Paranormal Deep Dive | True Ghost Stories
Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum: A Haunting Legacy of Suffering, Madness, and Spirits
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Listeners of this show will get a $75 sponsor job credit to get your jobs more visibility at indeed.com/p-o-d-k-a-t-z-12. That's indeed.com/p-o-d-k-a-t-z-12. Terms and conditions apply. Welcome to the Paranormal Deep Dive from Real Ghost Stories online and The Grave Talks. All right, so today we're diving into a place that's become almost under legendary for its haunted asylum stories. The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum. But what we're really trying to get at here is why. Why is this place, why is it such a magnet for paranormal investigators, ghost hunters, all of that? - Yeah, yeah. - Is it actually haunted by like spirits, you know, ghosts? Or is there something else going on here? - Right. - Something maybe, I don't know, woven into the building itself, what do you think? - I think what's so captivating about the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum is that it's not just an abandoned building with a few spooky stories, right? It's a place where the architecture, the history, the human experience, all of that intersects in a way that, I don't know, continues to fascinate us, even unsettle us a little bit. - Totally. And right off the bat, you have this imposing structure built in the mid-1800s in western West Virginia. - Right. - Cost a million dollars to build, which back then, that's an insane amount of money. - Oh, yeah. - Astronomer. - And they didn't just like throw it together, you know? It was designed, meticulously designed, based on the Kirkbride plan. - Yeah, the Kirkbride plan at the time, that was like the cutting edge of mental health care. - Oh, wow. - The idea was to create this therapeutic environment, flooded with light, fresh air, open spaces. - Ah. - And it's kind of hard to reconcile that with the image we have of these institutions today. - Yeah, it does, it sounds almost idyllic, right? - Right. - When you think about like those dark cramped spaces, we usually picture with these old asylums. - Yeah. - When you get a building designed for healing, become a place so associated with suffering, mm-hmm. - And I mean, somebody even say hauntings, right? - Well, that's where the story takes a bit of a turn. - Okay. - Despite all the good intentions behind it, the Trans-Allegheny, Lunatic Asylum, like a lot of these types of institutions back then, it became severely overcrowded. - Really? - And when I say overcrowded, I mean, at its peak, this facility was housing under 2,400 patients. - Wow, 2,400. - Yeah. - It's almost impossible to even wrap your head around that many people. - It's a staggering number. - Each with their own story. - Their own struggles. - All within those walls. No wonder these stories spring up, like, you know, have you heard of Emily Zansinger? - Oh, Emily's story, oh yeah. - Yeah. - That's one of the most enduring ones in tragic, associated with the asylum. - Yeah. - Forbidden love, harsh treatment, and, you know, a presence that's been reported for decades. - Yeah, and so the story goes, she falls in love with a fellow patient, which is, of course, strictly forbidden. - Right. - And when their relationship is discovered, they're separated. - Of course. - And objected to, well, some of those brutal treatments of the time. - Yeah, unfortunately. - And, well, some say Emily's spirit never left. - It's a story that really highlights the very real human drama that unfolded within the asylum. - Yeah. - These weren't just patients. They were people with hopes, dreams, desires, and often those were denied or punished within those walls. - It's heartbreaking to think about. - Yeah. - And it makes you wonder, if those walls could talk. - Right. - What stories would they tell? - Exactly. - But before we, I don't know, get too far ahead of ourselves here, maybe we should talk about those treatments. - Okay. - Because I think they play a key role in understanding not only the asylum's history, but maybe even some of these paranormal reports, wouldn't you think? - Absolutely. We can't shy away from that aspect. - Right. - This was a time when the understanding of mental illness was incredibly limited. - Right. - And treatments like lobotomies and electroshock therapy. I mean, today, those would be considered barbaric. - Yeah. - But back then, those were pretty commonplace. - Even just hearing those words lobotomies and electroshock therapy just sends shivers down my sky. - Quitely so. - Can you unpack those a little? What did they actually entail? - Okay, well, let's start with lobotomies. - Okay. - Imagine a procedure where they're actually severing connections in the prefrontal cortex. - Oh, wow. - Often performed with very crude instruments with the goal of altering behavior. - Oh my gosh. - It's a pretty harrowing thought. - It is. - And the long-term effects on patients were often devastating. You know, leaving them emotionally blunted or with severe cognitive impairments. - And electroshock therapy. What was the thinking behind that? - So that involved inducing seizures with electric currents. - Oh, wow. - Again, the intention was to alter brain activity. - Okay. - And theoretically alleviate symptoms, but the side effects, they could be brutal. - Yeah. - We're talking memory loss, confusion, some cases, even heart problems. - It's just such a grim picture you're painting. - Yeah. - And those are just two examples of what patients had to endure at the trans-alligator lunatic asylum. - Right. - No wonder, I mean, no wonder people think the suffering within those walls could have like, lift a mark. - It's understandable. - Right. But maybe we're getting ahead of ourselves. - No, jumping straight to the paranormal without, you know, fully exploring the history. - Right, right. - So let's back up for a second. - Okay. - Let's talk a little bit more about how this Kirkbride plan, which was supposed to be like, the model for humane treatment, could have, you know, maybe unintentionally contributed to the very atmosphere that makes this place, the trans-alligator lunatic asylum, so ripe for all these ghost stories. - Right, yeah. I mean, that's where we need to go next. - Okay. - Kirkbride plan, while we're evolutionary in theory, it did have some inherent flaws. - Okay. - And those flaws became glaringly apparent, especially as overcrowding became a serious problem. - Right, right. - At the asylum. - So we've got this building, right? - Yeah. - Designed, like supposedly as a haven for the mentally ill. - Right. - But then as soon as overcrowding sets in, all those design elements, all those things they thought were gonna be so great, they might have actually made the atmosphere like even more unsettling. - Yeah, exactly. Those long corridors, they were meant to give a sense of openness. - Right, right. - But they could be incredibly disorienting. Imagine you're struggling with, you know, mental distress. You're already feeling lost, confused. - Yeah. - And then you're surrounded by these huge walls and the sounds, every little sound, it's amplified. - Oh, because of the way the buildings laid out. - Exactly, echoing all around you. - And what about those high ceilings? They were designed to let in light, right? - Right, natural light. It was considered essential. But I don't know, doesn't that have like a weird effect too? - It can, it can't. Light can be a, I don't know, a double edged sword in a way. - That's it. - Well, think about it. Those tall windows, the light streaming in, creating these really harsh contrasts, light and shadow. - Yeah, okay. - And that can really play tricks on the mind, especially in a place that's already, you know, kind of scary. - Yeah, yeah, totally. You're already a little, you know, on edge. And then the shadows start moving. - Exactly. It's not hard to imagine those shadows taking on, you know, a life of their own. - Right, becoming almost sinister. - Exactly. And as if that wasn't enough, the asylum became more and more crowded. - Of course, yeah. - Resources were stretched thin, the staff, they were overwhelmed. - Yeah, 2,400 patients, it's unimaginable. - It's just, it's impossible to provide adequate care when you have that many people. And that's when those great ideas of the Kirkbride plan, the space, the light, the air, it all just fell apart. - Yeah, you can practically see it happening, right? Those airy corridors, now they're just packed with beds. - Exactly. - The light and shadow, instead of being, you know, therapeutic, it's oppressive. - Right. - It's a far cry from this like, peaceful, tranquil environment they were going for. - It is, it's a completely different picture. And as the conditions got worse, well, so did the treatments. - Right, because it's not about care anymore, it's about containment. - Exactly, restraints, which were already used pretty often, I can only imagine how much more frequent that became. - Oh, I'm sure. It's just this like downward spiral. - Yeah. - It's honestly terrifying. Now one of this place is just bursting with ghost stories. - Right. - But are we really talking about like actual ghosts here? Spirits? - That's the big question, isn't it? - Yeah, or could it be the building itself? Like, is the building haunted? Or are the people haunted by the building? - That's where things get really interesting, because we've talked about the architecture, the history, but there are other things at play here, things that might seem like a haunting, but actually there's no ghost involved. - Okay, now you've got me really intrigued, what do you mean? - Have you ever heard of infra sound? - Infra sound? - Yeah, it's a type of sound, but it's so low we can't even hear it. - Oh, okay, so like below a range of hearing. - Exactly, but even though we don't consciously hear it, our bodies can still sense it. - Okay, that's kind of creepy. What does it do? Like, what does it feel like? - Well, exposure to infra sound has been linked to all sorts of strange sensations. - Like what? - Chills, anxiety, you might feel like you're being watched. Some people even experience hallucinations. - No way. - And guess what kind of buildings are practically designed to create infra sound? - Uh, I don't know, tell me. - Buildings with long corridors, high ceilings, large open spaces, sound familiar. - Wait, so you're saying the Trans-Elegheny lunatic asylum? - Just by being built the way it is? - Could be messing with people's heads. - Creating those feelings, making them think they're seeing things, hearing things. - It's definitely a possibility. And then there's another thing, electromagnetic fields. - EMFs. - Yeah. - But those are everywhere, right? Power lines, phones. - You're right, they are everywhere. And usually they're not harmful, at least not the levels we encounter every day. - Okay. - But older buildings, especially ones with outdated wiring, like, well, like the asylum. - Yeah. - You can have areas with really high EMF levels, and those high levels, they've been linked to all sorts of weird effects, too. - Like what? Like the infra sound stuff? - Some of it, yeah. Dizziness, nausea, and believe it or not, even hallucinations. - Wait, hold on. Are you saying that some of these ghost sightings, these shadows people see, could just be because of, like, faulty wiring? - I'm not saying it's the only explanation, but it could be a factor. - Wow. - Think about it, you're already in this creepy place, you're on edge, your mind's already playing tricks on you. - Right, right. - And then you add in these high EMFs, which can mess with your brain's normal function. It's not a stretch to think that it could make you see or hear things that aren't really there. - Or at least not how you think they are. - Exactly. - Okay, so let me get this straight. We've got the architecture itself, like the layout, the way the building is designed, that could be messing with people. Then you add in this possibility of infra sound and EMFs, messing with our senses even more. It really makes you wonder, how much of what people experience in a place like this, how much of it is actually paranormal, how much of it is just our brains trying to make sense of this already kind of crazy environment. - And we haven't even touched on the power of suggestion yet. - Oh, right, the idea that just knowing the stories, going in with these expectations, it can actually change what you experience. - Exactly. - We were really diving deep on this one. This is a whole other layer to unpack. - It is, and it's crucial to understanding the whole phenomenon of the Trans-Alegheny Lynatic Asylum. But before we get into that, I think it's time we revisit some of those compelling paranormal reports. - Okay, yeah. - See how they hold up under the weight of everything we've talked about so far? - So we've talked about all this wild stuff, infra sound, EMFs, even just the way the building is laid out. - Right. - But you gotta admit, this place, it's like a textbook case in the power of suggestion, don't you think? - Oh, absolutely. - It's like stepping right into, I don't know, a gothic horror novel or something. - Right. - The history, the architecture, all the stories, it all just primes us to expect certain things, even if we don't realize it. - Totally, it's like you walk in there expecting to feel a chill or see something out of the corner of your eye. - Exactly. - And suddenly every little creek, every weird shadow, it takes on a whole new meaning. - That's our brains on overdrive, right? Always looking for patterns, trying to explain the unknown, especially in a place like that. - Which brings us back to those paranormal reports. Emily's answering her. Her story, people feeling her presence, the kids laughing in the playground, shadowy figures in the halls. I mean, are those really ghosts or could it be something else? - Let's think about Emily for a second. For bin love, brutal treatment, it's a tragic story, ripe for a paranormal explanation. - Right. - But what if those feelings, those senses of her presence, what if it's not a spirit but the energy, the emotion left behind? - Residual energy. - Exactly, it's like the building itself absorbed all that suffering, that longing. - Wow, like an echo of the past, but it's not a sound, it's a feeling. - Exactly, think about those children's voices in the playground. Decades of laughter, of energy just echoing in that space, it's possible that that energy, those emotions, they become part of the place. - So instead of actual ghosts, we might be talking about echoes of emotions, of experiences embedded in the walls. - It's a chilling thought, isn't it? - It really is. - And even more so, maybe even without ghosts, a place like that with so much history, so much pain, it affects us in ways we can't even comprehend. - And, you know, we've gone over a lot today, all these different theories and ideas. - I have. - But whether you believe in ghosts or residual energy, or just your mind playing tricks on you, there's one thing that's undeniable. - What's that? - The Trans-Alegheny Lunatic Asylum, it represents a really dark chapter in how we used to view and treat mental illness. - Absolutely, meant to be a haven, it became a symbol of everything wrong with the system. And, you know, even though it closed down in '94, it's a reminder of what happens when we stigmatize and misunderstand mental health. - It's a reminder that we need to talk about these things, learn from the past, and treat everyone with compassion. - Well said, and honestly, I think that's the most important thing we can take away from a place like the Trans-Alegheny Lunatic Asylum. It's not about the ghost stories, it's about remembering the suffering, learning from it, and making sure it never happens again. - The Trans-Alegheny Lunatic Asylum, a place where history, architecture, and the human mind, they all collide in this really powerful and unforgettable way. And as we wrap up this deep dive, I think the question we all need to ask ourselves is, what can we learn from a place like this, and how can we make sure the voices of those who suffered there are never forgotten? Want to dig deeper in the paranormal deep dive? Press subscribe now, wherever you download podcasts, and catch brand new paranormal deep dives every single day from real ghost stories online and the Grave Talks podcast. - Owning a rental property sounds like a dream, collect a rent, and relax. That is until you realize how much work goes into getting it ready. First, you need to conduct market research to understand local rental trends and determine a competitive rent price. Then there's cleaning, staging, repairs, and hiring a professional photographer. Next, develop a marketing strategy, list the property on rental sites, and schedule countless showings. Oh, don't forget to screen tends for information, (mumbles) - Whew, sound complicated? Runners warehouse is here to take the hard work off your rental to do list. Our job is complicated because it should be. We handle everything from marketing and showing your property, to screening tenants, and preparing the lease. 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