Collections: Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum

Today's blog post is a result of a request for information. When a friend contacted me about some information regarding the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in Weston, WV, I decided the easiest way to share my writings on the subject would just be to compile them all together, in one place. But something odd kinda struck me as I was doing so. You see, although the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum is often credited as being one of the most haunted locations in West Virginia, if not the country, as of today, I have actually written very little about the many documented ghost stories and suspected encounters with the paranormal!

Rather, I've chosen to highlight some of the more forgotten stories from the asylum, from interesting inmate stories, to tragic murders not currently associated with any hauntings. Part of this is because I feel like so much has already been written about the ghosts of the former Weston State Hospital. The Miami Ghost Chronicles is an awesome website that I reference often when it comes to TALA hauntings, and Sherri Brake's massive book, The Haunted History of the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, is a wealth of information. So, I feel like that aspect has been covered pretty thoroughly already. What has received far less attention is just the normal, day-to-day glimpses into asylum life, and those who died tragically but have largely been forgotten in time.

I promise that in the future, I will post more stories about the actual ghosts who haunt the halls of the old hospital. But until then, if you find yourself making a visit to the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, take a look at some of the stories below. You never know if some of the people mentioned here are still sticking around, waiting for the right person to tell their story to. Happy Haunting! 

1. Reasons for Being Admitted to an 1800's Asylum: This list of reasons why patients were admitted to the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum/Weston State Hospital between 1864 and 1899 is pretty scary. Examples such as uterine derangement, novel reading, and time of life make it easy to see how an 'unwanted' woman could easily be committed by her father, her husband, or even a brother and locked away for however long they wanted her gone. I also go into a short explanation of how diagnoses worked at the time, explaining some of the more...interesting...reasons for committal. 

2. The Legend of Lilly: A TALA Ghost Story: Who is Lilly, the first little girl of the Trans-Allegheny to make herself know to staff members? She was first spotted back when the hospital was running a Halloween haunted house attraction and has quickly become a favorite spook of paranormal investigators. Was she the child of a patient, or a patient herself?

3. Suspicious Deaths at the Weston State Hospital (1992): In September of 1992, the Weston State Hospital reported two patient deaths that made the newspaper. George Edward Bodie was murdered by another patient (who was involved in a previous murder at the hospital) and Brian Scott Bee's badly decomposed body was discovered, believed to have been a victim of suicide. 

4. TALA Tales: Sonny's Story: In 1975, William P. Hall, otherwise known as Sonny, was set on fire by another inmate while the two and several other men were locked into an enclosed balcony area. Sonny passed from his injuries and his father was able to successfully sue the hospital. 

5. TALA Tales: The Tragic Case of Ivan Hoover: Ivan Hoover was a troubled young man who had suffered a tragic accident, leaving him mentally delayed. When he decided that his aging parents could no longer care for him, he killed them, and attempted to head South to find a job, but was found by law enforcement and sentenced back to the asylum. He made several escapes, but always found himself back in the institution until later in life when he was presumably released into the care of his brother.

6. Forgotten Murder at the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum: In 1963, Muriel Creamer was killed by another patient, Wanda Janes. Janes freely admitted to strangling Mrs. Creamer because she had made improper advances against her. 

7. 1877 Murder at the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum: A local newspaper reported in 1877 that a patient at the hospital had been murdered by another patient. The unlucky fellow had been beaten to death with a bed slat. The perpetrator had no history of homicidal tendencies, but claimed that God had told him to do it. 

8. TALA Tales: Annie All Alone: In 1917, the sheriff of Wheeling received a request for help from the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum. They were looking for any living friends or relatives of a lady named Annie Bogart, who had been at the asylum for over 35 years and was now gravely ill. No one ever came forward, and Annie died alone, then was buried in the hospital cemetery. 

9. Madness and Mistaken Identity at the Weston State Hospital: In 1931, hospital officials notified Mrs. Amanda Kurl that her brother, George Marzic, had died. He had been admitted two years prior. However, in 1936, a recently lucid patient now claimed that HE was George Marzic...and the family and hospital agreed!

10. 1881 Murder of John Rose: In October of 1881, patient Blaine Starry beat to death an elderly dementia patient by the name of John Rose and severely wounded another man before guards could subdue him. Did neglect from a new superintendent and/or poorly designed room features play a part in the violent attack? 

11. The Tragic Suicide of Karl Kunst: In November of 1904, the son of Weston State Hospital's superintendent took his own life. What caused the young man to make such a tragic decision? 

12. 1898 Suicide of Thomas Funk: On August 11, 1898 a patient at the asylum, Thomas Funk took his own life. He wrapped a towel around his neck and hanged himself from a towel rack in the toilet room of Ward 8. 

13. Gypsy Curse Sends Woman to Asylum: After turning away a gypsy woman at her door, a muttered 'curse' and her husband's sudden death would send Mrs. Callahan into madness.

14. Crazy on Religion: A young woman attended a series of religious meetings, and as a result, would lose her sanity. Just what went wrong for Rose Hardy in the spring of 1892?

15. Too Much Fiddlin': In 1909, a man was adjudged insane and sent to the Weston State Hospital for...fiddle playing. Unfortunately, he spent seven years as a patient, before passing away from exhaustion due to acute mania. 

16. The Death of J.G. Whitten: In 1890, a 52 year old man named John Whitten escaped from the asylum. He was found more than a month later, having succumbed to the elements. 

17. The Horrific Death of William Cook: William 'Frank' Cook was scalded to death in 1891 as he was trying to bathe himself after having a bathroom mishap, due to dysentery. He was unable or unwillingly to pull himself out of the scalding tub full of water, and died a painful death, many saying he literally cooked himself alive. Today, his ghost is said to haunt the area of the bathroom where this happened. 

18. George Elkins' Accidental Death: Upon suffering an epileptic seizure, a 22 year old patient fell face-first into a bed of mortar. By the time he was found, it was too late. 

19. An Escape Gone Wrong: Abraham Haines, a 72 year old man from Wood County, died on July 14, 1891 when he tried to escape his fourth floor room. His death was one of four accidents/suicides that occurred within a very short amount of time at the hospital.