theabandonedsouth: Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum (Weston, West Virginia) ADDRESS: 71 Asylum D
theabandonedsouth: Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum (Weston, West Virginia) ADDRESS: 71 Asylum Dr, Weston, WV 26452 COORDINATES: 39.038548, -80.471764 The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum was constructed between 1858 and 1881, and is the largest hand-cut stone masonry building in North America. It was designed by the renowned architect Richard Andrews following the Kirkbride plan, which called for long rambling wings arranged in a staggered formation, assuring that each of the connecting structures received an abundance of therapeutic sunlight and fresh air. Changes in the treatment of mental illness and the physical deterioration of the facility forced its closure in 1994. This inflicted a devastating effect on the local economy, from which it has yet to recover. The building, which is also a National Historic Landmark, has been featured several times on shows like Ghost Hunters, Ghost Adventures, and Forgotten Planet. Needless to say, the building is regarded as extremely haunted. Although practices such as hydrotherapy, electroshock therapy, and lobotomies were commonly used, the real problem was overcrowding which lead to violence. There were several cases, both reported and unreported, of patients killing other patients. In one instance two patients hung one of their fellows using a set of bed sheets. When he did not die, the pair cut him down and used a metal bed frame to crush his head. In another instance, a nurse had gone missing one night during a late shift. Her body was found hidden two months later at the bottom of an unused staircase. -- source link