Skip to main content

Unexplained Cases | Pennhurst Asylum

Written by: Rick Garner
Case Filed: 08/18/19 - Spring City, Pennsylvania
Executive Producer: Rick Garner



Pennhurst Asylum. Spring City, Pennsylvania. Officailly known as Pennhurst State School and Hospital, this property was originally named the Eastern Pennsylvania State Institution for the Feeble-Minded and Epileptic. For 79 years, its buildings housed thousands of mentally and physically disabled. It would seem many remain here. 

On November 23, 1908, the first patient was admitted. By 1912, the facility was overcrowded. At the time, the mentally ill were considered a blight on society - to be feared and not allowed to associated with the general population. A Pennhurst Chief Physician, Dr. Henry H. Goddard, even said, "Every feeble-minded person is a potential criminal."

Spciety's view on those “feeble minded” essentially excused unspeakable horrors to be exercised in the halls and rooms of Pennhurst. in 1968, reporter Bill Baldini exposed conditions at the facility in a five-part local broadcast news investigation which aired on WCAU NBC 10.

It would take indictments and a federal class action lawsuit to finally close the facility on December 9, 1987.

From that lawsuit, even more details were exposed about Pennhurst: urine and excrement on ward floors, infectious diseases, obnoxious odors, excessive noise. Commonplace were injuries to residents by other residents or self-abuse. Residents were seriously injured and sexually assaulted by staff members. Residents were physically restrained which often caused injury and at least one death. Restraint usage increased because there wasn’t enough staff for the amount of residents. Dangerous psychotropic drugs were used for behavior control and staff convenience.

During my few hours at Pennhurst, it was easy to feel a deep sadness in the air. Perhaps it was brought on by the decaying buildings...slowly being reclaimed by nature and weary of the evil they concealed for so many years. But these buildings are no comparison to the lives that decayed here. Neglected, abused, tortured for years. Thousands of lives.

During my brief visit, I captured several disembodied voices. This happened while filming b-roll. At one point in the basement of Mayflower Hall, I peer my camera down a narrow passageway. As I step away, a male whisper can be heard saying, "We’re coming with you.” I was physically alone and I know that I didn’t whisper anything.


An old cart in a hallway, similar to those used to transport luggage at hotels, was in a basement hallway of Mayflower. I tried to move it but the wheels were rusted. Again, my camera picks up a whisper - which sounds exactly like the previous male voice - saying, "Leave that here.”


While in what is known as the sound-proof room, it was difficult to be sound-proof walking around on the decades of debris that had built up on the floor. But my camera caught a breath. Like an exhale.


Also, while in one of the few underground tunnels accessible to the public. I invite anyone to speak into the mic, there is a sound that’s too weird to ignore. Listening closely and repeatedly, it's creepy. It resembled how one sounds when they have to use a device to speak. The phrase sounded like, "It's recording."

No other evidence was collected via photographs, video, or use of the SB7 spirit box. 

Today, the property is used for paranormal investigations and conventions and also a huge haunted attraction. Briana Walters, a volunteer for Paracon 2019, shared her experiences. “I was here on a ghost hunt on Friday the 13th and we were in the soundproof room. We asked someone to bang on the wall or door and one of the doors down (the hallway) slammed three times. Another time, we were at the Paracon, here, and I was back (in the janitor area) with my sister. She saw a light flash by and I heard a sound and I just ran out.”

Paranormal investigator Stephen Erkintalo and Giselle Andrews are first-timers to Pennhurst. I asked Stephen about his experiences with the paranormal. 

“Quite a bit of experiences...personally and documented on Amazon Prime, on YouTube, on my personal social media pages. I can go into all that...the shadow figures I’ve seen, the EVPs that I’ve documented. see what this type of lifestyle was about rather than being behind the camera entertaining but also documenting."

Giselle shared some of her experiences. “(Stephen)'s really extreme in everything he does. The few times that I’ve gone with him, I’ve definitely experienced a lot of things. Come home to experience more things. Katrina (Weidman) touched upon Bobby Mackey’s as being something that followed her home. I can attest to that and the “spiritual hangovers” you experience afterwards. I’ve seen some things. I’ve seen shadows. And I feel things.”

So, what’s unexplained about Pennhurst? it’s opening and closing is not. Even the horrors that went on here are not, especially considering the times and human nature. What’s unexplained...is if it is truly haunted...who still lingers here and why?

As for if Pennhurst is haunted, Brianna Walters thinks so. “Oh, yes. Definitely. Definitely.”

Reporting for Unexplained Cases, I’m Rick Garner.

Comments

  1. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Haunted History of Kings Landing | Unexplained Cases (2024)

Written by:  Rick Garner Case Filed: 9/1/24 Executive Producer:  Rick Garner   In Calvert County, Maryland, along the shore of the Patuxent River, the 260-acre Kings Landing Park is a wonderful location to experience history and nature. Once an active farm and later a YMCA camp, kayakers, canoeists, fishman, nature lovers, and families enjoy Kings Landing Park for its access to the river, creeks, marshes, and hiking trails. Picnic areas are available for small and large groups, large pavilions require reservations, and an event hall is also available for rent. Captain John Smith - the English explorer who played an important role in the establishment of the colony at Jamestown, Virginia - explored the region between 1607 and 1609. Also, British warships chased the American fleet up the river during the War of 1812. History at Kings Landing Park is being experienced in other ways. Driving onto this peaceful and beautiful property, it's difficult to imagine it being a p...

Secrets of the House in Between | Unexplained Cases (2024)

Written by:  Rick Garner Case Filed: 6/29/24 Executive Producer:  Rick Garner   Why are some places haunted while seemingly others are not? Why are some considered very haunted? One home in Mississippi appears to be very haunted when you consider the variety and frequency of documented supernatural activity. Under constant surveillance, the focus of two documentaries and countless investigations, what’s become known as “The House In Between” once was just a uniquely designed home in Florence. In 2011, our own Darren Dedo was an anchor and reporter for ABC affiliate WAPT. This was many years after our creation of “Unexplained” at the local CBS affiliate WJTV. Darren was the first journalist homeowner Alice Jackson entrusted with the secrets of her haunted house. Ten years later, in 2021, Darren reconnected with Alice and she shared consistent and additional details about her house. In November 2023, Rick Garner visited this infamous home one afternoon. While he wou...

What Happened When We Spent The Night In A HAUNTED Jail? | Unexplained Cases (2025)

Written by:  Rick Garner Case Filed: 4/28/25 Executive Producer:  Rick Garner   Once home to prisoners, executions, and sorrow, the Fauquier History Museum at the Old Jail carries a heavy energy within its now bright and welcoming halls. Built in 1808, expanded in 1823, and saved from demolition in 1966, this historic site has seen lives begin, end... and perhaps linger. 👻 Visitors, volunteers, and staff have experienced full-body apparitions, shadow figures, phantom footsteps, mysterious knockings, and even lights flickering without explanation. ⚡ Unexplained Cases teamed up with Loudoun County Paranormal Research and Investigations to explore these chilling claims. The findings? Let’s just say... not everything within these walls has moved on. 🕯️ Visit them online: https://www.fauquierhistory.org/ ABOUT UNEXPLAINED CASES: The Unexplained Cases team is focused on preserving history while documenting the strange, paranormal and unexplained. What separates Unexplai...