Throwback Thursday: Pennhurst State School & Asylum

Admittedly, I had planned a rather different 'Throwback Thursday' post for today; however, I was reminded of this particular subject a couple of days ago when I saw a really disturbing and (for me a pretty despicable) advert for an up-coming 'Ghost Tour' of Pennhurst State School & Asylum on FB's homepage. So, I decided to re-post this instead.

(Originally posted on October 19, 2014)

Pennhurst State School & Asylum

Last night,  my husband & I went to the "untouched" section of Pennhurst State School & Asylum located in Spring City, PA ... NO actors, NO set ups, NO props. Let me tell you, my friends, THIS PLACE IS HAUNTED - haunted by the poor souls who onced resided there and experienced the events which took place during its' tenure ...

Sadly, it has a rich history filled with accusations of torture, abuse and neglect. A history of mental patients chained to the walls in dark tunnels, children left for years in cribs, sexual abuse by the staff and even murder. All this happened behind the walls of Pennhurst State School.

Pennhurst was constructed and opened in 1908 as a state school for the mentally and physically disabled. Pennhurst's property covers 120 acres and was built to house over 10,000 patients at that time ~ making Pennhurst one of the largest institutions of its kind in Pennsylvania. Half of Pennhurst's residents were committed by court order and the other half were brought by a parent or other guardian. It was devoted strictly to the care, treatment and education of the disabled. Originally named Pennhurst Home for the Feeble Minded and Epileptic, it was finally just called Pennhurst State School.  Pennhurst employed a large number of staff to help assist in maintaining the facility. This staff included a board of trustees, medical staff, dental staff, and specialists in psychology, social services, accounting, and various fields of education. 

The grounds of Pennhurst included a 300-bed hospital, which had a full nursing staff and two surgeons on call at all times. Others at Pennhurst included members of the clergy and farming experts who grew most of Pennhurst's food . Pennhurst was an essentially self-sufficient community, its 1,400-acre site containing a firehouse, general store, barber shop, movie theatre, auditorium and even a greenhouse. The buildings of Pennhurst were named after towns in Pennsylvania such as Chester and Devon. The original buildings were designed by architect Phillip H. Johnson. All of Pennhurst's electricity was generated by an on-site power plant. A cemetery lay on the property, as well as baseball and recreational fields for the residents. Many of Pennhurst's buildings were strictly for storage; however, the majority were dormitory and hospital-style living quarters for the residents. Many of the buildings had security screens that were accessed on the inside, to prevent patients from escaping, or jumping to their deaths. Most of the stairwells had security fences to keep patients from jumping over the railings. Many of the buildings are linked by an underground tunnel system designed for transportation of handicapped patients to and from the dormitory, recreational buildings and dietary. 

 Pennhurst Campus in 1934

Pennhurst was often accused of dehuminazitation and was said to have provided no help to the mentally challenged. The institution had a long history of staff difficulties and negative public image. For example, a 1968 report by NBC called "Suffer the Little Children" documented the travesties which surrounded Pennhurst State School and it was closed in 1986 following several allegations of abuse. These allegations led to the first lawsuit of its kind in the United States, Pennhurst State School and Hospital vs. Halderman, which asserted that the mentally retarded have a constitutional right to living quarters and an education. Terry Lee Halderman had been a resident of the school, and upon release she filed suit in the district court on behalf of herself and all other residents of Pennhurst. The complaint alleged that conditions at Pennhurst were unsanitary, inhumane and dangerous, that these living conditions violated the fourteenth amendment, and that Pennhurst used cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the eighth and fourteenth amendments. After a 32-day trial and an immense investigation, prosecutors concluded that the conditions at Pennhurst were not only dangerous, with physical and mental abuse of its patients, but also inadequate for the care and habilitation for the mentally retarded. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania also concluded that the physical, mental, and intellectual skills of most patients had actually deteriorated while in Pennhurst. 

And so, in 1986, Pennhurst was ordered closed, and began a program of de-institutionalism that lasted several years.  Once the buildings were closed, they began to rapidly deteriorate from lack of heating, moisture invasion and vandalism. Consequently, Pennhurst fell into complete ruin as the complex was shut down. Buildings were abandoned as they were, with patient’s clothes and belongings scattered everywhere. Furniture, cabinets and medical equipment were left to decay as if someone had just got up and walked out the front door. 

Another part of the building is an area that has suffered a moderate fire. Door frames and headers are charred, and the smell of burnt wood is still perceptible. The area that was burned housed two sound proof cells; small rooms where patients could be locked away and their screams could be totally muffled. The floors, walls and ceilings are 6” thick with heavy insulation stuffed between the studs. The interiors are lined with sound proof tiles, and the exterior is sheathed in another layer of sound proofing. Even the doors are 8” thick and insulated. As you walk into these rooms, you can feel the air get heavy, the sounds deaden and you can imagine how the patients felt being locked up in the pitch dark with no one hearing your screams. 

It is no wonder that Pennhurst is really haunted. Featured on the Travel Channel, the Ghost Adventures crew have recorded many strange voices, noises and unexplained movement and documented this in their shows. The Pennhurst Ghost Tours open to professional and amateur ghost hunters with recordings, photos and accounts of physical contact throughout the Pennhurst complex. 

Just an added note, we were not allowed to enter the cellar nor the upstairs floor as I am assuming that due to the rather hazardous conditions of the building's deterioration, it would be far too dangerous and a huge liability issue as well!

While walking through the museum portion of the tour, I personally experienced an overwhelming feeling of sadness and confusion. And, as we continued throughout the many different abandoned rooms, I could literally feel the temperature getting much colder. Although I was not at all scared, I was extremely saddened by it all. On the way home in the car, my hubby told me that one of his distant family members was once a patient at Pennhurst many years ago. Without speaking further to any other family members, we know very little at this time about this relative other than they were admitted because they were born "mongoloid" (Down Syndrome). In fact, my natural grandmother was diagnosed with schizophrenia a couple of months after my mother was born and, she herself, spent her entire life in a mental institution where she had passed away at the age of 86.