Ghost hunters spot shadow people in haunted hospital

It's an amazing and intimidating structure to come upon suddenly in the wilds of West Virginia. Weston State Hospital, recently bought and re-named the Trans Allegheny Lunatic Asylum (TALA), looms out of the clouds like something from a Gothic novel. Once the heart of the town of Weston's economy, this hospital for the mentally ill opened its doors in 1864 and was finally closed in 1994, dealing the town a significant economic blow. During those 130 years, unimaginable agonies were endured by the patients as doctors experimented with painful and usually ineffective treatments such as lobotomies and dosed them with powerful (and sometimes poisonous) drugs to keep them docile. R.I.P. Sensitive/Lead Investigator Rene took this photo of TALA the afternoon of our visit. It was a cold, overcast day with occasional snow flurries, the perfect setting for a hunt.

History: It's hard to imagine from our modern perspective, but many of the treatments pioneered at Trans Allegheny were done with the best of intentions and were actually quite progressive for their day. Prior to the 1800s, "treatment" of the mentally ill generally consisted of putting them in prison with hardened criminals or locking them away in the attic or basement of the family home. In the 1800s, a reform movement started with the goal of treatment and even eventual re-integration into society, if possible. Thomas Kirkbride, for example, advocated tastefully arranged buildings to house the insane, with therpeutic and comfortable living quarters that would provide patients with stimulating mental and physical activities. Unfortunately, there were many abuses. For example, in the years before women were allowed to own and control their own property and monies, more than a few husbands had their wives committed in order to get their hands on the wealth. Some of the reasons people could be committed included the all-purpose "melancholia," as well as lesser offenses such as "excessive reading of novels" and "unclean thoughts."

 Name Change: The hospital was originally commissioned as the "Trans Allegheny Asylum for the Insane" in 1858. The Civil War delayed completion of the hospital and it was re-named West Virginia Hospital for the Insane when it finally opened its doors in 1864 in the newly-formed state of West Virginia. This name remained until 1913 when it became Weston State Hospital. The hospital finally went under, a victim of severe overcrowding, patient treatment scandals, and lack of funding for repair, unkeep, and rehabilitation. It was originally designed to house 250 people, but at one point was home to 2,400 patients.  The building was sold at auction by the state in 2007 for $1.5 million to Joe Jordan, an asbestors demolition contractor from Morgantown. According to Rebecca Jordan-Gleason, Director of Operations, the family wants to restore and preserve a vital part of American history and bring business to the surrounding area. They offer daily and overnight tours, as well as "mud bog" races and other events year round. But they always treat the hospital and its tragic history with respect. Their goal is to restore TALA to its former grandeur. Despite the fact that it has been designated a National Historic Landmark, TALA requires additional sources of income and support from the community to endure. The Jordans hold an Information/Volunteer Meeting on a weekly basis for everyone who is interested in participating in the restoration, contributing ideas, or keeping up with the latest news. They are committed to restoring TALA, which will also help revive the local economy and preserve an important piece of local and national history.  

Hauntings: Our guide worked at Weston State Hospital for 30 years until its closing and she had many tales to tell. The fourth floor was said to be one of the most active spots. People have reported capturing strange sounds and growls on their recorders, as well as clear - but unknown - voices. Some visitors experience the constant din of faint conversations in the background even though they are the only ones in the building. There have also been reports of numerous shadow people,as well as a full body apparition on the stairs. Our guide reported that, during one tour, they all stopped and watched the strange shadows moving from place to place for nearly an hour and a strapping state trooper was brought to his knees in terror by the spectral sights and sounds. The Civil War wing is the part of the building that served as a barracks during the war and it changed hands from blue to gray and back again several times. There is said to be a great deal of activity in this area, particularly from Jacob, a former solider from that era. There is even a child ghost, Lily, on the first floor. Visitors often leave candy for her and the candy seems to disappear on a regular basis. The Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS) officially declared TALA to be haunted and, ever since this particular episode aired on the Sci Fi channel, paranormal investigators have flocked to the building to find out for themselves.    

Our Investigation: We divided into teams. Rene, R.I.P. Sensitive/Lead Investigator, and I began in one wing of the fourth floor, taking baseline EMF and temperature readings. We conducted several EVP sessions in rooms that we felt drawn to. Once we were relatively isolated from the rest of the group (several guides, 12 investigators, and a four person film crew), we were able to truly absorb and appreciate the erie atmosphere. It was very quiet, with only the sound of the dripping rain through partially open or broken windows to interrupt the silence. In fact, it began to feel somewhat oppressive. We decided to move to the hallway to conduct one final EVP session in this wing. Almost immediately, Rene and I both felt a presence at the end of the hallway. We began to notice flickering lights, as though someone was alternately standing and moving in front of one of the windows. We invited the entity to come toward us. After several minutes, we both saw a shadow halfway down the hall and much closer to where we were standing. We also experienced cold chills and a distinct drop in temperature. We continued trying to coax what we felt was a male spirit to come closer, but we were never able to convince him to come more than halfway down the hall. At one point, the activity seemed to stop and we no longer saw the "flickering" effect in front of the windows. We held several more EVP sessions and took numerous photos with high hopes of collecting evidence; however, nothing showed up on either the recordings or the photos. At this same time, Jim and Lisa were investigating the opposite fourth floor wing. At one point, Jim was urging any spirits present to give them a sign of their presence. At that precise moment, the fan began turning by itself and it was not a windy night. Jim investigated the amount of force required to turn the fan and discovered that it did not turn easily. In fact, it required a fair amount of effort to get the fan to turn. Again, they had great expectations for their EVPs and photographs, but no evidence was found. Other teams of investigators had similar personal experiences. One team heard footsteps following them in the courtyard, but no source was discovered. Another investigator, Angie, was doing a sweep in the Civil War area and found that a pink shoe had mysteriously appeared in the middle of a room that she knew was clear only moments earlier. The guide commented that this particular shoe has a tendency to appear and disappear and, as far as she was aware, it had not been seen since mid-summer.      

The Evidence: Our best evidence appeared in the photo (above) taken by R.I.P. Investigator Michelle Bender. Michelle explains, "I was with a small group in the Arts and Crafts section of the facility. We were on our way back to the Break Room. I was bringing up the rear of the group because my mother couldn't walk as fast as the rest and I didn't want her to be left behind in some dark hallway. So, as we made our way through the passageway that leads to the main section, I got this overwhelming feeling that I needed to stop and take a picture back down the hallway. Of course, I had no idea what I had captured until I got to the Break Room and started looking through my photos. When I came to this one, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. It's true that ghosts don't always come out when you want them to, but this photo really made the trip for me! I can't wait to go back again and see what else I can find next time." Other investigators photographed what could be shadow people, also, but Michelle's photo is the clearest and hardest to de-bunk. We still have several hours of footage from the four camera DVR to review and it may reveal other anomalies. Watch this blog for updates.    

Conclusion: So, is TALA haunted? Well, we had a number of personal experiences and it appears to be active. It's certainly haunted by an unhappy past. Could some of those restless spirits from earlier times still linger in the halls of this hospital of horrors? You're invited to come see and experience for yourself at the Trans Allegheny Lunatic Asylum...if you dare.

Topics: ghosts , paranormal , paranormal investigations , ghost hunters , EVPs , ghost photos , mediums , Internet TV , paranormal investigators , haunted sites , TAPS , WVA , Trans Allegheny Lunatic Asylum