Fridays Frights: Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum

There’s just something about an old, abandoned, insane asylum that screams haunted. For one thing they’re usually isolated following the view that out of sight, meant out of mind to the general populace. In the early days Mental illness was not understood as well as it is today leaving those who suffered with the impairment at the mercy of sadistic practitioners who could experiment on them without fear of reprisal. Using techniques from electroshock therapy to ice pick lobotomies in an attempt to cure them of their illness.

Some people believe the walls of a building absorb the vibrations of its past occupants, hence the reason for paranormal activity in some places. What we are witnessing is the residue of a past life that has imprinted itself upon the structure that houses it.

There are those who believe mental illness is a more enlightened state of consciousness. An ability to see, that which remains hidden from the rest of us, and would explain why one with a mental impairment will speak to an object, or person, we cannot see. Maybe they’re carrying on a conversation we can only hear one half of.

Is it any wonder that insane asylums are the creepiest places?

Billed as the largest hand cut stone structure in the U.S, the second largest in the world, beat out only by the Kremlin, the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, formerly known as The Weston State Hospital in Weston, West Virginia has secured its place as one of the ten scariest places in the U.S. Originally named Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, it was renamed Weston State Hospital. The new owners of the property have restored its original name that has been protested by mental illness advocates.

Originally constructed by Irish stonemasons between 1858 and 1881 the hospital opened its doors to patient in 1864. It was designed to hold 250 patients but by the 1950’s the patient population had skyrocketed to 2,400 tormented souls held in overcrowded, generally poor conditions. Changes in the treatment of mental illness and the physical deterioration of the structure forced its closure in 1994.

In one hall on the first floor visitors have reported being pushed against the wall while a loud whistling sound, with no known source, comes from down the hallway. The apparition known as Ruth, who as a patient was very violent towards men and would often throw things at them, is purported to haunt this same hallway.

In ward two on the second floor shadowy figures are sometimes seen near where a patient was stabbed seventeen times by another patient. Two other patients were known to have hung themselves from the curtain rods in their rooms, and visitors have reported hearing voices telling them to get out.

The third floor houses the nurse’s quarters where there have been sightings of Elizabeth, the ghost of a nurse who once worked in the hospital, it is purported that she was killed by a patient and her body lay at the bottom of a stairwell for nearly sixty days before it was discovered by authorities. There have been reports of voices and footsteps where no one can be found. In the geriatrics wing shadowy figures are often encountered.

Ward R, on the fourth floor, is one of the creepiest areas with reports of a ghostly shadow known as the Creeper. Then there’s Lily’s room. While it may be bright and airy during the day the small toys left on the windowsills are sure to send a chill down your spine.

There are no clear reports on who Lily was in life. Some say she was the child of Gladys Ravensfield who had been brought to Trans-Allegheny after she had been raped by a group of soldiers during the civil war. Gladys gave birth to a baby girl the staff named Lily, but the newborn died several days later. Yet the ghost is that of a child who, it is reported, will place her hand into your own, and will tug at your clothes like a child trying to get your attention. She will also take any candy left out for her.

The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum is open to the general public for a variety of tours. From Heritage tours that focus on the unique architecture, to ghost hunting tours that range from half an hour to overnight for the truly dedicated ghost hunter out there. The hospital was featured on Ghost Hunters in season four episode nine which aired in 2008. On October 30, 2009 the travel channel aired a seven hour special on its reality TV show Ghost Adventures.



For more information on tours go to http://trans-alleghenylunaticasylum.com

Fridays Frights: Chapel of Ease St Helena Island, SC

Some places don't look haunted at all. They lull you into a false sense of security with an innocent facade. Many other places scream haunted with a capital H. One such place is the Chapel of Ease on St Helena Island in South Carolina. While not a real church, a Chapel of ease provided a place to worship in isolated communities where it was not possible to travel to services at a parish church. As one of the earliest settlements in the United States, first established around 1540, nearly five hundred years of history are shrouded by towering oaks whose branches are draped by Spanish moss. 

Taking Lands End Rd off of state route 21 you will pass under the Hanging tree where runaway slaves were hung as a warning to the other slaves contemplating escape. It is said if you park under the tree at night and turn off your lights you will soon see the Lands End light as it races down the lane towards you. Many believe the light is the ghost of the slaves who had been hung from the tree while others believe it is the ghost of a Union soldier who lost his head during the Civil War.  

Just before the Hanging tree, on the left, lie the ruins of the Chapel of Ease. There have been reports of the sound of voices coming from within the walls. Some have claimed to have seen a woman in white carrying a baby as she wanders the grounds.    

Fridays Frights: Haunted Military Vessels.

Since most hauntings are associated with brutal or unexpected death is it any wonder that battlefields are some of the most haunted places in the world? Since the beginning man has waged war. And with each succeeding generation the technology of dealing death has become increasingly brutal. From rocks and spears to swords and maces. From bows and arrows to Gatling guns capable of firing over a thousand rounds a minute. Death on the battlefield is often swift, unexpected, and brutal.


One of my favorite stories growing up was a comic about an American patrol in the jungles of New Guinea. Outnumbered and outgunned by a superior Japanese force they were about to be overwhelmed when the unmistakable roar of a fifty caliber machine gun cut through the dense jungle blunting the Japanese attack as the rounds shred the advancing enemy. No one knew where the fire came from until they discovered the wreckage of a B-25 bomber that had crash landed in the jungle a year or two before. In the tail section sat the skeletal remains of the gunner sitting behind the smoking barrels of his twin fifties.

From Waterloo to Guadalcanal, from Antietam to Baghdad, wherever men have fought and died, many of their spirits have remained to guard the night. And the hauntings are not restricted to geographical locations. Listed below are a two weapons of war, floating cities that carried their country's message to the enemy, now docked they each serve as a museum. And each one is haunted.

USS Yorktown CVS10: Launched in 1943 and originally named Bon Homme Richard, she was renamed to commemorate the original USS Yorktown (CV5) that was sunk by enemy action during the battle of Midway. The ship participated in the pacific theater of action earning 11 battle stars during WWII. She earned 5 more during the Vietnam conflict. A total of 141 men lost their lives aboard the Yorktown that is now docked in Charlestown South Carolina.

USS Lexington CV16: Nicknamed The Blue Ghost due to her blue camouflage she was originally slated to be named USS Cabot, but when word came during her construction of the loss of the USS Lexington CV2 during the Battle of the Coral Sea the decision was made to rename her in honor of the lost carrier. She is the fifth naval ship to bear the Lexington name commemorating the Revolutionary War Battle of Lexington. She is currently docked as a floating museum in Corpus Christi, Texas.