America's Top 4 Infamous and Scary True Insane Asylum Stories
A haunted insane asylum
The True Dark History of Famous Haunted Insane Asylums
Death, illness, and tragedy have long permeated the history of American insane asylums. Beginning in the late 18th century, buildings that housed the criminally and mentally insane swept the country like a plague. Now, the brutality of these institutions is all but lost to history.
Torture and abuse flowed freely, and time has yet to erase the multitude of horrors that were brought down upon each surviving soul. Take a journey into the world of asylums, see why they are some of the scariest places on earth, and join me for a road trip into the supernatural.
- The Ridges (Athens, Ohio)
- Danvers State Lunatic Asylum (Danvers, Massachusetts)
- Byberry Mental Hospital (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
- Waverly Hills Sanatorium (Louisville, Kentucky)
1. The Ridges (Athens, Ohio)
The Ridges, also known as the Athens Mental Health Center, is located in Athens, Ohio. Originally monikered the Athens Asylum for the Criminally Insane, this massive institution opened its doors on January 9, 1874.
The state and federal government had purchased over 1,000 acres of land from the Coates, a family whose farm had previously occupied the land. The main building, enormous in size, was designed around the idea that it was therapeutic for patients to be housed in a facility that resembled a home.
Asylums at this time were, more often than not, a facade of mental abuse and torture. The Ridges was a first of its kind, an asylum where bleeding, freezing, and kicks to the head were not thought of as ways to "shock" the illness out of the brain.
The less disturbed patients were housed closer to the center, where the administrative offices and employee housing were. The violent patients were housed at the far end of the wings, away from employee housing and convenient exits and entries.
The building housed over 200 patients until overcrowding ensued in the early 1900s. The patient count then rose to nearly 2,000 in a building with only 544 rooms. The increase in popularity led to a decline in patient treatment.
Once unique in its mental practices, The Ridges fell prone to old-time customs. Eventually, The Ridges reverted to hostile patient care, including physical abuse, water treatment, shock therapy, and lobotomies.
By 1993, the Athens Asylum for the Criminally Insane bused its last patients out and closed its doors for good. All patients except one, that is.
Hauntings
On December 1, 1978, a female patient named Margaret Schilling disappeared from one of the active wards. On January 12, 1979, 42 days later, they found her lifeless body on the abandoned top floor of ward N. 20. The ward at the time, abandoned and closed down for years, was used for sick, infectious patients.
A search was conducted when the woman went missing, but apparently, the only floor not checked was ward N. 20. When a maintenance man found her body—lifeless, cold, and unclothed—she had been dead for several weeks. The official cause of death was heart failure, but the underlying cause remains a mystery. A stain in the shape of a human figure can still be seen on the floor where she died.
It is said that her spirit can be seen peering from the window of the room in which she spent her final moments. People have also been said to hear disembodied female voices, lights, shadow people, and the sound of squeaking gurneys.
Danvers State Mental Hospital
2. Danvers State Lunatic Asylum (Danvers, Massachusetts)
Danvers State Lunatic Asylum is probably one of the most notoriously haunted and intriguing places on earth. High atop Hawthorne Hill, overlooking the scenic countryside, sits an incomprehensibly massive structure dubbed the "witches' castle on the hill."
Danvers State Lunatic Asylum was constructed in 1878, costing a mere $1.5 million, and was considered to be an architectural masterpiece. The asylum is located in the town of Danvers, Massachusetts, which many people are unaware was formerly known as Salem Village.
Salem Village was the first actual location of the 1692 Salem witch trials. Unbeknownst to some, the witch trials did not begin in Salem but in Salem Village or present-day Danvers at a church on Centre Street. The trials were later moved to a larger building in Salem when hysteria ran rampant and onlooking spectators swarmed the church.
More significantly, the most fanatical judge of the witch trials, Johnathan Hawthorne, lived in a house built by his father in 1646 at the top of the hill, in the exact location on which the asylum stands today, hence the name "Witches Castle." It has also been speculated that John Proctor and four other accused witches were hung on Gallows Hill in 1692, the property on which Danvers was built. Creepy? For sure.
Danvers was the epitome of ever-changing health care at the turn of the century, and its humane treatment of patients earned it a brilliant reputation. But like so many others of its time, it fell victim to rising costs, lack of government funding, understaffing, and overpopulation. Its deteriorated physical state was a hell-hole likened to that of a German death camp. The once humane facility had turned dark by the mid-half of the century.
Danvers, between 1940 and 1950, housed over 2,600 mentally ill patients in a structure only designed to house 600. Due to overcrowding, it relied on medical interventions customary to infamous asylums of that time—shock treatment, hydrotherapy, insulin shock therapy, psychosurgery, and lobotomies (the frontal lobotomy was said to be perfected here) to keep its burgeoning census under control.
Patients became haggard and ghostly, often spending the majority of their time alone and in solitary confinement in a space no larger than a small bathroom. It was so bad that a lifeless patient would go unnoticed for days.
Finally, in 1992, Danvers State Lunatic Asylum shut its doors for good. The remaining patients were placed accordingly in other facilities, and the castle was locked down.
Fourteen years passed as the building sat abandoned, then in 2005, the property was bought, and parts of the once grander hospital were demolished. Although still recognizable, Danvers State is now apartments, and although part of the original structure was kept, the foreboding that once emanated from this great palace is gone.
Hauntings
With such a noteworthy history, it's no wonder Danvers was dubbed one of the scariest places on earth. Although converted to apartments, the lure and legends of Danvers remain.
People have reported seeing flickering lights and full-body apparitions and hearing invisible footsteps and doors that open and close on their own. Whether the hauntings are residual energy burned into the atmosphere of this eerie place or ghosts, it's up to you to decide!
3. Byberry Mental Hospital (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Byberry Mental Hospital is located on the outskirts of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Byberry was first constructed in 1906 and opened its doors to its first patient in 1907. It began its humble beginnings as a working farm for the mentally ill, but between 1910 and 1920, construction of a large asylum was begun and completed.
As asylum popularity grew throughout the country, by the mid-1930s, Byberry's population quickly expanded, and with it came tales of patient abuse and neglect. Insufficient funds left the asylum in disrepair, and patients wound up unclothed, starved, and sleeping in raw sewage-filled hallways. Many patients were forced to live huddled in decrepit, dingy rooms with no socialization or supervision.
Every mental institution nightmare you can imagine came true. "Padded cells, restraining devices, solitary confinement, beatings by brutal warders and violent inmates, lobotomies and electric shock" were just some of the horrid treatments used. Byberry became known as a "real-life house of horrors" as murder, suicide, and brutality reigned.
Finally, in 1990, state authorities were forced to close the doors of Byberry after a thorough investigation revealed the despicable living conditions within Byberry's walls. Yet, its dark history continued on and remains to this very day. The crumbling buildings that once housed hundreds of mentally insane patients and the subterranean tunnels that connected them were left vacant and forgotten—until now.
Hauntings
There is a multitude of horror stories surrounding Byberry. After it closed, it became a magnet for all sorts of unwelcome visitors—thieves, vagrants, gangs, satanic cults, and possibly former inmates in search of shelter (less mentally unwell patients were tossed to the street after Byberry closed). The miles of catacombs beneath the abandoned asylum have also given rise to some very creepy stories.
One freakishly scary urban legend concerns a former patient who reportedly still lurks in the tunnel below, hiding in wait, wielding a large knife to slice the throats of any unsuspecting explorer that should cross his path. It is also said that a gang of satanic occultists has taken refuge in the dilapidated building.
The satanic rituals that are said to take place here have possibly opened up a door to hell within these walls, as growling sounds and bodily welts and scratches have been reported. So, take caution should you venture out at night; ghosts are not the only thing lying in wait.
More Haunted Places to Read About
- Haunted Asylums in New York State
New York has had many asylums spread all over the state through the course of its history. It's truly amazing how many of them are thought to be haunted. Read on to learn about the most famous of them! - The 13 Most Haunted Places in the United States
Ever wondered what are the scariest haunted places in the U.S.? Here are 13 top contenders.
4. Waverly Hills Sanatorium (Louisville, Kentucky)
I've decided to save the best for last—welcome to Waverly Hills.
In Louisville, Kentucky, perched high upon a massive hill sits Waverly Hill Sanatorium. This reigning fortress of doom, in its decaying state, casts an eerie feeling upon the city below. The atmosphere surrounding Waverly creates a sense of foreboding and is further darkened by a chilling history.
Waverly Hills Sanatorium was built in 1924 to replace an existing hospital, built in 1910, that became overpopulated due to the rapid spread of a plague-like disease—tuberculosis. Although Waverly Hills was considered the most advanced tuberculosis sanatorium in the country, hundreds of adults and children still perished at the peak of the epidemic.
Ultimately, the deaths occurred because of a lack of medicine. A cure for tuberculosis wouldn't come until 1940, and although treatments were performed to help alleviate the condition of the patient, most times, they were just as horrific as the disease itself, and most patients did not survive.
By the late 1930s, tuberculosis had declined, and in 1943, a cure for the disease was made available worldwide. Patients were treated accordingly and, when healthy, they were released. Then, in 1946, after tuberculosis was under control, Waverly Hills shut down.
Yet, that was not the end of the story; it was later re-opened as Woodhaven Geriatrics Sanatorium in 1961. During this time, there were many stories of patient mistreatment and unusual experiments. By 1982, Waverly was shut down indefinitely. Today, it sits abandoned, ravaged by time.
Hauntings
With 64,000 deaths under its belt, it's no wonder why Waverly Hills is considered to be one of the most haunted asylums in the country. As if death wasn't enough to cause a haunting, it has also been speculated that satanic rituals have taken place within its walls. Shadow people lurk within its corridors, accompanied by disembodied voices and slamming doors. Here are a few well-known occurrences at Waverly:
- Main Entrance: An elderly woman is often seen, in spectral form, crying for help, bleeding with her wrists and ankles chained.
- The Third Floor: It is said, depending on who is speaking, that either a ghostly little boy (Robert) or girl (Mary) haunts the third floor. Often, people report seeing this ghostly apparition playing with a ball; others have only heard the ball bouncing on the floor or down the stairs.
- The Roof: The faint voices of children are often heard singing "Ring around the Rosie" on the roof.
- The Fifth Floor and Room 502: Stories say that in 1928, the head nurse in Room 502 was found dead in her room. 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. Then, 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 been pushed over the edge. There are no records to indicate this, but rumors continue to persist. It is reported that people have seen her full-body apparition on this floor. Feelings of despair are often felt in this area, as well as a voice growling, "Get out!"
- The Fourth Floor: The fourth floor is regarded as one of the most creepy, scary, and "active" areas in the hospital. Doors are reported to slam for no apparent reason in an area that is off-limits to human occupants due to its unsafe nature. Ghostly, shadow-like silhouettes are also said to be seen lurking in the halls.
Sources and Further Reading
- Athens Asylum History
The Athens Lunatic Asylum served the Southeast Ohio region for over 120 years and went through many changes and alterations in structure, care, and services. - History of The Ridges | Athens | Ohio University
The Ridges was originally developed as the site for Athens Lunatic Asylum, 150 years ago. After years of declining patient numbers and the onset of the de-institutionalization movement in the 1980s, the mental hospital saw its inevitable end. - HISTORY | Danvers State Hospital | Danvers State Insane Asylum
The hospital opened on May 1st, 1878 and the hospitals first patients arrived on May 13th. Dr. Calvin S. May was appointed Superintendent through 1880. Previous to Danvers, Dr. May was an Assistant Physician at the Connecticut Hospital for the Insane - History: Danvers State Hospital
A brief synopsis of the historical significance of Danvers State Hospital written by Town Archivist Richard B. Trask in March 1981, in conjunction with a series of Massachusetts Historical Commission Building Surveys he researched for Danvers. - Byberry (Philadelphia State Hospital) - Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia
From 1911 to 1990, the Philadelphia State Hospital, popularly known as Byberry, housed thousands of mental patients. - About Us - Waverly Hills Sanatorium
Today Waverly Hills Sanatorium is visited by thousands of people each year in search of history, architecture and the paranormal. We offer Historical Tours, Paranormal Tours as well as both public and private Investigations. Visit Waverly Hills Sanat
© 2009 Elizabeth
Comments
Jennet Humphrey on January 05, 2020:
I had been searching for an interesting , new and informative paranormal website for a long time and then I came across this site. I am so content that I can find here many creepy and well-written articles :)
Briar Rose on April 18, 2018:
I loved it! So fun to read, very useful for my report. Did a great job on writing it! I LOVED the last one(☠
Ashley TKL on December 14, 2014:
Good job. I enjoyed the read. Useful and Interesting!
kier e k on October 09, 2014:
Lots of info used for research project. very useful too
Bill Hickson on July 27, 2014:
Nice job writing this. Alot of info for one page. AsylumInsane.com talks about related topics.
Anon on February 06, 2014:
The lobotomy was not perfected in Salem...
Elizabeth (author) from Some Sunny Beach, USA on August 26, 2013:
Rachel thank you for reading and commenting! Hopefully one day you will get to visit!
Elizabeth (author) from Some Sunny Beach, USA on August 26, 2013:
And that is how I described it Raevyn14, as a Sanatorium. Did you read the description of it? I said it was a sanatorium for turberculosis patients. Although it may not have been termed an insane asylum, like you said, the building did at one point house mental patients on some of it's floors and then later again when it was converted into the Woodhaven Geriatrics Sanatorium. Which is why I included it in this article.
Raevyn14 from Tecumseh, Oklahoma on August 25, 2013:
Waverly hill Sanatorium wasn't an insane asylum. It was a TB hospital that was turned into an old folks home, I've researched this place for years. The experiments they did we supposed to help those who were infected with TB. There were people with mental issues on the 5th floor, but other than that It was NOT an insane asylum.
Rachel on August 25, 2013:
Wow interesting stuff, really creepy.
God i'd love to live in america, all you americans are so lucky. I'd love to visit some day but the country is so massive and full of great places that I dont know where to go first!
Janae on July 15, 2013:
Wow. I know where I am DEFINITELY going when I can. Waverly Hills sounds amazing.
becky on May 12, 2013:
Hi I am from Liverpool and would love to. Come over to the USA for a tour of the asylums it would be an amazing experience :-)
Ralphieman on March 13, 2013:
Here's a good tip.
If you wake up at 3 in the morning and decide to research something, don't research mental asylums.
Just don't. Trust me.
you all are nut cases on March 01, 2013:
you're all insane wait to you get to hell!
you better go pray for demonic souls g-d will forgive you and wont send you there!!
Sami on December 03, 2012:
I just wanted to let u know I hung out in byberry many times when I was in my teens it was scary and very interesting to see all the different rooms and what was still in the buildings
Marines205 on October 21, 2012:
I have been a Marine since I was 17 teen and I would love to check out old places like these. I live in Wyoming and we have nothing like that here.
smokie on October 17, 2012:
Any Historical buildings should be perserved. Funds should be set aside for renovations to be made..We should hold history dear to our hearts. Let people see just how far we have come. modern building just is not that interesting.
m.w.p.i on September 29, 2012:
i was wondering if u could help me, my house is haunted, 2 people died in it and im right across from a semitary
Beka on September 15, 2012:
I moved
To Salem, MA I'm January so
I am close to Danvers.
I just watched the movie session 9 which was filmed in the Danvers insane
Asylum. Scary. Wish i
Would have moved earlier and could have seen it!
Hannah on August 14, 2012:
Ok im a bit scared now, but thanks im reseaching the context of mental/lunatic asylums in Britain and USA for A level English, this helped me out thankyou!
Elizabeth (author) from Some Sunny Beach, USA on August 07, 2012:
Shadowhunter, thank you! Good luck with your story!
Shadowhunter on August 05, 2012:
*shivers* I am officially creeped out, but thanks! I'm researching asylums for a short story (*cue more shivers*) and this has helped a lot. I think Waverly Hills takes the cake :D (in my story, anyway. The one before it seems even creepier...)
sarah on July 12, 2012:
sooooooooooooooooooo weird
Elizabeth (author) from Some Sunny Beach, USA on June 28, 2012:
I'm sure one would! Thanks for reading!
Elizabeth (author) from Some Sunny Beach, USA on June 28, 2012:
Hi PDQ, thanks for commenting! & to answer your question , no I have never heard of those. I will have to look into it! Maybe I can find something :)
pdq on June 27, 2012:
Love so far. Have u ever heard of the nut house or funny farm in Either. Nebraska or Iowa? Yes that really was the name not.being mean or anything. Saw a short clip on tv about it But find jack about it on line in searches?!?
me on June 27, 2012:
I live 5 minutes away from waverly hills. I've only been in front of it , and you get a weird feeling , its creepy .
jeanihess from Cape Town South Africa on June 19, 2012:
:) I will have to come back and read some more!
Delia on May 30, 2012:
Me and my BFF Mia are very interested in the whole seeing ghosts thing. We are currently only 13 and 12 but whenwe are older we are going to go see some haunted places. We are really looking forward to go see the Waverly Hills Sanatorium when we go to Kentucky for our summer break. It is going to be so cool. Us and five other friends are going to make it even more cool. Wish us luck :)
reptar on March 20, 2012:
some of this seems legit but im sceptical on some of it but i would definatly love to explore this like i have do with povilia in italy :D
Elizabeth (author) from Some Sunny Beach, USA on March 12, 2012:
Raevyn14 thanks for reading and dropping by. Waverly Hill Sanatorium was included because it became somewhat of a geriatric nursing home/asylum after Turburculosis was cured. The cruelty factor was not just about the procedures performed on the patients as much as the over crowding and filthy environments that they were left to survive in. Many were unfeed, unbathed and left to live in their own feces. That to me is cruel treatment. Being overcrowded and understaffed does not mean they had the right to knowingly neglect patients.
Letchworth Village sounds interesting. I will have to check it out. Maybe I will include it in my third installment!
Raevyn14 from Tecumseh, Oklahoma on March 09, 2012:
Waverly hill sanatorium is not an insane asylum, it was a TB hospital, waverly hills wasn't cruel to their patients, however, I know about the prodecures they did, but the doctors didn't know what they were doing they just wanted to help.
An insane asylum to replace that would be letchworth village, that's an insane asylum. Now about your picture of the shadow man, I will say that in waverly hills they have been known to be seen in the morning and in broad daylight
brandi davis on February 25, 2012:
Thats scary I am so glad that I did not have to go there. I heeard a lot of places like that were really cruel to their patients.I'm just happy I wasn't t
Ka.erv on January 17, 2012:
This is great! I'm writing a speech for school on insane asylums and their hauntings and mistreatment of patients and this helped a lot and had great information! Thanks!
Elizabeth (author) from Some Sunny Beach, USA on December 28, 2011:
Brad I will have to look into that. Keep checking back for a new hub :) Thank you for reading !
brad on December 22, 2011:
wish you would do something on the prison in st. joseph mo. it is a former kirkbride mental institution. a friend works there he says its haunted .
Elizabeth (author) from Some Sunny Beach, USA on October 12, 2011:
Molly you are welcome :) Thank you for reading :)
Molly on October 01, 2011:
I thoroughly enjoyed your page. Thanks for the ghost stories.
Elizabeth (author) from Some Sunny Beach, USA on September 08, 2011:
It would be a interesting encounter to say the least!!!
Taylor on September 08, 2011:
I would love to meet some crimInally insane people they are awesome!!!!!!!!!
Elizabeth (author) from Some Sunny Beach, USA on August 24, 2011:
LOl Ghost Of Waverly, that's awwww-some! Too bad I couldn't have come myself I'm sure we would have had a good laugh! Thanks for reading and commenting, it was an interesting and amusing story you had to tell. :)
Ghost of Waverly.. on August 20, 2011:
I count myself as one of the “ghosts” of Waverly…
As a mountain biker who often biked in Waverly Park I have visited Waverly hills ( which adjoins the park and many mtb trails lead there) many times.
During several “visits” we rode our mountain bikes through the building, on many floors and in the “chute”. (Careful to avoid glass and carrying our bikes up steps). Twice, while we were there, groups of people approached the building while we were inside. I climbed into the tower at the front of the building and made “scooby doo” type ghost sounds and the groups of people screamed, and ran so fast, that we spent 15 minutes laughing. It was so campy that it was laughable, but the people were scared to death. I have NEVER seen a ghost or heard a ghost or seen anything in this building that scared me. It is creepy in asmuch as it’s a dilapidated craphole with graffiti on the walls….
I applaud the current owners for turning it into the cash cow that it is today with expensive ghost tours, and TV shows featuring it. Now that it is a cash maker for the owners, and they’ve placed concrete griffins and other odds and ends, they have security, so I imagine my days as the ghost of the tower are over. Tis’ a pity. I am sure those people tell stories of how they encountered demons at Waverly….
Elizabeth (author) from Some Sunny Beach, USA on July 12, 2011:
Revencolor thanks for commenting. The death total was rumored to be around 60,000 to 64,000 people and not all death records were kept once the hospital became over crowded and purged with more tuberculosis patients than they could handle. The "safe number" or less speculative number seems to be around 8,400 deaths. Either way they are both very high numbers. Thanks for reading.
Ravencolor on July 08, 2011:
The death rate at Waverly hills was no where near 64,ooo thankfully. The highest number of deaths recorded in one year was 162. The number of deaths were 6300 to 8200. 64,000 would have meant more than one death an hour for some 40 years.