Most Haunted Places in America: Pennhurst State Hopsital
It was originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Institution for the Feeble Minded and Epileptic and was opened in 1908. It was a facility for people with mental and physical disabilities and almost since day one was overfilled and facing problems of abuse. Today we know it as Pennhurst State School and long after it closed its doors for the last time in 1986, the people who died here still call this school home making it one of the most haunted places in America.
This is how Pennhurst was described in a flyer from 1954:
The School is a large 1400 acre, at present 3550 bed state-owned and state supported institution devoted to the study, care, treatment, education and vocational training of mentally retarded or defective boys and girls who parents are legal residents of the eastern half of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The institution in simultaneously a hospital, a school and in many respects, an almost completely self operating community.
Pennhurst State was not meant to be built as a place of abuse and neglect. It was however underfunded by the state and according to a former Special Assistant to Pennhurst’s Superintendent has said, “Pennhurst was a mistake from day one, but it was a mistake made by all of us, following the dictates of the “best minds” of its time.”*
According to records some 10,000 plus patients came to Pennhurst, some just dropped off my anonymous parents and thus became wards of the state. Some were lucky enough to be able to care for themselves but many of them were not and as stated above, the minimum state funding for the hospital was not nearly enough and soon the understaffed employees of the State Hospital were overwhelmed.
This lead to some harsh treatment and deployable conditions like forcing patients to spend day and night in metal cribs, some wondered around naked all day, floors covered in human waste, patients suffering from broken bones and missing teeth from physical and sometimes sexual abuse. Unfortunately patients sent there to get treatment and possible again become part of society never did and most reports indicate patients conditions worsened staying at Pennhurst.
You can see a the 5 part 1968 NBC expose on Pennhurst State School that signaled the beginning of the end for the school courtesy of the Pennhurst Memorial & Preservation Alliance. The School became a part of a class action lawsuit in 1974 and you can read a great story about that in a feature article called The Pennhurst Case.
Pennhurst State School is said to be extremely active with paranormal activity. There have been reports of full bodied apparitions, voices of people talking, screams of patients, doors slamming and the uneasy feeling of constantly being watched. The school is only recently been investigated by the Ghost Adventures team and they seemed to experience a lot of the proposed activity during their investigation, including the possible moving of a desk.
The Pennhurst State School is currently closed to the public.
*Quote from http://preservepennhurst.com
Related posts:
- Paranormal Activity at Old Idaho Penitentiary
- The Paranormal at Metropolitan State Hospital
- Patients Haunting Fairfield Hills State Hospital
- The Haunted Tunnels of Anoka State Hospital
- The Haunted Elgin State Mental Hospital
38 comments ↓
According to Ghost Adventures, the desk was thrown and Zak was hit by a coat rack that was leaning up against the wall on the right, as they walked in. The coat rack had to have been carried to where he was in the other room. There camera was evidence to the paranormal activity.
I ALSO WATCHED GHOST ADVENTURES. I AM AMAZED THAT THAT THEY WERE ABLE TO VIDEO THE LIGHT MOVEMENTS OF THE SOULS. BEING A PSYCHIC MYSELF SINCE AGE 14, I AM NOW 48, I HAVE ONLY SEEN SOULS, THAT IS WHAT I CAN THEM, A HANDFUL OF TIMES. I CAN RELATE TO THE FEELING OF THOSE AMONGST US. I FEEL THEM DAILY. THE BEST THING TO DO IS WELCOME THEM, BUT PLEASE PROTECT YOURSELF. THIS SHOULD NOT BE PRACTICED BY THOSE NOT UNDERSTANDING HOW TO PROTECT ONE SELF.
I TOO WATCHED THIS SPECIAL AND WAS AMAZED AT THEIR ABILITY TO STAY WITH IT.
I HAVE EXPERIENCED SPIRITS – SO I UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY WERE EXPERIENCING.
SHEREE
WHAT TOWN IN PA IS PENNHURST IN?
It is on the border between Chester County and Montgomery County just outside Spring City, PA. There is a great site about its preservation here: http://www.preservepennhurst.com/
I also remember watchin ghost adventures. I waz shocked at the story that took place in the hospital. I believe they should write a novel or book about it. Itz truely an amazing part of history…
Are there any tours of the hospital. My granddaughter would like to see it. She loves the show.
Check out these pics! Don’t know who posted that earlier, but thanks!
http://www.abandonedbutnotforgotten.com/pennhurst_buildings.htm
Cemetary isn’t what I expected…in the dark you’d almost miss it. I’m amazed at the disrepair and ugliness of this place. It seems to have been in extremely poor condition even before it was closed. The paint is nasty, the walls are nasty, the floors are nasty…nothing looks like it could have ever been a decent place for humans inside. What a shame because the overall outside appearance is very nice. Seems a waste.
I have been to this place a few times. I did not see any apparatiions or anything like that. There is, however, an overwhelming negative energy on this site. Incredibly sad feeling. I do not recommend going there unless you can find an event that is going on there through the preserve pennhurst website. They do get tresspassers and they will call the police. The place is also dangerous to walk around in due to the delapidated buildings and asbestos. There were also two recent articles about Pennhurst. One was a Phoenixville newspaper, the other was the Mercury out of Pottstown I believe. There IS a cemetary? I had no idea, the whole time I had this feeling I was on a burial ground…
We watched it on ghost adventures and now i want to go there and check it out myself in person!!???
I lived in Phila (now live just outside) when the place was still open and watch news reports on Pennhurst. At that time being a young teenager you have cares or concerns about other things but when I saw the reports on TV I thought it was from some other time and in some far off county; NO, it was right here in PA, USA! I know nothing of ghosts, the spiritual worls, etc, though I do believe that if you go to those places to hopefully see apparitions you must go there alone or in a small group, not a crowd, go strong and with a purpose. Do not go there for entertainment, they (spirits) can sence B/S. A person can probably feel so much anguish from Pennhurst just from being close to it.
My number 1 dream is to become a ghost hunter.i know i will be and this will be my number 1 place to go
Ive been there a few times. Have never seen or heard any kind of paranormal activity. Even tried doing a quiji board in the furnace room for about a half hour and got nothing. The last time we were there, security from across the street spotted my car and they came and kicked us out. We drove past it about a month ago and there are TONS of posted signs that were never there before, so I don’t know if they’re more strict for trespassing or not. Good luck.
They take tresspassing seriously. They have mean, nasty armed guards who will detain you until the police arrive. The fine for tresspassing is $300 and they tack on $75.00 for the police call. Enter at your own risk….My son did and got caught…
They are now opening it up as a haunted attraction.
http://www.pennhurstasylum.com/
I feel it is very disrespectful to those who have suffered there or even died there to now use it for entertainment as a Halloween attraction. Not ok. As for the person who commented that you should protect yourself is not very knowledgable as she claims. I have never heard of a lost spirit or soul harming anyone, ever. You are a fraud. I myself have been sensitive, intuitive for as long as I can remember back to my young childhood. Yes, things can be frightening if you do not have an understanding but at your age and your years with this, you would think you would know that by now. Shame on the owner of that site for offering others pain and suffering for entertainment. I really did want to visit there, but now I do not wish to and be apart of that.
My dauhter and i were ther a few times. about 3 yrs ago. that facility is haunted by agressive spirits, people were tourted ther. one room there was at leasr 20 steel cribs w/ chidren shackeled down , they never were aloud out of the crib(infents and children up to 12 yrs old that can not stand or walk they were abused and not aloud to leave the bound cribs. and the under ground tunnel is really creepy flash lights do not work and you can hear faint voices. when you enter any of the buildings a freezing blast of cold air blows on you and you definatly feel the harsh spirits around.
peoplewere totally abused and tested with grousom experiments.
it totally freaked me out! inside there is all the hospital furniture and staight jackets and restants, wheel chairs patiant documents strune all over……
I will make this into a paranormal lab soon. After about ten years, I will have the entire campus cleansed by several holy men. It will continue to be a reminder that we can not hide people away. We all have a right to live a normal life. race, creed, gender, IQ should not matter, all deserve a chance.
Pennhurst, Byberry, and the Eastern State School (now a Walmart on Rte. 1 north of Philly) were all abominations of this system. I worked for an emergency transport service in the early 80′s and had to go into both Byberry (old Phila. State Hospital for the Insane) and Pennhurst. The vibe there was horrid, and the remainder of the patients there (they were in the process of closing all three at the time) were like living shades just shuffling thru life, their souls already dead and only their bodies still resembling the living. What was sad, was how many of these patients were just ‘dumped’ on the street after years of being inpatients when the facilities closed. I can understand them returning there at their deaths, as this was the only ‘home’ they ever knew. Of two local facilities remaining (Norristown and Allentown State hospitals) I don’t know if the same forboding feeling of dread exists or not, but I do know from experience not to go to the old ‘Prison farms’ located across Rte. 1 from the old Byberry…the inmates were used to farm the land and were buried in an old potters field when they died. Too creepy. Now that is an area needing a thorough investigation. Norristown State is where the most horrendous criminal deemed insane is now hospitalized, so I can only imagine the type of ‘vibe’this place would give off. Chills run down your spine just entering the gates of this facility which is still in operation. It just reeks of evil.
i would like to tour the whole building and property with out the characters staged there to scare you to see and hear the paranormal by itself with people coming at you it takes away from what is really going on there
We went to the Halloween attraction last night…over-whelming feeling of sadness about this place. Esp. when you see the playground. At first I didn’t see what the harm was in turning this into an entertainment site – but have to say that after being there – much more empathy for the fight to keep it closed and respected. Also thought it was in poor taste of the owner’s of the Halloween attraction to have one room w/ a baby warmer and another room w/ infant isolettes in it as part of the spook fest. Won’t go back expect on a tour that will go over the history of what happened there..
i saw that on ga it was really awsom hoiw they found that evidence if i was back then and i herd about that the first time i would of been closed it down itz asame how these people treated these patients there humans they need care love and communication if i ever open a place for people like that i would treat them right they are humans to
Went to the Pennhurst “scarefest” last night. It was an amazing waste of money.
Well , some say its a waste , some have been back for a second time already. This is the first year of the haunt , remember that. The numbers we have gotten already have been outstanding. You have some that come into your room , just not scared. You then have some crying , not looking , and some say this is the best on they have ever been to. It is all about what you like. we try new things every week , and will continue to improve day to day , week to week. The like of this attraction , far out ways the dislike. People writing reviews of dislike are very welcome , cause this is how we improve. Thanks to all that have come , or plan to come. We look forward to seeing you back if not this year , then for the next many years to come. This will only get bigger , and better.
my friends and i live around there and broken into it one night last may and we were exploring the whole building.. nothing happened. its not haunted
The atrocity that took place there is outrageous. When the Co-President is quoted saying “instead of giving the patients treatment and gave them harm” that tells all. Shame on the owner for making it a haunted attraction. This needs to be shut down. People were mistreated at Pennhurst, patients had all teeth pulled, kids weren’t allowed to walk, torture etc… took place. How can one make money on a place like this. No wonder there are wrestless spirits. Here is a video about Pennhurst with interviews of people who lived or worked there.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAWvMqHn0PQ
Don’t give them $…think about the patients who suffered and do the right thing.
loll there are hallows at pennhurst
I live in Florida. I have never been to Pennhurst. I do frequently read on a forum that is dedicated to preserving and respecting the buildings on the property, I respect them and the hard road they have ahead of them in their mission to save the buildings as reminders of the atrocities committed there.
From what I have read recently, the haunted house attraction is a disgusting slap in the face to everyone that ever had anything to do with Pennhurst. The “museum” portion might as well just be a closet or bathroom stall.
It belittles and stomps upon the work that the preservation alliance has done when people trespass and vandalize and destroy things.
There were beautiful tile mosaics on the back of the Admin building that a few of the PMPA members had cleaned on their own time and with their own hands purely out of respect for the property.
Someone smashed them not too long ago. Disgusting.
I’m watching a rerun of Ghost Adventures right now. It would be unwise to go to Pennhurst and attempt to recreate Zak, Nick and Aaron’s visit. You will get caught, and you will face a heavy fine, if not an arrest.
This is so bogus..no paranormal activity or ghosts..also ghost adventure is bUll. All staged
Went to the haunted attraction last night. It was cool but not scary. I would rather do a tour of the grounds instead.Don’t waste your money and time
I went to the “haunted attraction” at Pennhurst. It was horrible, and they tried too hard to make it scary. I was more scared waiting outside. It was a full moon and the buildings looked eerie and evil. You could feel the angst surrounding the place. I think they should let the spirits be as they are and not do it for years to come. Respect those died there for they weren’t respected in life.
I worked about 100yds away from Pennhurst as a paramedic/FF. During our ‘down time’ we would go and explore the property. We needed to be familiar with all of the in’s and out’s of the ridiculously large campus, incase of any emergencies, we would be able to respond quickly.
The entire place is full of negative energy. I felt immense sadness. I never saw an aparition or shadow. However, I was on the playground area. It was a sunny, 80* day. Zero winds. Calm as calm. I was talking to my partner about playing with my kids on the playground. The swing started to move. Then, simultaneously, on the pocket on my thigh (EMS cargos) there was a tugging.
Inside we heard LOTS of noises. Whispers, bangs, footsteps…etc.
It is very active and very real. I was a skeptic, too!!!
I visited Pennhurst a few months around halloween. Waiting outside in line felt like forever n so many people. But as we were waiting to get it in something kept making me look towards another one of the buildings. In a second floor window I could see the shape of a head and shoulders in the middle of the window. If it was a person I would have seen from the shoulders down but there was nothing there. After about 10 seconds it was gone. I would love to go back there with out all those people. I will never forget that!!! Is there anyone I can talk to about visiting again but just myself and 2 or3 other people????
I haven’t been to Pennhurst, but I did see the episode on Ghost Adventures. It definitely looks like a creepy place to visit. I think the owners would fare out better if they opened it for paranormal investigations rather than a halloween attraction. A lot of people would love to just go in and see for themselves if it is haunted instead of having everything staged. I visited Rolling Hills Asylum in Bethaney New York after seeing it on Ghost Adventures, and they do public lock downs. They dont allow more than 50 people in for an 8 hour lock down. They also do private investigations. I would definitely go to Pennhurst to do a lock down if they would offer that. As for disrespecting the whole Pennhurst patients and so forth, it’s only disrespectful if that is someone’s intent. Not everyone is trying to vandalize the place. Some people are actually curious about life beyond death and just want to know for themselves or for personal reasons.
i investigated there last night and it definitely lived up to expectations.
im only 14 but i have always been interested in the paranormal. i wish i could investigate this place with a paranomal crew. a few people i know have gone there for their spookfest and said it wasn’t truley scary but it had a forboding sense of sadness. i just hope that when i do eventually go there to investigate i will get some evidence of the paranormal.
Complete Rip off. As a member of the PA national guard, our headquarters for the 1/213th ADA was located in the main building of Pennhurst for years. Is the place run down? Yes. But there were no “leftovers” from the hospital operating days, no lights or tables or anything strewn anywhere, Like the “Paranormal Ghost Hunters” would like you to think. It was completely cleaned out and a National Guard unit was there. I worked there many hours for 2 years from 2002-2004 and not once did I ever see anything scary (well maybe my 1SG when he was ticked off) or freaky. Save your money, its a bull!
Kat is correct that the PA NG did have residency in part of the main building. However the other buildings have not been cleaned out and there is much just as it was left when abandoned. I was there for a year and a skeptic. This place is scary and haunted.
There is no bull. Just spirits.
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