be something that goes beyond a mere “bump in the night” or spooky photograph. In this case, it was much more than that because I actually saw a ghost. In all of my years of paranormal research, I can count the times that I have seen ghosts on just two fingers and one of them was at Waverly Hills.
In this case, seeing really was believing.
Over the course of the next couple of years, I returned to Waverly Hills many times and while I was lucky enough to experience some of the other hauntings associated with the place, none of these visits have stuck with me the way that the first one did. I'll never forget that trip and one of the first times that I actually saw a ghost!
The new structure, known as Waverly Hills, opened two years later in 1926. It was considered the most advanced tuberculosis sanatorium in the country but even then, most of the patients succumbed to the disease. In those days before medicine was available to treat the disease, it was thought that the best treatment for tuberculosis was fresh air, plenty of nutritious food and lots of rest. Many patients survived their stay at Waverly Hills but it is estimated that hundreds died here at the height of the epidemic.
In many cases, the treatments for the disease were as bad as the disease itself. Some of the experiments that were conducted in search of a cure seem barbaric by today’s standards but others are now common practice. Patient’s lungs were exposed to ultraviolet light to try and stop the spread of bacteria. This was done in “sun rooms”, using artificial light in place of sunlight, or on the roof or open porches of the hospital. Since fresh air was thought to also be a possible cure, patients were often placed in front of huge windows or on the open porches, no matter what the season. Old photographs show patients lounging in chairs, taking in the fresh air, while literally covered with snow.
Other treatments were less pleasant --- and much bloodier. Balloons would be surgically implanted in the lungs and then filled with air to expand them. Needless to say, this often had disastrous results, as did operations where muscles and ribs were removed from a patient’s chest to allow the lungs to expand further and let in more oxygen. This blood-soaked procedure was seen as a “last resort” and few of the patients survived it.
While the patients who survived both the disease and the treatments left Waverly Hills through the front door, the majority of patients left through what came to be known as the “body chute”. This enclosed tunnel for the dead led from the hospital to the railroad tracks at the bottom of the hill. Using a motorized rail and cable system, the bodies were lowered in secret to the waiting trains. This was done so that patients would not see how many were leaving the hospital as corpses. Their mental health, the doctors believed, was just as important as their physical health.
Patients take in the sunlight on the open porches outside of the rooms.(U of L Archives)
(Left) A staged display of the Pneumothorax procedure -- without all of the blood (U of L Archives) (Right) Patients making the best of life at Waverly Hills(U of L Archive Photos)By the late 1930s, tuberculosis had begun to decline around the world and by 1943, new medicines had largely eradicated in the United States. In 1961, Waverly Hills was closed down but was re-opened a year later as Woodhaven Geriatrics Sanitarium. There have been many rumors and stories told about patient mistreatment and unusual experiments during the years that the building was used an old age home. Some of them have been proven to be false but others have unfortunately turned out to be true. Electroshock therapy, which was considered to be highly effective in those days, was widely used for a variety of ailments. Budget cuts in the 1960s and 1970s led to both horrible conditions and patient mistreatments and in 1982, the state closed the facility for good.
Is any wonder, after all of the death, pain and agony within these walls, that Waverly Hills is considered to be one of the most haunted places in the country?
The buildings and land that made up Waverly Hills were auctioned off and changed hands many times over the course of the next two decades. By 2001, the once stately building had nearly destroyed by time, the elements and the vandals who came here looking for a thrill. Waverly Hills had become the local “haunted house” and it became a magnet for the homeless, looking for shelter, and teenagers, who broke in looking for ghosts. The hospital soon gained a reputation for being haunted and stories began to circulate of resident ghosts like the little girl who was seen running up and down the third floor solarium, the little boy who was spotted with a leather ball, the hearse that appeared in the back of the building dropping off coffins, the woman with the bleeding wrists who cried for help and others. Visitors told of slamming doors, lights in the windows as if power was still running through the building, strange sounds and eerie footsteps in empty rooms.
It was at this time that the hospital came to the attention of Keith Age, and the Louisville Ghost Hunter’s Society. Keith was a long-time friend of mine and a representative for the American Ghost Society in Louisville. It would be his work with a television show that would bring him to Waverly Hills. Over the course of the next several years, the group had a number of unexplainable encounters in the building.
One of the legends told of Waverly Hills involves a man in a white coat who has been seen walking in the kitchen and the smell of cooking food that sometimes wafts through the room. During their initial visit, they found the kitchen was a disaster, a ruin of broken windows, fallen plaster, broken tables and chairs and puddles of water and debris that resulted from a leaking roof. The cafeteria had not fared much better. It was also in ruins and the team quickly retreated. Before they could do so though, several of them reported the sounds of footsteps, a door swinging shut and the smell of fresh baked bread in the air. A quick search revealed that no one else was in the building and there was certainly no one cooking anything in the kitchen. They could come up with no logical explanation for what had occurred.
Ghost researchers are always drawn to the fifth floor of the former hospital. The fifth floor consisted of two nurses’ stations, a pantry, a linen room, medicine room and two medium-sized rooms on both sides of the two nurses’ stations. One of these, Room 502, is the subject of many rumors and legends and just about every curiosity-seeker that had broken into Waverly Hills over the years wanted to see it. This is where, according to the stories, people have jumped to their deaths, have seen shapes moving in the windows and have heard disembodied voices that order trespassers to “get out”.
There is a lot of speculation as to what went on in this part of the hospital but what is believed is that mentally insane tuberculosis patients were housed on the fifth floor. This kept them far away from the rest of the patients in the hospital but still in an area where they could benefit from the fresh air and sunshine. This floor is actually centered in the middle of the hospital and the two wards, extending out from the nurses’ station, is glassed in on all sides and opens out onto a patio-type roof. The patients were isolated on either side of the nurses’ stations and they had to go to a half door at each station to get their food and medicine and to use the restroom, which was located adjacent to the station.
The legends of the fifth floor are many:
Stories say that in 1928, the head nurse in Room 502 was found dead in Room 502. She had committed suicide by hanging herself from the light fixture. She was 29 years-old at the time of her death and allegedly, unmarried and pregnant. Her depression over the situation led her to take her own life. It’s unknown how long she may have been hanging in this room before her body was discovered. And this would not be the only tragedy to occur in this room.
In 1932, another nurse who worked in Room 502 was said to have jumped from the roof patio and plunged several stories to her death. No one seems to know why she would have done this but many have speculated that she may have actually have been pushed over the edge. There are no records to indicate this but rumors continue to persist.
The Louisville Ghost Hunters Society was completely overwhelmed by Waverly Hills over the course of the next several years. They introduced the sanatorium to a national television audience, held two ghost conferences there and spent scores of thankless hours taking literally thousands of people through the building on more haunted tours than they could begin to count. They would also, during independent investigations and tours, experience numerous incidents of paranormal activity.
During a less than five year period, members of the Louisville Ghost Hunters Society experienced ghostly sounds, heard slamming doors, saw lights appear in the building when there should have been none, had objects thrown at them, were struck by unseen hands, saw apparitions in doorways and corridors and more. But none of the stories that I had been told could have prepared me for my first visit to Waverly Hills.
The first time that I visited Waverly Hills was in September 2002. I was in town for the first Mid-South Paranormal Convention and one of the places that I asked Keith Age to show me in Louisville was Waverly Hills. I was already interested in the history of the place and had heard about the investigations that had been conducted there. I was anxious to see it and so Keith arranged a tour. It was literally a dark and stormy night when we arrived at the hospital and it had been raining all day. I was looking forward to seeing the place, no matter what the weather, and not because I was convinced that I would meet one of the former patients face to face -- it was simply to experience the place for myself. By this time, I had traveled all over the country and had been to hundreds of places that were alleged to be haunted. I had felt just this same way before exploring all of them, so Waverly Hills was no different. To me, it was just an old, spooky building with a fascinating history. The fact that it was alleged to be haunted simply added to the experience. I had long since abandoned the idea of going in expecting too much.
After meeting with the owners, Keith and I went inside and started our exploration of the building. The building was almost silent. All that I could hear was the sound of our own footsteps, our hushed voices and the drip of rain as it slipped through the cracks in the roof and splashed down onto the floor. Keith led me through the place and pointed out the various rooms, the treatment areas, the kitchen, morgue and on and on. We climbed the stairs to the top floor and I saw legendary Room 502, as well as the lights of Louisville as they reflected off the low and ominous-looking clouds that had gathered above the city.
During our excursion, I mentioned to Keith that there had been one floor that we had missed ---- the fourth floor. He explained that this was the only floor in the building whose entrance was kept locked and he had saved it for last. I remembered then some of the stories that had been passed on to me about this floor. Most of those who had spent much time here regarded the fourth floor as the most active --- and most frightening --- part of Waverly Hills.
When I entered the fourth floor for the first time, I got the distinct feeling that something strange was in the air. I make absolutely no claims of any psychic ability whatsoever but there was just something about this floor of the hospital that felt different than any of the others. What had been nothing more than just an old ramshackle and broken down building suddenly seemed different. I can’t really put into words what felt so strange about it but it almost seemed to be a tangible “presence” that I had not encountered anywhere else in the place. And right away, eerie things started to happen.
We had entered the floor in what I believe was the center of the building. Behind us was a wing that I was told was not safe to enter. Sections of the floor had fallen in and this area was off-limits to tours and visitors. The strange thing about it was that both Keith and I clearly heard the sounds of doors slamming from this part of the building. I can assure the reader that it was not the wind either. The wind was not strong enough that night to have moved those heavy doors and this clearly sounded as though someone was closing them very hard. When I questioned Keith about who else could be up there with us, he explained me about how unsafe the floors were in that section. I investigated on my own and determined that he was correct --- there was no one walking around on that part of the fourth floor.
As we started down the hallway, Keith told me about some of the other experiences that had been experienced by investigators on this floor. The experiences involved the strange shapes that had been seen. The sightings had started the previous October when, on consecutive nights, investigators were able to see what looked like human shadows moving up and down the fourth floor hallway. One of the shadows in particular actually appeared to look around corners at them and all of the shapes passed back and forth across the doorways. Keith added that sightings like this had occurred at other times as well and happened most often when no flashlights were used in the corridor.
I switched off my flashlight and we walked down the corridor using only the dim, ambient light from outside. The hallway runs through the center of the building and on either side of it are former patient rooms. Beyond the rooms is the “porch” area that opens to the outside. It was here where the patients were placed to take in the fresh air. There was no glass ever placed in the huge outer windows, which has left the interior of the floor open to the elements ever since. On this night, the windows also illuminated the corridor, thanks to the low-hanging clouds that glowed with the lights of Louisville. We walked down through the dark and murky corridor and I began to see shadows that flickered back and forth. I was sure that this was trick of the eye though, likely caused by the lights or the wind moving something outside and so I urged Keith on for a closer look. It was where the corridor angled to the right that I got a look at something that was definitely not a trick of the eye!
So that the reader can understand what I saw, I have to explain that the hallway ahead of us continued straight for a short distance and then turned sharply to the right. In the early 1900s, most institutions of this type were designed in this manner. It was what was dubbed the “bat-wing” design, which meant that there was a main center in each building and then the wings extended right and left, then angled again so that they ran slightly backward like a bird, or bat, wings. Directly at the angle ahead of us was a doorway that led into a treatment room. I only noticed the doorway in the darkness because the dim light from the windows beyond it had caused it to glow slightly. This made it impossible to miss since it was straight ahead of us.
We took a few more steps and then, without warning, the clear and distinct silhouette of a man crossed the lighted doorway, passed into the hall and then vanished into a room on the other side of the corridor! I got a distinct look at the figure and I know that it was a man and that he was wearing what appeared to be a long, white drape that could have been a doctor’s coat. The sighting only lasted a few seconds but I knew what I had seen.
And for some reason, it shocked and startled me so badly that I let out a yell and grabbed a hold of Keith’s jacket. I am not sure why it affected me in that way but perhaps it was the setting, the man’s sudden appearance, my own anxiety --- or likely all of these things. Regardless, after my yell, I demanded that Keith turn on the light and that he help me to examine the room the man had vanished into. After my initial fright, I became convinced that someone else was on the floor with us. Keith assured me we were the only ones there but he did help me search for the intruder. There was no one there, though, he was right, whoever the figure had been, he had utterly and completely vanished.
I was not the first person to have seen this mysterious figure on the fourth floor and it’s unlikely that I will be the last. However, for me, this put Waverly Hills into a unique category for there are not many places that I will firmly state are genuinely haunted. Before I can do that, I have to have my own unexplainable experience and hopefully, it will be something that goes beyond a mere “bump in the night” or spooky photograph. In this case, it was much more than that because I actually saw a ghost. In all of my years of paranormal research, I can count the times that I have seen ghosts on just two fingers and one of them was at Waverly Hills.
In this case, seeing really was believing.
Over the course of the next couple of years, I returned to Waverly Hills many times and while I was lucky enough to experience some of the other hauntings associated with the place, none of these visits have stuck with me the way that the first one did. I'll never forget that trip and one of the first times that I actually saw a ghost!
Haunted Hospital
The Trans Allegheny Lunatic Asylum
Photo: Tim Kiser\commons.wikimedia.org
The haunted hospital of Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum is considered to be one of the scariest places on earth!
In the past, this immense structure of both shadow and light was called“Weston State Hospital”, located in the area of West Virginia. Constructed over the course of several years, and completed around 1881, several hauntings are said to occur in and around the massive building. To date, paranormal investigators and those that are interested in topics that are from beyond the grave are highly interested in the secrets of the haunted hospital.
In the year of 1864, the building was opened to individuals who suffered serious delusions and other complications of the mind. It is said that awful, unspeakable things took place within the walls of this cold, dark hospital. Initially, cruel and unusual medical treatments were used – with the best intentions, of course. During this era, little was known about diseases of the mind and there was a lot of experimentation done to determine if there were any cures for the diseases. Unfortunately, after a period of time, the staff determined that the treatments were ineffective as far as a cure was concerned, but effective as a means of cruel treatments.
There were a large number of people who watched, day after day, as people that they resided with were mistreated. Many of these patients were just like you and I, yet maybe they had a small case of depression. They had to sit idle and observe as the people that they came to know and made friends with at the hospital were treated in a severely inhuman way. All the while seeing their friends and people that they shared rooms with being tormented, and even murdered, many knew that they were next – whether they attempted to stop the cruel treatment or not.
By the time that the 1950’s arrived, the hospital that was designed for individuals with room for two hundred and fifty individuals became so overcrowded that it housed nearly two thousand five hundred people. The infamous Charlie Manson also had a brief stay here. The conditions were not only inhumane, but they were not sanitary or comfortable at all. Many residents became sick and passed away during this time, while others were simply put to their death. This marked the beginning of an end to the emotional and physical devastation experienced by thousands of people throughout the history of the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum.The hospital closed for good in 1994 and was purchased by auction along with its 300 acres of land in September of 2007.
There is a large amount of paranormal activity that is rumored to occur in this large, ominous, haunted hospital. Many have experienced firsthand apparitions in various locations on the inside of the massive structure, as well as on the grounds surrounding the structure. Then, there are some who have been plagued with unusually frightening sounds while on the grounds, and within the structure itself. These sounds have been described in many different ways. Many claim that they hear people talking when there is no one else available to contribute to the voices heard. Then, there are many who have heard the distant screams and cries of someone who appears to be in a great deal of pain and anguish.
Several people who have elected to visit the haunted hospital have brought along their cameras, camcorders, and digital audio recorders in an effort to collect evidence that suggests that there are, in fact, hauntings. To date, several ghost pictures, ghost videos, and EVP’s have been caught as living proof that death is evident within the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum. There are several different types of tours that are available for individuals who are interested in trying their hand at ghost hunting. If you have a passion for learning about haunted places to go, check out the haunted hospital of Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum.
Not everyone enjoys a good scare, but if you enjoy looking for ghosts, the unexplained and the supernatural, look no further then these famous cities that offer just a little more then their wonderful hospitality.
In the year of 1864, the building was opened to individuals who suffered serious delusions and other complications of the mind. It is said that awful, unspeakable things took place within the walls of this cold, dark hospital. Initially, cruel and unusual medical treatments were used – with the best intentions, of course. During this era, little was known about diseases of the mind and there was a lot of experimentation done to determine if there were any cures for the diseases. Unfortunately, after a period of time, the staff determined that the treatments were ineffective as far as a cure was concerned, but effective as a means of cruel treatments.
There were a large number of people who watched, day after day, as people that they resided with were mistreated. Many of these patients were just like you and I, yet maybe they had a small case of depression. They had to sit idle and observe as the people that they came to know and made friends with at the hospital were treated in a severely inhuman way. All the while seeing their friends and people that they shared rooms with being tormented, and even murdered, many knew that they were next – whether they attempted to stop the cruel treatment or not.
By the time that the 1950’s arrived, the hospital that was designed for individuals with room for two hundred and fifty individuals became so overcrowded that it housed nearly two thousand five hundred people. The infamous Charlie Manson also had a brief stay here. The conditions were not only inhumane, but they were not sanitary or comfortable at all. Many residents became sick and passed away during this time, while others were simply put to their death. This marked the beginning of an end to the emotional and physical devastation experienced by thousands of people throughout the history of the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum.The hospital closed for good in 1994 and was purchased by auction along with its 300 acres of land in September of 2007.
There is a large amount of paranormal activity that is rumored to occur in this large, ominous, haunted hospital. Many have experienced firsthand apparitions in various locations on the inside of the massive structure, as well as on the grounds surrounding the structure. Then, there are some who have been plagued with unusually frightening sounds while on the grounds, and within the structure itself. These sounds have been described in many different ways. Many claim that they hear people talking when there is no one else available to contribute to the voices heard. Then, there are many who have heard the distant screams and cries of someone who appears to be in a great deal of pain and anguish.
Several people who have elected to visit the haunted hospital have brought along their cameras, camcorders, and digital audio recorders in an effort to collect evidence that suggests that there are, in fact, hauntings. To date, several ghost pictures, ghost videos, and EVP’s have been caught as living proof that death is evident within the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum. There are several different types of tours that are available for individuals who are interested in trying their hand at ghost hunting. If you have a passion for learning about haunted places to go, check out the haunted hospital of Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum.
Famous Hauntings in the United States
Famous Hauntings in the United States
The Most Haunted Cities in the U.S
Not everyone enjoys a good scare, but if you enjoy looking for ghosts, the unexplained and the supernatural, look no further then these famous cities that offer just a little more then their wonderful hospitality.
Savannah, Georgia
Not everyone is a believer of things that go bump in the night, but a visit to Savannah, Georgia, just might give you a new perspective on their many ghostly friends. The Kehoe house is a famous bed and breakfast that offers a little something extra for free, haunted rooms. The Hampton-Lillibridge home was considered beyond haunted to the point of being infested by apparitions, so much so in fact that an actual exorcism had to be performed. Savannah offers regular ghostly tours and its lush historical district with displayed ironworks and colonial style homes only add to the city's ambiance and it is considered the most haunted city in America.
Chicago, Illinois
If you happen to be traveling through Chicago, Illinois, you may want to avoid picking up female hitchhikers wearing white party dresses and dancing shoes. Many men have been fooled by this beautiful blond lady that requests a ride home only to be led to Resurrection cemetery where she simply vanishes. The young woman is believed to be the ghost of Mary Brgovy and she has been seen by dozens of passersby traveling on the lonely road that Mary frequently haunts. Allerton Park houses a haunted mansion with beautiful gardens and a permanent houseguest. A woman in white haunts the house and the grounds. She is often seen walking in the garden and visitors claim to hear footsteps in the mansion of what appears to be a lady pacing. Chicago has many haunted cemeteries and some are neglected and forgotten. The Bachelor's Grove Cemetery is considered amongst one of Chicago's most haunted spots. It is likely to see a ghost car or one of the many apparitions that have made this cemetery their home. Chicago has many haunted mansions and famous documented haunting locations for tourists to enjoy.
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
You wouldn't expect to run into a Civil War soldier while out and about, but if you are visiting Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, then the chances of this occurring are more then likely. If you don't get the chance for this kind of ghostly encounter while shopping or dining, then a Candlelight tour through some of Gettysburg's most haunted sites just might do the trick. Many of the beautiful hotels are reported as haunted by restless ghosts who walk the halls and rooms aimlessly. The Farnsworth House Inn has documented reports of ghostly visitors. The Gettysburg Battlefield is the most famous place in town for spotting an apparition, and there have been many reports of ghosts' roaming in blue and gray military attire at this bloody battlefield. Many tourists have reported seeing the ghost of Abraham Lincoln in various locations.
Salem, Massachusetts
You can run, but you can't hide once you have made your presence known to the occupants that reside at Gallows Hill in Salem, Massachusetts. This dark and gloomy resting place is considered home to the ghosts of the accused witches of Salem. When evil is lurking, you may come in contact with the ghost of Giles Corey. This alleged warlock is often seen near the old jail when something terrible is about to take over the town. The House of Seven Gables is an eerie mystery in itself. It has a secret passageway that is believed to have once been used to free slaves. Tours of the house are always a frightening event, as you never know what may pop out from behind a hidden wall or pass by you in the hallways of this haunted mansion. The historical district of Salem also offers tours for ghost hunters to get a feel for the unknown and revisit the horrors of 1692.
You can run, but you can't hide once you have made your presence known to the occupants that reside at Gallows Hill in Salem, Massachusetts. This dark and gloomy resting place is considered home to the ghosts of the accused witches of Salem. When evil is lurking, you may come in contact with the ghost of Giles Corey. This alleged warlock is often seen near the old jail when something terrible is about to take over the town. The House of Seven Gables is an eerie mystery in itself. It has a secret passageway that is believed to have once been used to free slaves. Tours of the house are always a frightening event, as you never know what may pop out from behind a hidden wall or pass by you in the hallways of this haunted mansion. The historical district of Salem also offers tours for ghost hunters to get a feel for the unknown and revisit the horrors of 1692.
New Orleans, Louisiana
Another famous haunted city is New Orleans, Louisiana. Many tourists travel from all over the world to this one of a kind city to participate in the festivities of the Mardi Gras. Little do they know that the hotel that they have reserved is probably already booked with visitors from the other side. Almost every hotel in the city has some type of ghostly story or reported sighting from guests. The Provincial hotel is located in the heart of the French Quarter. It was once a hospital for Confederate soldiers. It is not abnormal to see a soldier, surgeon or bloodstains appearing and disappearing right before your eyes. The city offers regular history tours of actual documented hauntings from the Garden District to the Lafayette cemetery and onto the spine tingling French Quarter. There isn't much of New Orleans that hasn't been touched by ghosts or Voodoo, so if you are looking for a haunting experience, chances are you will find it in this historical city.
Another famous haunted city is New Orleans, Louisiana. Many tourists travel from all over the world to this one of a kind city to participate in the festivities of the Mardi Gras. Little do they know that the hotel that they have reserved is probably already booked with visitors from the other side. Almost every hotel in the city has some type of ghostly story or reported sighting from guests. The Provincial hotel is located in the heart of the French Quarter. It was once a hospital for Confederate soldiers. It is not abnormal to see a soldier, surgeon or bloodstains appearing and disappearing right before your eyes. The city offers regular history tours of actual documented hauntings from the Garden District to the Lafayette cemetery and onto the spine tingling French Quarter. There isn't much of New Orleans that hasn't been touched by ghosts or Voodoo, so if you are looking for a haunting experience, chances are you will find it in this historical city.
San Antonio, Texas
The fight at the Alamo accounted for more then 1,700 deaths and most of these men were not given proper burials. These active souls appear to be looking for eternal life and locals claim that these lost ghosts walk the streets of San Antonio, Texas. Theodore Roosevelt is said to haunt the Menger Hotel along with 37 other ghosts. The Bexar railroad tracks are known to be haunted by children killed in a bus accident and the Bexar bridge will have you in fear of your life as ghostly hands seem to pull at your legs while crossing the bridge. Don't expect to get much sleep if you stay at the Emily Morgan Hotel. Guests claim that the ninth floor is very active as doors open and close all night long. This hotel once housed wounded soldiers during the battle of the Alamo.
San Francisco, California
If ghosts aren't your thing then staying at the Mansions hotel in San Francisco, California, is definitely out of the question. Ghosts come out of the woodwork for many witnesses to see. The hotel has documents of ghostly photos and transcripts of séances. An old buried cemetery at Russian Hill which is now an Art Institute gets many reports of ghostly sightings as witnesses hear doors slamming and what sounds like foot steps. The Whittier Mansion not only survived an earthquake, its original owner, William Franklin Whittier apparently survived as well, at least in spirit. Unsuspecting guests have felt his icy presence and have seen dark shadows in the basement of the mansion. Many visitors come to the Moss Beach Distillery and through the years they have caught sight of a wounded lady dressed in blue. Legend has it that her jealous lover stabbed her to death. She is often seen walking the beach aimlessly.
If ghosts aren't your thing then staying at the Mansions hotel in San Francisco, California, is definitely out of the question. Ghosts come out of the woodwork for many witnesses to see. The hotel has documents of ghostly photos and transcripts of séances. An old buried cemetery at Russian Hill which is now an Art Institute gets many reports of ghostly sightings as witnesses hear doors slamming and what sounds like foot steps. The Whittier Mansion not only survived an earthquake, its original owner, William Franklin Whittier apparently survived as well, at least in spirit. Unsuspecting guests have felt his icy presence and have seen dark shadows in the basement of the mansion. Many visitors come to the Moss Beach Distillery and through the years they have caught sight of a wounded lady dressed in blue. Legend has it that her jealous lover stabbed her to death. She is often seen walking the beach aimlessly.
St. Augustine, Florida
Don't be surprised if you are greeted at the entrance to St. Augustine, Florida, by a ghostly sight named Elizabeth. This friendly apparition died of yellow fever in the eighteen hundreds. Many travelers have witnessed Elizabeth waving at them. The St. Francis bed and breakfast serves up more then good food. They have a floating ghost dressed in white gracing their hallways. The Spanish Military Hospital has been certified as an actively haunted building by paranormal specialists. Tours of the hospital have made nonbelievers into believers of the spiritual world. Active spirits can be seen often at The Old Drug Store, which happens to be built on top of an old Indian burial grounds. The Old Jail is listed on the Florida and National hauntings register. Many prisoners were hung at this jail they came to know as home and some of them have refused to leave their home.
Don't be surprised if you are greeted at the entrance to St. Augustine, Florida, by a ghostly sight named Elizabeth. This friendly apparition died of yellow fever in the eighteen hundreds. Many travelers have witnessed Elizabeth waving at them. The St. Francis bed and breakfast serves up more then good food. They have a floating ghost dressed in white gracing their hallways. The Spanish Military Hospital has been certified as an actively haunted building by paranormal specialists. Tours of the hospital have made nonbelievers into believers of the spiritual world. Active spirits can be seen often at The Old Drug Store, which happens to be built on top of an old Indian burial grounds. The Old Jail is listed on the Florida and National hauntings register. Many prisoners were hung at this jail they came to know as home and some of them have refused to leave their home.
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina, may just have some of the nations most haunting ghosts. The city has a famous Lowcountry Ghost Walk that was featured on CNN's travel guide and there are just too many ghosts roaming the streets, beaches and homes of this lush city to ignore. If you are visiting Charleston and happen to come across the gray man while at the beach you may want to think about packing quickly and heading home. His ghostly presence forewarns of potentially dangerous storms looming in the very near future. Evil lurks in the St. Philip's graveyard as the ghost of Sue Howard attacks pregnant women out of anger from losing her own baby. This ghost has been caught on film by researchers. Apparitions with a patch covering one eye are seen frequently at White Point Gardens. These ghostly pirates seem to be searching for their executioners. The Battery Carriage Inn is home to a flirtatious ghost that lies in bed with female guests. Charleston offers many different ghost tours to visitors.
Charleston, South Carolina, may just have some of the nations most haunting ghosts. The city has a famous Lowcountry Ghost Walk that was featured on CNN's travel guide and there are just too many ghosts roaming the streets, beaches and homes of this lush city to ignore. If you are visiting Charleston and happen to come across the gray man while at the beach you may want to think about packing quickly and heading home. His ghostly presence forewarns of potentially dangerous storms looming in the very near future. Evil lurks in the St. Philip's graveyard as the ghost of Sue Howard attacks pregnant women out of anger from losing her own baby. This ghost has been caught on film by researchers. Apparitions with a patch covering one eye are seen frequently at White Point Gardens. These ghostly pirates seem to be searching for their executioners. The Battery Carriage Inn is home to a flirtatious ghost that lies in bed with female guests. Charleston offers many different ghost tours to visitors.
Nashville, Tennessee
There is more then country music in Nashville, Tennessee, as bothersome ghosts favor a part of the city that is known as Music Row. Capitol Records, once the sight of the Jacob Schnell mansion is bombarded with phantom footsteps, cold spots and loud noises that may be a former owner of the property who has come back to claim it. The Ryman Auditorium also has spirits that like to show off and make their presence known. Hurricane Mills, the home of Loretta Lynn has a colorful past and its previous owners and servants don't seem to want to leave. There have been many ghostly encounters in the home and Confederate soldiers are known to be buried on the grounds. The Hermitage, once the home of Andrew Jackson has had many reports of ghostly sightings from visitors and workers who have attempted to renovate it. Many famous mansions in the area are reported as haunted like the Belmont Mansion where a former owner watches over her home and scare's students half to death by her surprise visits. Ghost tours are held every year and start in front of the haunted State Capitol building.
There is more then country music in Nashville, Tennessee, as bothersome ghosts favor a part of the city that is known as Music Row. Capitol Records, once the sight of the Jacob Schnell mansion is bombarded with phantom footsteps, cold spots and loud noises that may be a former owner of the property who has come back to claim it. The Ryman Auditorium also has spirits that like to show off and make their presence known. Hurricane Mills, the home of Loretta Lynn has a colorful past and its previous owners and servants don't seem to want to leave. There have been many ghostly encounters in the home and Confederate soldiers are known to be buried on the grounds. The Hermitage, once the home of Andrew Jackson has had many reports of ghostly sightings from visitors and workers who have attempted to renovate it. Many famous mansions in the area are reported as haunted like the Belmont Mansion where a former owner watches over her home and scare's students half to death by her surprise visits. Ghost tours are held every year and start in front of the haunted State Capitol building.
Washington D.C.
The Washington, D.C. area is rich in history, famous haunting's and some of the most outrageous ghost lore that history has witnessed. One of the most recorded haunting's is that of Lincoln's ghost. It has been reported by many different sources that Lincoln is active in the White House as he has been seen walking the hallways and knocking at the door of his former bedroom by both staff and heads of state by such people as Winston Churchill. He also visits the Ford's theatre from time to time, sometimes in the company of his assassin, John Wilkes Booth. The Renaissance Mayflower Hotel has many guests, but one of the more popular guests isn't even alive, but don't tell him that. Calvin Coolidge visits the hotel in January of every year still trying to attend the Inaugural Ball that he missed in 1925. Guests report that lights flicker and an elevator will not budge from the 8th floor where Coolidge's holding room once was. Washington D.C. has a host of ghost tours for seekers of the unknown, and the best one begins at the McPherson Square Station where guests will be led on a tour that covers the area across the White House and many other noted haunting sites.
Pennhurst Asylum: The Shame of Pennsylvania
The History and Horror of Pennhurst Asylum
By Matt Lake, Rusty Tagliareni and Mark Moran
Back in the mid 1960s, fledgling TV reporter Bill Baldini ran a five-episode exposé of Pennhurst State School and Hospital on Philadelphia’s TV10 (now an NBC affiliate). It painted a picture of neglect and abuse in the Chester County institution that was hard for the regular viewers to stomach. On the flickering monochrome televisions of the time came images of full-grown hands and feet bound by straps to adult-sized crib beds. Inmates of the institution were shown rocking, pacing, and twitching. Many were severely disabled either mentally or physically, but others were quite lucid and coherent—but withdrawn into themselves because of over-stimulation of the senses in the loud and sometimes frightening place, and a lack of much-needed mental stimulation. The five-minute news segments were entitled “Suffer the Little Children.” When one patient was asked by the interviewer what he would like most in the world, if he could have anything he wanted, the sad and withdrawn reply was simply, “To get out of Pennhurst.”
This state-funded school and hospital center was at the heart of the human rights movement that revolutionized this country’s approach to healthcare for the mentally and physically handicapped. This facility was one of the most striking examples of the maltreatment that was characteristic of such institutions––at one point, papers labeled it “The Shame of the Pennsylvania”.
Pennhurst first opened its doors in November of 1908, and due to pressure to accept not only the mentally and physically handicapped, but also immigrants, criminals and orphans who could not be housed elsewhere, it was overcrowded within only a few years. In 1913, the Commission for the Care of the Feeble-Minded was appointed, and boldly stated that those with disabilities were “unfit for citizenship” and furthermore, “posed a menace to the peace.” Patients at Pennhurst were grouped into several general categories. Under the classification of mental prowess, one was listed as either an “imbecile” or “insane”. Physically, the patient could be declared either “epileptic” or “healthy”.
Like many similar facilities of the era, Pennhurst was functioned almost completely independently from the rest of society. It operated its own power plant, policed its own grounds and produced its own food. Any additional needs were supplied by a railway line that connected the campus to the outside world. The facility could operate without any interaction with the surrounding community, and that was the way the community preferred it.
By the mid-1960s, Pennhurst had been open for fifty years. It housed 2,791 people, most of them children, which was about 900 more than the administration thought the buildings could comfortably accommodate. But as a state school, they had to take what they were given. Only 200 of the residents were in any kind of art, education, or recreation programs that would help to improve their condition, though many of the patients were high-functioning enough to improve with the right care. The administrators interviewed in this program recognized that they were falling short of their ideal treatment, but with a crumbling building, a budget shortfall of four million dollars, and only 9 medical doctors and 11 teachers (none of them with special education training), their hands were tied.
Probably the most chilling scene in the 30 minutes of documentary footage in the TV10 report showed one of the hospital’s physicians describing how he dealt with a particularly vicious bully who had brutalized one of his other inmates. He described how he had asked one of his colleagues which injection he could use to cause the most discomfort to a patient without permanently injuring him. Then he proceeded to administer that injection to the bully.
From that point on, it was inevitable that the hospital would close down, but it took two decades of legal actions, federal judgments made and overturned, and growing financial crises for the place to be shuttered. By the 1980′s, overcrowding, lack of funds, inadequate staffing and decades of abuse and neglect accusations caught up with the operation, and in 1987 Pennhurst closed its doors. Its death was not without positive impact, though. The martyrdom of its long suffering patients helped put into motion changes to medical practice across the country and to society as a whole.
Despite the ultimate outcome, many former residents and staff members maintain that Pennhurst served some of its inmates very well. Some high-functioning patients received the treatment and therapies they needed to prepare themselves for living in the outside world. And some patients were so mentally handicapped that they injured themselves at the slightest provocation. One patient would charge into the walls headfirst. Such patients probably needed to be restrained for their own protection.
When Pennhurst closed, it suffered fewer invasions than some other abandoned Pennsylvania hospitals, due in part to the presence of a National Guard post and Veteran’s Hospital on part of the property at that time. Today the place is in the hands of private owners, and at the center of an unusual controversy. One of the modern functions is as a haunted house attraction (www.pennhurstasylum.com), a use that has generated concern among those who view it as deeply disrespectful to those who suffered the brutality that once took place here. The present owners are taking steps to reverse the 23 years of damage wrought by time and vandalism to the remaining buildings. They were kind enough to allow Weird NJ on the property to document this interesting transition. They gave us a guided tour of many of the buildings, including some that needed to be unsealing for us to gain entry.
Timothy Smith, the son of the facility’s owner, who took the time to speak with Weird NJ, expressed a desire to restore the better portion of the property, with the eventual goal of creating a museum and historical tour open to the public. We’d like to think that in such a way, the place could finally serve some good purpose, educating the public in the errors of previous generations and commemorating all the lives that were spent here.
Paranormal Pennhurst
Naturally, as with any such institution with a sorted history of human suffering, violence and death, Pennhurst is not without its share of ghostly tales. Pennhurst is allegedly so haunted, in fact, that its paranormal presences have spawned a spectral cottage industry––ghost hunting on the grounds of the old asylum. In addition to overseeing the restoration projects at Pennhurst and operating the Pennhurst Asylum haunted attraction during the Halloween season, Timothy Smith is also President and CEO of the Pennhurst Paranormal Association. Using the enticing tagline, “They lived here, died here and are still here,” the organization plans to open up the former hospital to the public for ghost hunts on the campus. With other former institutions-turned-tourist-attractions such as Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia and Waverly Hills Sanatorium in Louisville, Kentucky as a business models, Timothy believes that the public’s curiosity about Pennhurst’s spooks make it a potentially very profitable paranormal property. The television show “Ghost Adventures” has already filmed an episode of their Travel Channel program here.
Photo by Rusty Tagliareni
During Weird NJ’s tour of Pennhurst we were joined by members of the Shore Paranormal Research Society (S.P.R.S.) who have become the official paranormal investigators for the former institution. The S.P.R.S. is an Ocean County, NJ based team of trained individuals whose sole purpose is to find the truth behind claims of paranormal activity. According to Jim Ansbach, the group’s founder and case manager, Pennhurst is rife with such activity. The group has conducted several large-scale investigations of the old asylum’s many buildings, and documented a variety of evidence of paranormal activity––including photos, videos, recordings of voice phenomena and personal encounters with spirits. Among the recordings are the sounds of disembodies voices uttering things like “go away”, “I’ll kill you”, “we’re upset”, and “why’d you come here?” An unknown male states, “I’m scared” while an invisible female asks, “why won’t you leave?”
Here are just some of the group’s other findings:
Quaker Building: Numerous shadows manifest and dissipate at will. These shadows include what appeared to be a small female child with long black hair, a hunched over presence with long dangling arms and the upper portion of bodies looking over or around obstacles. Doors and a rocking chair have moved without anyone being near them. Investigator was shoved from behind hard enough on a stairway to leave a deep red mark on the small of back. Investigator was scratched on the arm by unknown object when they were not by anything or close to any walls. Objects being propelled in the basement such as a pry bar, some sort of brass fixture, and various other unknown objects. Multiple EVP’s (electronic voice phenomena) as well EMF spikes throughout the building when there is no electric supplied to any building there. Our Psychic Medium, Sharon Pugh, has felt multiple energies there including either a demonic force or a past life that wasn’t a very nice person.
Limerick Building: The apparition of a woman in a old style nurse’s uniform was observed by a fire fighter, police officer and a marine. Multiple EVP’s.
Devon Building: Unknown sounds and multiple EVP’s.
Mayflower Building: Shadow people seen multiple times. EVP’s captured. Investigators have been touched in this building.
Tinicum Building: Multiple EVP’s. Investigator had their legs touched.
Philadelphia Building: Loud sounds and voices heard coming from the building. Investigators surrounded the building and entered it via the tunnel system. No one was in the building nor could they have fled without being observed.
Administration Building: Multiple voices heard at various times and EVP’s caught of what appears to be a toilet flushing. This building has no running water or bathroom fixtures.
Hershey Building: Investigator heard a female child’s voice on the third floor.
For a full report of all the S.P.R.S.’s investigations and gathered evidence visit their web site at: ShoreParanormal.com
Those interested in participating in a Pennhurst ghost hunt can find more information by visiting the web site PennhurstParanormal.com
Photo by Rusty Tagliareni
The Children Did Suffer
Lots of medical professionals I work with did a stint at Pennhurst early in their careers. It was a boarding school as well as a hospital, though the more low-functioning residents were incapable of speaking, let alone learning anything, and many of the high-functioning residents never learned to read. Most of the people there weren’t insane, just mentally retarded, autistic or suffering other serious physical impairments. Some residents apparently just had learning disabilities or hyperactivity and emotional problems that made them seem more impaired. They would end up on high-functioning wards.
Photo by Rusty Tagliareni
My colleagues told me that the staff would put the high-functioning residents who acted out to work in low-functioning wards as a punishment. They even called the low-functioning wards “punishment wards.” Many of those kids who acted out weren’t bad kids; they were often victims of bullies. The nasty kids would attack the other residents with broom handles and do much worse. Some cases of deaths that were attributed to suicide or accident were probably extreme cases of bullying. Naturally, the bullies would seldom get caught, so when their victims acted out, they were the ones who had to slop up after the severely handicapped residents. But Pennhurst wasn’t a bad organization in itself. It just suffered the problems that many institutions do, and so its residents suffered too. –MelB
Photo by Rusty Tagliareni
The Pennhurst Family Album
When I went to Pennhurst at night, it scared me halfway to death. When the wind blows across the buildings, it sounds like someone walking. There were dead animals there, and what looked like blood on some of the equipment. Once is enough. I’m never going back. But there was this one room that was really interesting. It was strewn with papers and photographs, carpeted with them, wall-to-wall. I didn’t read the papers, but the black-and-white photographs looked like something from a family album. –Anonymous
For more on this story and all the other strange sites that the Quaker State has to offer, check out our book Weird Pennsylvania.
ISLAND of the DOLLS
Island of the Dolls
ISLAND of the DOLLS
A world renowned tourist destination is “La Isla de la Munecas”- a Spanish name which means the Island of the dolls. This Island of dolls is situated in Mexico and as the name suggests, one expects to see a beautiful world which will leave an everlasting impression. But the reality is exactly opposite and very harsh when one discovers the thousands of mutilated ugly dolls hanging from every tree on the island.
Don Julian Santana, a hermit who renounced the world and his family to inhabit this island dedicated his last fifty years of his life to the make the “La Isla de la Munecas”. It is believed that, he did this to please the spirit of a little girl who had drowned in the canal. Whatever may be the reason, he managed to turn this island into a bizarre, scary place where an eerie eye of mutilated dolls haunts your every move, on this strange island.
Don Julian is said to have led an isolated life ,except when he ventured to collect old dolls that he either scavenged from the garbage dump or bought in exchange for his homegrown fruits and vegetables. Personally one is made to believe that he obviously did not like intrusion and tried to scare off inquisitive onlookers by hanging scary doll faces. In 2001, Don Julian was discovered drowned to his death in the same canal surrounding his home. Don Julian is dead to the world but his eerie disturbed vision stays on, in the faces of lifeless dolls mutilated and hung in the worst forms of human torture and punishment.
This is a ghostly sight that serves as a dark tourist attraction especially for the young generation who is fascinated by gore and death. Many visitors are overwhelmed by the dead childish faces of dolls that never lived but appear to haunt this place, always looking at us as though we were responsible for their deaths. A world renowned tourist destination is “La Isla de la Munecas”- a Spanish name which means the Island of the dolls. This Island of dolls is situated in Mexico and as the name suggests, one expects to see a beautiful world which will leave an everlasting impression. But the reality is exactly opposite and very harsh when one discovers the thousands of mutilated ugly dolls hanging from every tree on the island.
Don Julian Santana, a hermit who renounced the world and his family to inhabit this island dedicated his last fifty years of his life to the make the “La Isla de la Munecas”. It is believed that, he did this to please the spirit of a little girl who had drowned in the canal. Whatever may be the reason, he managed to turn this island into a bizarre, scary place where an eerie eye of mutilated dolls haunts your every move, on this strange island.
Don Julian is said to have led an isolated life ,except when he ventured to collect old dolls that he either scavenged from the garbage dump or bought in exchange for his homegrown fruits and vegetables. Personally one is made to believe that he obviously did not like intrusion and tried to scare off inquisitive onlookers by hanging scary doll faces.
In 2001, Don Julian was discovered drowned to his death in the same canal surrounding his home. Don Julian is dead to the world but his eerie disturbed vision stays on, in the faces of lifeless dolls mutilated and hung in the worst forms of human torture and punishment.
This is a ghostly sight that serves as a dark tourist attraction especially for the young generation who is fascinated by gore and death. Many visitors are overwhelmed by the dead childish faces of dolls that never lived but appear to haunt this place, always looking at us as though we were responsible for their deaths.
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