The Haunted History of the Trans Allegheny Lunatic Asylum


Book Description

Ice-pick Lobotomies * Straight Jackets * Seclusion Cells * Ice Water Baths Sound like a scene from a horror movie? Welcome to the 19th century asylum located in Weston, West Virginia. It held the demented, the insane and the unfortunate. Come explore ghosts and haunted history with author Sherri Brake. Built in the 1860's to house 250, the asylum in Weston was overcrowded with 2,400 patients by the 1950's. Barbaric treatments, unsanitary conditions coupled with scandals, murders and suicides made for a nightmarish situation. To some it was a haven from the streets, to others it was hell on earth.




The Haunted History of the West Virginia Penitentiary


Book Description

Afterlife with no parole.If you die in prison, your soul stays in prison. At least that's what many inmates believed. 998 murders and suicides combined with 85 hangings and 9 electrocutions all make for a dark and violent past. The Cincinnati Ohio Enquirer called it a "Hell On Earth" in 1886. The New York Times branded it as "One of the Most Violent in the Country". Inmates called it "Bloody Alley" and for good reasons.The Haunted History of the West Virginia Pen is brought to light by Paranormal Investigator, Haunted Heartland Tours owner and author, Sherri Brake. Built in 1866 in Moundsville, West Virginia and situated on 10 acres, this mammoth fortress held some of the country's worst criminals. Explore Moundsville's bloody frontier history, the Grave Creek Mound, the building of the Pen, and the Wardens. Read first hand accounts from past guards and inmates along with newspaper articles, some collected from over 100 years ago. Accounts of executions, torture, escapes and notorious inmates are revealed. Examine over 100 ghostly accounts as paranormal investigators look for Shadow Men, ghosts and proof of the afterlife. Check out the Paranormal Directory and Vocabulary section. Use the Paranormal Guide to the Pen to help you investigate on site or simply read about the Sugar Shack, the Boiler Room and North Hall, all from the safety of your chair.This book is an excellent resource for gaining insight on the history and hauntings of this gothic prison. It is a first hand look into the dark dimensions of one of America's most haunted locations.




The Big Book of West Virginia Ghost Stories


Book Description

More than 100 of the best, most thrilling accounts of hauntings from the Mountain State from one of the nation's leading experts, including... • Headless ghosts and wandering soldiers at Droop Mountain • The Weeping Woman tombstone at Riverview Cemetery in Parkersburg • John Brown's restless spirit in Harpers Ferry and Charles Town • The violent ghosts at the Western State Penitentiary in Moundsville • Hauntings of the murdered Mamie Thurman • Tortured spirits of the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in Weston




Abandoned Asylums


Book Description

Abandoned Asylums takes readers on an unrestricted visual journey inside America's abandoned state hospitals, asylums, and psychiatric facilities, the institutions where countless stories and personal dramas played out behind locked doors and out of public sight. The images captured by photographer Matt Van der Velde are powerful, haunting and emotive. A sad and tragic reality that these once glorious historical institutions now sit vacant and forgotten as their futures are uncertain and threatened with the wrecking ball. Explore a private mental hospital that treated Marilyn Monroe and other celebrities seeking safe haven. Or look inside the seclusion cells at an asylum that once incarcerated the now-infamous Charles Manson. Or see the autopsy theater at a Government Hospital for the Insane that was the scene for some of America's very first lobotomy procedures. With a foreward by renowned expert Carla Yanni examining their evolution and subsequent fall from grace, accompanying writings by Matt Van der Velde detailing their respective histories, Abandoned Asylums will shine some light on the glorious, and sometimes infamous institutions that have for so long been shrouded in darkness.




Hauntings of the Western Lunatic Asylum


Book Description

Macabre accounts of the lingering spirits who were once subjected to primitive and barbaric medical practices in Kentucky’s iconic mental hospital. The Western Lunatic Asylum has held the interest of people worldwide for decades. Anyone who passes beneath the grand silver dome can feel something menacing from within. For over one hundred and twenty years, this hellish building has stirred with secrets. The mad, the violent, and the disenfranchised of Western Kentucky have languished here inside its dark medical wards, the victims of garish experiments and arcane medical practices. In Hauntings of the Western Lunatic Asylum, author Steve E. Asher brings you chilling real-life encounters of haunting paranormal activity from those who have worked inside the aged madhouse. Discarded orphans, the feeble minded and the criminally insane living together and now locked inside a man-made purgatory. They remain hopeless and filled with inhuman rage. Steve E. Asher brings you gripping stories that only a small handful of people even knew existed. Do you dare look further? Do you dare to enter the Western Lunatic Asylum?




Ghost-Hunting For Dummies


Book Description

Dive into the ghostly world of the supernatural with America’s leading paranormal investigator Inside, paranormal investigator, star, and executive producer of The Travel Channel's hit series, Ghost Adventures and founder of the award-winning Haunted Museum (Las Vegas’ most popular attraction), Zak Bagans takes readers on an exciting journey into the supernatural world. With insider information on the history of ghost-hunting to learning about ghosts with all kinds of temperaments, Ghost-Hunting For Dummies is peppered with true accounts and stories from Bagans' famous cases and investigations. Featuring expert advice on picking a haunted location, setting up cameras, and dealing with unwieldy ghosts, this book shows how today's investigators use the tools of modern science to study a wide range of paranormal activity. Take an exciting adventure into the supernatural world Explore haunted sites Get messages from beyond the grave Read true accounts from famous cases and investigations If you're one of the countless fans of Ghost Adventures itching to get off the couch and track some spirits on your own, this book provides everything you need to know to conduct a successful paranormal investigation.




The Haunted History of the Ohio State Reformatory


Book Description

Chronicles the history of the Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield, Ohio and the ghost lore that surrounds the structure.




West Virginia's Dark Tourism


Book Description

"West Virginia is famous for its mountains, nature, and scenery, but it's also a treasure trove for tourists who prefer to visit history's darker and stranger side. Hitch along with the author as he visits over 60 West Virginia strange and spooky landmarks, including the Trans Allegheny Lunatic Asylum and haunted Moundsville State Prison. Learn about Charles Manson's childhood hometown, the "Hillbilly Black Dahlia," and serial killer Harry Powers, whose story inspired Night of the Hunter. Haunted houses, colleges, and cemeteries, otherwordly alien encounters, cursed amusement parks, and more are explored in detail. You'll even discover Bat Boy's cave, Sasquatch's hideouts, werewolf country, and read about the time Teddy Roosevelt went monster hunting. Each location is complete with visitor information and a bounty of odd history."--Page 4 of cover.




West Virginia Ghost Stories, Legends, and Haunts


Book Description

Discover the spookier side of West Virginia with over 85 ghost stories, legends, and haunts from Harpers Ferry, where Screaming Jenny still never outruns the trains, to Hatfield-McCoy Country where Devil Anse Hatfield rises from the grave along with his sons. Explore Moundsville Prison and see the shadow man, then investigate the death and ghostly hereafter of Mamie Thurman, the housewife with a secret life who haunts 22 Mine Road. Follow the Rail Trail to get a glimpse of the ghost of the Silver Run Tunnel and take a thrill-ride through one of the most haunted tunnels-Dingess Tunnel. There's the Headless Ghost Rider of Powell Mountain and a woman who still walks the Ohio River shoreline of Blennerhassett Island long after her death.




A Ghost Hunter's Guide to the Most Haunted Places in America


Book Description

Boasting photographs, fun facts, and visitor information, this unique (and spooky) travel guide showcases the 15 most haunted places in America. Each chapter is laid out in an easy-to-read format and includes fascinating history and documented paranormal activities. The tour includes the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, where experimental lobotomies were performed and it is believed that many of tormented spirits are still roaming around; Moon River Brewing Company, where no one is allowed to go to the top floor because of the ghost that resides there; Shanghai Tunnels, where men and women were kidnapped and forced into servitude, the poor souls of whom are now encountered on visitor tours; the Pirates' House, where pirate ghosts still demand rum; and Ohio State Reformatory, where prisoners remain incarcerated even though it has been closed for a long time. The information about each site includes addresses, tips, accessibility, and websites.