Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum Ghost Hunt PTR

[coasterdave]

So another month rolls by and another ghost hunt is in the books. The month of April has me traveling to the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in Weston, WV. via I305 (Coaster related part of TR).This is a massive place to say the least. It contains a number of buildings but the Hunt that I was doing tonight was in the main building on all four floors. It was an investigation to remember to say the least.

 

The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, subsequently the Weston State Hospital, operated from 1864 until 1994 when it was closed down. The hospital's main building is one of the largest hand-cut stone masonry buildings in the United States, and, as Weston Hospital Main Building, was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1990. Originally designed to house 250 patients in solitude, the hospital held 717 patients by 1880; 1,661 in 1938; over 1,800 in 1949; and, at its peak, 2,400 in the 1950s in overcrowded conditions. With overcrowding came neglect and mistreatment in a series of reports by The Charleston Gazette in 1949 found poor sanitation and insufficient furniture, lighting, and heating in much of the complex.

 

It was a known fact that you could drop your wife, husband, or any relative off and the hospital would pay you money for checking them in. Alot of these people where not insane but after staying awhile they lost all grasps of time along with the sanity that they did have. Alot of these people either died here or in some cases where killed some of the other patients at the hospital.

 

This is the main building and the part that the Ghost Hunt will be taken place this evening.

 

 

This is looking across and up the West Fork River

 

 

This is an old mill located across the river from the Hospital and the the Town of Weston is beyond the mill.

 

 

This is the info board that gives a brief and grim history of the place.

 

 

This is the Medical Building which is also located on the property. Note the house behind it is someone's house. Would be great to live beside a haunted hospital if you ask me.

 

 

I took this right before going into the building as the sun was going down.

 

 

The fourth floor was the first stop of the evening. This is where the non violents where kept. But that was not always the case as the mental state of some of them went south.

 

 

This is the spot that some of us had a unique experience with what we where told is a female spirit that does not like men. Those that know me know sometimes I try to be funny but I said something that I do not think whatever was present did not like. I took a step after saying it and the next thing I knew I was laying on the floor thinking I tripped over something but found nothing that I could have tripped over. Was one of those 'WOW" moments I had that night.

 

 

I took this pic after getting up from my fall.

 

 

These closet where in almost every room that I went into. This was where everything that the person owned was keep. It was said if you get a closet then you get it for life as alot of people where took out of here feet first.

 

 

What would a ghost hunt be without a picture of the Bathroom?

 

 

This is the first floor of the Asylum that was started before the Civil War and is the oldest part of the place.

 

 

Here is pic for all you ORB followers.

 

 

The part of the Civil War Wing is where the children where keep.

 

 

This is the Kitchen Area on the first floor. You can go in hear and ask the chef what he is cooking. He has been known to tell you but be forewarned he has been dead for over 50 years now. I asked but nothing showed up on EVPs.

 

 

This area was where someone had some Dowsing Rods and talk about a great encounter. We where told that there are a number of spirits in this room that are friendly but one is not to happy when people come in asking questions. On a EVP we where told to 'Get the Hell Out'. Yea we left out of the room right after that.

 

 

this is Lilley's Room. She is a playful 9 year old who likes to play with these balls or play a music box for you. She was not that active the time I was in here. People have asked here to play her music box for them and she does. To this day noone has found it.

 

 

A group of us where walking down this hall when we heard a strange sound. It seem to get louder as we walked down the hall. Everyone else was looking and ready to run. I found a clock ticking was making the noise.

 

 

They say sitting on this bed sometimes make strange things take place. Well me being me. I decided to lay down on it to get the full effect of it. Nothing took place for afew minutes and something felt like it kicked the bed. I did jump off the bed in a hurry to say the least. Everyone that was hanging around me took off as fast as they could out of the room. I just turned around and began looking around the bed and saw nothing at all. So the next thing was to look under the bed to see if the bed was a gag. While I was under the bed, one big guy came back in to see if I was ok and saw me under the bed and he hit the floor. He fainted since he though whatever it was had grabbed me and was pulling me under the bed. I think once he came to he decided to pack his tiys and go home. He said I was one crazy SOB.

 

 

Welcome to the second floor. this is where the elderly where keep.

 

 

The second floor also was where the staff stayed that lived there so time to clock in.

 

 

Welcome to the restored doctor's lounge

 

 

This is the ward where some of the most dangerous woman where kept. Walk down here is a eerie feeling of being watched. This is located on the third floor.

 

 

These where on the windows so that noone could either escape or jump to their death.

 

 

This was where the most Dangerous men where kept. Noticed the doors are alot stronger for good reason.

 

 

Nothing needs to explain what this area was for.

 

 

As the time was winding down we got a chance to explore the are that you where took when a Lobotomy was preformed.

 

 

Another pic for you ORB lovers out there!

 

 

This place was a shear goldmine of Activity. i am still going through the Audio I took. I will be returning on Saturday June 5th for a follow up investigation. I can not wait to see what new things I come across.

 

Full pictures:http://www.flickr.com/photos/coasterdave/sets/72157623905782302/

[themeparkologist]

I too, believe that peaceful spirits exist and so do demonic ones. I think that this place housed many of the latter. Is this true? Or believed to be?

 

 

You could never pay me enough money to go in there at night. Scary stuff, man. Have fun going back :shudder:

[the ghost]

Bah! I may be to much of a scientist, but this kind of thing is just not for me. Its too unreal for me, and honestly accoriding to psychology in certain situations your brain kind of makes you trip out. You'r brain was nervous, hence you react in a scared way. It seems fun, but I'd rather go to a park haunt cause those actually tend to scare me, I know its fake, but getting chased by a chainsaw killer is scary ****.

[JimmyBo]

Next time take a video camera with night vision and see if you can catch any of the sounds. This stuff is awesome and I would love to do this. Any chance your going to go to the Birdcage Theater in Tombstone? That place is freaking sweet!

[CardCraze]

Nice TR! Some interesting orb photos, and it sounds like some nice EVPs! I'm into a lot of that stuff myself. Ever tried Old House Woods in Diggs County, Virginia?

[Darksin]

The only downside is so many of the historic asylums are long gone now. The kirkbrides are a thing of the past, it makes me sad. We've driven by Weston State dozens of times but never really stopped other then to snap some outside pictures, without it being abandoned it takes some of the fun out of the game. There are so few left anymore you can't just drive down the road and hear "Holy crap, what the hell is that thing?!" only to find yourself hours later, lost in an old sanitarium and having a great adventure.

 

You should take a look at Waverly Hills (Louisville, Kentucky) which is another one which was bought and have been putting back together slowly but surely. I'm told their halloween tours are very good. Eastern State Penn (Phila, PA) and Moundsville Penn (Moundsville, WVA) are great tours also

[coasterdave]

I will be doing Moundsville Prison in West Virginia on Saturday May 29th followed by a return visit to Trans-Allegheny the following Saturday (June 5th). I was at Waverly Hills in March but had looked at doing it again in Oct but the place is sold out for the rest of the year. It is great that alot of the money that is taken in by these places are put right back into restoring the places.

 

I will say at one time I was a huge skeptic of this stuff but over the last six months or so I have changed my mind. I recall seeing some show about ghost hunting and thought to myself you have to be a complete and utter fool to do that since there is no such thing as ghost. Now I am one of those fools that became a Paranormal Investigator. The thing that got me into this was last October I did the ghost hunt at the Crown Colony House at Busch Gardens Tampa. The rest is history. I know alot of people out there are skeptical of ghost and such. And I respect their views and I am in no way going to try to change that.

 

I have not been to Investigate the Birdcage in Tombstone but I am looking at possible doing it later in the summer with a group of people that I know. It is one of those places that I look forward in getting to. As for Old House Woods, I had never heard of it till you spoke of it CardCraze. I did some research and it looks like a place that would be worth visiting on a swing up to Virginia.

 

I think there or more dangerous spirits in Trans_Allegheny that make their presence known. I think it is one of the most unique place that I have visited so far. Seems West Virginia has alot of Paranormal places.

[Darksin]

Eh it's not really ghosts, I've danced down the halls of some asylum's with history ten times worse then Weston State and have yet to encounter anything much more frightening then teenagers, security and transients. I've tired to keep an open mind but normally I end up giggling like a fool when someone in the group gets all weirded out. Now on that note, there is only ever been one place I've been that's my own personal inner war. An old hotel with a history that makes me drool in lust at the idea of getting in there... and I've seen this one building turn even hard core UE people cold, would I go in there? Hell yes! At night? Maybe, for a million dollars and a 15 minute time limit.

 

Now if I could pay the Weston State people some extra money and they'd let me run threw like a nutball and really do some exploring I'd pay for the tour but I hate having people watching over my should at every move I make.

[NegativeGLover]

Ahhh, the Weston State Hospital, as we Weston people like to call it. First off, great pictures of this place. It really does pose well. I've never done the ghost tour, so thanks for sharing the report. I've taken several day tours, but never the ghost tour - Will probably wait for the next offseason. I'm usually in Weston every couple weeks as my, and my wife's, families still live there. Maybe if I'm there June 5th we could meet up - always nice to meet other TPR peeps.

 

I don't have any ghost stories of this place, but I will share a few. My grandma's house is right beside this place, and on the other side? - my other grandma's house. And about everyone from Weston is related to someone from "back in the day" that has spent time here (we're talking early 1900's, when it was easy to put someone in). We've all known people who worked there (my wife's grandma) and whatnot as well, but here are the 2 things I remember most.

 

The whole place is surrounded by a wrought iron fence. They would let the low security patients out during the day to walk around, well, they would walk the fence. It wasn't uncommon to see patients slowly walking around the fence perimeter in a hospital gown. Slightly creepy. Considering the fence was only 5 ft' high or so, it wouldn't have taken much to get out. They were usually of no danger, but it was still fun as a kid letting the mind run wild as to what would happen if a dangerous patient jumped the fence - it wasn't uncommon for low security patients to do.

 

My favorite memory though took place on a few summer nights. We stayed with my grandma when my parents took a trip. Of course, it stormed - bad. As we sat on the front porch of my grandma's house looking over at the front of the building after the storm, you could see the eeriest thing. With all the power in town being out, the hospital was the ONLY place with lights - and they were generator run. This meant the old florescent bulbs put out more of a green light instead of white. So, you have this massive building being the ONLY place in town with lights, and the whole building glowed an eerie green color. It's really hard to imagine how crazy it looked. I only wish I could have a picture of it like that! Just the sight of the place like that would send chills up your spine. I loved it then, and still love the memory of it now.

 

Thanks for sharing one of the few things are town is known for!

[larrygator]

Move to the Random Forum! I see nothing Amusement Park nor Coaster related at this point.

[Dailey Enterprizes]

I am still in a gray area with ghosts, but I am on the verge of believing in them because I do like to think there's life after death.

 

Anyway, I am a fan of this sort of thing. I like to watch "Ghost Adventures" quite a bit and the Linda Vista hospital visit in LA was my favorite because they encountered a spirit who was trapped and the guys felt so bad that they sought to have it freed. Another one was one of their first paranormal discoveries in a an old gold mining town. It was a hotel/brothel and I believe there was a poltergeist in the basement.

 

Right after 2:00 of footage you can see the brick being thrown across the room.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c07MAZbVaCY

 

Oh yeah, I commute from the North HIlls to Moon township for class almost everyday and I pass by the location of what I think is the oldest asylum in the U.S. It was built in 1856 and was known as the Dixmont Hospital for the Insane. Not too long ago a landslide occurred along Route 65 which runs parallel to the hill it was on. The asylum was demolished to make way for a Walmart, but after the landslide the project was canceled. For what it's worth the cemetery is still there and some people think the spirits were the cause of the landslide. Regardless, here's the story. KDKA - Dixon Hospital for the Insane.

[JimmyBo]

Out of all the "ghost" shows on TV now (Ghost Hunters, Ghost Lab, Ghost Adventures, etc...) I only watch Ghost Adventures because 1) The guys are bad@$$es 2) They get really good evidence and don't wait for commercial break to show it to you and 3) They are actually quite funny in a lot of the episodes. The other shows are just "meh" to me. I also hear that they do guest ghost haunts at certain places where you can go with them. That's pretty sweet.

 

Do you have to pay to go into these places at night or do you guys just sneak in?

[coasterdave]

Yea I enjoy Ghost Adventures alot more then some of the other Para Shows on the Tube, Though I wished someone in the US would pick up Ghost Chicks.

 

When I do a public ghost hunt it will always cost me anywhere from 60 to 100 bucks. Waverly Hills and Trans-Allegheny where $100 bucks apiece will the Upcoming stay at Moundsville Prison ran only $60 bucks and that does include a snack and coffee. I have yet to sneak into anywhere to hunt or Investigate a place since I would either get shot and get a chance to be a ghost to hunt or get hauled downtown to the county jail. I have saw alot of places that I would love to investigate but try to track down the owners and ask before doing it. You might be surprised on just how many say yes. It would be safe to say that I have spent the night in Creepy Places then rode coasters this year.

 

I have since last hunt joined a Paranormal Group, but have not done an investigation with them. Now I have lined up some for them in the coming months that I hope to attend as long as I am able. There is one that I lines up that I will not be able to attend due to hitting Trans-Allegheny on the 5th of June.

 

Let me know if you are in the are that weekend NegativeGLover. I am doing the Photo tour that morning from 8am to 1pm. I do not have to be back at the Weston Hospital till around 8 that night.