Mental Hospital and Sanatorium Hauntings

What happens to people who are mentally ill when they die? Do they suddenly become clear minded and are they no longer tortured by their delusions? Some find relief from their mental ailments, I’m sure; some don’t. Several of the most haunted locations that have been investigated are abandoned mental hospitals. Here are some reports of mental hospital hauntings.

Athens Mental Health Center ("The Ridges"), Athens County, Ohio

One of the inmates of this mental facility, Margaret Schilling, disappeared in December of 1978. Her body was found on the top floor in January of the following year. When her body was removed from the floor the employees noticed that her outline remained on the floor. The phantom outline was so detailed that it actually depicted Margaret’s hairstyle and the folds of her clothing. Although the stain was repeatedly cleaned, it always reappears, and can still be seen today. Employees have reported seeing and hearing the ghost of Margaret Schilling and others who have died in the hospital wandering the halls at night.

.Waverly Hills Sanatorium, Louisville, Kentucky

Cold spots, disembodied voices, and ghosts roaming the halls are among the symptoms of this infamous haunted medicalfacility. Although not a mental hospital, the TB sanatorium saw it’s share of tortured souls. Hundreds of patients died at this hospital, many of whom were probably not taken care of as well as they should have been. There have also been numerous investigations at this location, and many TV shows documenting their findings. This building is on everyone’s list of “Most Haunted” buildings in America.

THE BARTONVILLE INSANE ASYLUM Near Peoria, Illinois

The first structure on this site was built in 1887, but it was never used and then torn down in 1897 because of design flaws. The new buildings were completed 1902. The strange occurrence at this location is that of the haunted Graveyard Elm. The tree has been reported to emanate sounds of sobbing, wailing, weeping and moaning. Are the phantoms residing at the asylum crying for the many who have experienced tortured deaths there? No one can be sure. There have been many times when people have attempted to cut down or burn the tree, but those behind the effort have quickly given up once the tree began vocally complaining about the process.

Northampton State Hospital, Northhampton, Massachusetts

This lunatic asylum was built in 1856. Overcrowding and neglectful patient care contributed to the hospital’s closure in 1993. Many unmarked graves surround the building. Some of the Paranormal activity reported at the site consists mostly of sounds. Visitors hear footsteps, doors opening and closing and whispers. Sometimes visitors hear the squeak of wheels as if someone is pushing a wheelchair or a gurney through the old halls. One wonders if paranormal activity will continue as it has on so many other sites where buildings have been demolished, but the spirits remain. The television show Scariest Places on Earth featured the hospital. The investigating groupn also reported hearing the telltale footsteps and odd noises.

Clovis Sanitarium, (Wolfe Manor) Clovis, CA

Not only was this building once used as a sanitarium but it was also used as a convalescent home. Its future is a haunted hotel; and that’s exactly how the new owners plan to advertise it. Some of the activities in the house have been audible conversations from unseen participants, EVPs of an old woman laughing, cold spots and voices insisting that visitors “Get out!.”

Byberry Mental Hospital, Philadelphia, PA

As with most of these facilities, many reports of patient mistreatment abound. Because of these atrocities the facility was closed in 1990. There are underground catacombs and tunnels that were built under the main building and other structures on the property. Brave visitors who have ventured into this area report seeing a lunatic spirit who is believed to be a former patient of the faculty. The angry entity apparently chases curious intruders out of the tunnels with a machete.

 

There are many more abandoned mental hospitals around the country, and most of them are reportedly haunted. There have been thousands of mentally ill residents of these facilities that apparently are unable or unwilling to cross over after their deaths. Many of these facilities have been investigated by Paranormal Investigation teams that have gathered a great deal of documentation of survival after death… and many have run from the buildings in fear of the mentally ill who have found a way to remain where they experienced many tortured memories of their past lives.