What’s worse than a haunted prison? How about a haunted asylum? Rolling Hills Asylum, located in East Bethany, New York, opened in 1827. The massive building, 53,000+ square feet, was originally a poorhouse. The Genesee County Poor Farm included a mix of the elderly, vagrants, orphans, handicapped people, drunkards, the mentally ill, and minor criminals who had nowhere else to go. Despite the fact that it wasn’t a prison, the resident were referred to as “inmates.” The able-bodied worked raising animals and food. Some even made coffins in the wood shop and it’s believed there was a cemetery – a … Continue reading →

Maybe it’s just because I am a law abiding citizen, but I think prisons are pretty creepy in general. Maybe it’s the barbed wire fences, maybe it’s the road signs warning you not to pick up hitchhikers, or maybe it’s just my imagination running away with the horrible crimes committed by those inside. But, can an abandoned prison be even creepier? Maybe, especially if it reportedly haunted! The Eastern State Penitentiary is located in Philadelphia. It opened in 1829 and held bad guys behind bars until it closed in 1971. Then, it was abandoned. For 20 years, the prison just … Continue reading →

I’ve been to a lot of spooky place, but I’ve always wanted to visit Bachelor’s Grove in Chicago, IL, the home of the infamous White Lady. Bachelor’s Grove is a cemetery located in southwest Chicago. At first glance, it might appear to be a normal graveyard, one that hasn’t received the best of care over the years. But, Bachelor’s Grove is reportedly haunted. So much so that is has its own little list of ghastly residents and even a phantom building. The most famous is undoubtedly the White Lady. The White Lady or the Madonna as she is sometimes called … Continue reading →

What does a Gothic looking building and a state penitentiary add up to? Apparently, it equates to a place haunted by unhappy souls. Such is the case of the West Virginia State Penitentiary. There are plenty of “haunted” prisons, but West Virginia State is thought to be the most haunted. Modeled after a prison in Joliet, the Gothic Revival architecture made it look frightening alone when 250 inmates entered cells in 1876 when it opened. Although conditions of the prison may have been seen as decent enough at the turn of the 20th century, they quickly deteriorated. Eventually, the prison … Continue reading →