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The creepiest abandoned asylum tours in the U.S.

Poor, unfortunate souls.

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Created by Destination Strange - May 2nd 2017

I t's hard to think of anything creepier than an abandoned sanatorium or asylum. The very concept of locking away the mentally ill, let alone in such inhumane conditions as the patients of these asylums experienced, is horrifying today. Between 1825 and 1865, the number of asylums in the US skyrocketed from nine to 62... and that wasn't even the peak. Thankfully, a better understanding of mental illness and increased accountability have rendered most of these institutions obsolete, especially in the 1950s, with the invention of antipsychotic medication... but in many cases, the buildings (often beautiful, ornate old structures) remain, a grim reminder of an era of lobotomies, straight jackets, and electroshock "treatments". Here are a few abandoned asylums you can tour today.

Rolling Hills Asylum

East Bethany, NY

Rolling Hills Asylum started its life as a poor house in 1826; it was originally created to care for orphaned children, destitute elderly, the physically handicapped, alcoholics, the mentally unstable and morally corrupt, even criminals, the homeless and the very poor. It was a functioning farm and the "inmates" (yes, they were all referred to as "inmates" regardless of their situation) did all of the work; those who were a danger to themselves or others were housed in a different building. Today, it is, without a doubt, very haunted, possibly by the spirits of those buried in the forgotten cemetery onsite. Historical tours, flashlight tours, ghost hunts, and horror movie screenings all take place here periodically... in case you've ever wanted to watch a scary movie in a haunted insane asylum.

Willard Asylum For The Chronic Insane

The Willard Asylum for the Chronic Insane opened in 1869 and quickly filled up with patients. Most of them spent the rest of their lives here on the grounds of the asylum. They were free to walk around, use the gym and bowling alley, or work on the farm, and were likely better off than they would have been at home... but they were still confined to the grounds, and many were subjected to brutal treatments. Willard was abandoned in 1995, and today the grounds are used as training facilities for the Department of Correctional Facilities. You can't really visit per se, but there's an exhibit that goes on display periodically that features the recently discovered suitcases containing the belongings of some of the inmates. Seeing what the institutionalized brought along with them, dolls, clothes, newspaper clippings, drawings... it's a humanizing experience that's incredibly powerful.

Pennhurst Asylum

Spring City, PA

As if being an actual abandoned, haunted asylum wasn't enough, Pennhurst Asylum (aka Eastern Pennsylvania State Institution for the Feeble-Minded and Epileptic) operates as a haunted house during the Halloween season. Historically, it had a massive campus with 3,350 beds and was known for its often brutal treatment of patients. In the late 60s, an expose on the harsh conditions caught widespread attention, and in the 80s, workers were charged with abuse and assault of the patients and each other. Finally, a federal abuse lawsuit forced the closure of the asylum. If you're really dedicated to ghost hunting, you can rent out the place and do some investigating on your own... if you dare!

Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum

Construction on the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum began in 1858, and was completed in 1864. The building, which was designed in the Kirkbride Plan style, was self-sufficient, meaning it had its own farm, waterworks, and even a cemetery located on the 666 acres of land (spooky!). The long staggered "wings" of the asylum were built specifically to bring in fresh-air and sunlight, and to give patients privacy, which was something many were not used to during that time period.

Initially the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum was only supposed to hold 250 patients, but at its peak in 1949 the asylum was holding upwards of 2,600 people in dangerously overcrowded conditions. At the time the hospital was home to people being treated for various conditions including, "epileptics, alcoholics, drugs addicts, and non-educable mental defectives", but by 1949 local newspapers were reporting on the poor sanitization and dangerous conditions at the hospital. Unable to keep its doors open any longer, Trans-Allegheny officially closed in May of 1994.

For many years the asylum had a reputation for being an extremely dangerous and violent place with many reports of patients attacking and even killing one another. There are stories of female employees who were raped and killed by patients not being properly monitored thanks to overcrowding and understaffing. One woman's body was even discovered after two months at the bottom of an unused staircase, where she had been killed and dumped.

Many believe that all of this death and violence that took place inside the hospital helped to create one of the most haunted buildings in the country, and often visitors report having run-ins with spirits still trapped inside. Many of those experiences include the sound of gurneys being moved, screams coming from inside the electro-shock room when there is no one else around, and strange shadows. The most active part of the building is rumored to be the fourth floor, where many have experienced banging, screaming, and even the spirit of a soldier named Jacob who has been seen walking the empty corridors in the night.

In 2007 the building was bought at auction for $1.5 million and even though the National Historic Landmark offers both historical tours and ghost tours, the survival of the building is still at risk. Guests are invited to take one (or all) of the 5 unique historical tours, and fans of the paranormal are in luck because TALA offers 8-hour ghost hunts of different wards depending on what you're interested in.

Historical tours run between March 29th to November 2nd, but make sure to book your appointment ahead of time. The hospital offers day time ghost hunts, and flashlight tours that will run you anywhere between 10 to 40 bucks, which for a 2 hour guided tour is pretty darn awesome.

St Albans Sanatorium

Radford, VA

St Albans Lutheran Boys School opened in 1892, and in 1916, it was converted into a hospital for the mentally ill. Electroshock therapy, insulin coma therapy, and hydro shock therapy didn't stop many patient suicides, and you can sense a lot of the dark energy here even just by coming onto the property. They offer tours and events on the property a few times a year, and ghost hunts are very popular at St Albans, so if you're feeling brave enough to explore, keep your eyes peeled.

Waverly Hills Sanatorium

Louisville, KY

Waverly Hills Sanatorium was actually built to house patients with tuberculosis, a very contagious disease that, in the 19th century had reached epidemic proportions. Hundreds of patients passed through the doors of the sanatorium and most never left; even though they weren't classified as mentally ill and didn't experience EST or ice baths, they still endured some pretty harsh conditions, including extreme isolation. By the time a cure was discovered in the 1940s, many had succumbed to TB here, and today, you can tour the incredibly haunted estate.

Cedar Lane Cemetery

Milledgeville, GA

Cedar Lane Cemetery is home to rows upon rows of numbered iron markers. What these markers represent are the souls of the insane that died at Milledgeville's Central State Hospital, which at one point was the world's largest insane asylum. However, the insane asylum in Milledgeville was sorely lacking in effective burial methods. It's believed that the fields around where the asylum once stood are the site of a secret mass grave, where tens of thousands of souls are interred, without identification by way of grave markers. The hospital was built in 1842 in response to social reform movements. By 1872, the ratio of patients to physicians was a shocking rate of 112-1.

During the 40s the hospital had about 10,000 patients, who lived there for about 20 years on average. During this time shock therapy was introduced on a massive scale. As if that wasn't bad enough, in 1951, lobotomies were introduced. 125 patients received lobotomies. By this point, local area newspapers began to take note of the deteriorating conditions and frequently ran reports of patient abuse. Despite all this, people continued to send unwanted patients here. By the 60s the hospital housed over 12,000 patients.

Some patients were lucky enough to be discharged from the hospital eventually, following treatment. Unfortunately, many, many others were not as lucky. For these unlucky patients, what waited for them after death was burial in an unmarked mass grave. It's believed over 30,000 of these neglected souls are now buried throughout the surrounding grounds.

In the late 1930s, an African-American cemetery was dug up and the bodies were removed, often placed in small boxes, and marked with a lone metal pole. Each new body was identified numerically. There are six cemeteries that went neglected for decades. Many consider this mass burial ground to be the world's largest for the mentally ill.

The historic marker at the cemetery states the following:

"In 1997, a cemetery restoration began here triggered a movement to memorialize patients buried at state psychiatric hospitals nationwide. After discovering nearby neglected cemeteries interred some 25,000 people, members of the Georgia Consumer Council pledge to restore the burial grounds and build a memorial. A grassroots campaign raised funds to erect the adjacent gate and display 2,000 numbered iron markers displaced from graves over the years. A life-size bronze angel was placed 175 yards south of here to serve as a perpetual guardian."

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Ghosts of Castle, Settlers hotels and Old York Hospital spook and delight tourists in WA town

Less than 100 kilometres east of Perth in the WA Wheatbelt, York is known for its colonial architecture, stunning wildflowers and thriving art scene.

But inside the walls of the historic buildings, some say it's the ghosts that run the town.

The Castle Hotel sits on Avon Terrace in the town centre and was established in 1853, making it almost as old as York itself.

The venue was run by the Craig family for many years — and some locals believe one relative never left.

Basil Craig was a decorated war veteran who was awarded a Military Medal for Bravery in World War I.

After returning home, he took over management from his parents, and visitors have reported him floating around the halls and spooking his guests.

Shirley Harrup has worked at the hotel's bottle-shop for more than three decades, and says Basil doesn't respond well to change.

"He's still active … he's a big furniture mover, particularly one wardrobe," she said.

"When we tried to move things to decorate the room and rent it out, we couldn't because Basil just wouldn't have it … he caused a ruckus."

Staff and guests say they also hear a young child playing in the hallways, bouncing a ball against the walls upstairs.

Many tourists come to town to visit Basil, who's known to particularly gravitate towards young ladies.

"People feel cold air in the room … he's well known, we get a lot of visitors on the ghost trail," Shirley said.

The venue has even named a beer — 'Basil's Brew' — after the manager who refuses to leave.

The playful Mrs Inkpen

Just down the road from Basil and his castle, guests at the Settlers Hotel have experienced their fair share of paranormal activity.

The hotel's general manager, Stacey Slater, says long-time resident Mrs Inkpen likes to play tricks on staff.

"We have a doorbell for the kitchen that goes off for orders, and it will go off late at night when no one's here," she said.

"One night we were doing karaoke and something started playing up on the computer. One of the other girls said, 'it's Mrs Inkpen', and the doorbell went off as she said it. No one was there, it was around 10pm and no one was in the kitchen."

A Perth-based 'psychic medium' has even visited the venue and claims to have seen a ghostly gateway inside.

"In one room she went into she felt there was a portal where spirits were coming in and out, and there were suspicious noises that happened while we were in there," Ms Slater said.

"I've never had any bad feelings here, only good feelings, so I think they're friendly ghosts."

Old York Hospital

Just around the corner from Basil and Mrs Inkpen sits the Old York Hospital, which is said to be one of the most haunted buildings in WA.

Staff who worked there when it was operational were reportedly too frightened to walk upstairs alone.

It was eventually turned into a hostel, and people who stayed there during the 1980s reported being set-upon by paranormal figures.

The site is a private residence closed to tourists; visitors are encouraged to respect their privacy and stay away.

Most of the town's locals agree ghosts are around, with spirits also reportedly felt in the Court House Museum, Faversham House and the York Town Hall, which was built in 1911.

And those who aren't convinced are encouraged to come to town and listen to some first-hand encounters — perhaps while enjoying a Basil's Brew.

 "Most of us locals … we think we're the spookiest town," Ms Harrup said.

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Old York Hospital

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'Haunted' former hospital has ghost tour potential

Lisa Calautti, Property Journalist

Updated 12 Oct 2023, 4:53pm

First published 13 Oct 2023, 12:01am

Prospective buyers of an 1897 Federation home in a historical WA town have engaged the services of a ghost hunter in a bid to decide whether they would go ahead with the sale.

Long rumoured to be haunted, the sprawling residence at 3 Brook Street, York was originally built as the York Hospital and operated as such until the 1960s, before the Methodist Church used it as a school camp until 1976.

“I had a group that wanted to buy it, if it had a ghost,” selling agent Alan Bourke , of Bourkes South Perth, said.

“This all happened last month – they flew in a ghost hunter to find a ghost, and went round the property and couldn't find the ghost.

“Then within a week I had a party wanting to buy it but then the wife of the son decided that there was a ghost in there and I said, ‘There isn’t – I’ve already had it checked,’ but she wouldn’t buy it because she thought there was a ghost inside it.

“So, the ghost doesn’t show up when it is supposed to, and doesn't disappear when it is supposed to.”

Supposedly haunted, the former hospital has been transformed into a grand - and bright - private residence. Picture: realestate.com.au/buy

Originally built as the York Hospital, the main purpose was to cater for the sick men on their way to and from the goldfields. Picture: realestate.com.au/buy

Considered one of the oldest homes in WA, it comprises of a grand main residence, in addition to three buildings across 5687sqm, which are protected by the Heritage Council of WA.

The site’s other multiple buildings includes what was once the nurses quarters and later the matron's residence, and behind that is the old laundry room that has now been converted to a one bedroom residence.

These buildings are rentable.

The property has multiple buildings, including the grand two-storey home and 3 other residences. Picture: realestate.com.au/buy

Mr Bourke said while the interested buyers hunting for a ghost had plans to run ghost tours at the venue, other varied buyer interest included plans to turn it into an art gallery, or a convention centre, or an Airbnb.

“The total parcel (of land) is very close to 6000sqm, or an acre and a half in the old terms, and there is now four different dwellings on it, all on one title,” Mr Bourke said.

“The current owners have bought it as a home after it was empty, after the National Trust had it for a number of years and then they bought and renovated and turned it into a family home.”

Interested parties have expressed interest in using the home for ghost tours. Picture: realestate.com.au/buy

Steeped in history, the Heritage Council’s statement of significance notes the former hospital is “significant as a fine example of Federation Arts and Craft style designed by George Temple-Poole, Chief Government Architect.”

The property was converted into a family home by the current owners. Picture: realestate.com.au/buy

It's considered one of the oldest homes in WA. Picture: realestate.com.au/buy

“It was closely associated with the growth of York at the time of the gold boom and in the mid twentieth century as a venue for youth activities and the provision of accommodation for tourists, and as a private residence.

The main residence and the 3 separate buildings are all protected by the Heritage Council of WA. Picture: realestate.com.au/buy

“It is an imposing landmark that terminates the vista of Clifford Street and makes a significant contribution to the historic townscape of York.”

The property has an asking price of $1.58 million.

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8 of the most haunted places in WA

Travel & Touring  |  WA Things To Do

By: Tatum Stafford

Though the oldest buildings in Western Australia may be deemed young by global standards, there are still plenty of haunted histories to explore.

While there are many spooky spots in Perth , if you're keen to venture a little farther, you won't be disappointed. From the paranormal activity in York  to a quarantine camp in Albany  with ghosts of former patients, here are eight of the best haunted places in WA.

1. Albany Convict Gaol

The Albany Convict Gaol was established to house convicts who were transported to Albany in 1852 as skilled labourers – many of which helped build the road to Perth many Western Australians drive today. The gaol became a public prison in 1873, a police lock-up during the Great Depression in the 1930’s and then a museum in 1996. Prior to the museum’s opening, the gaol underwent an extensive restoration to return the buildings to their original appearance – meaning if you visit today, you’ll be able to step back in time and experience how these early convicts lived.

To learn more about the building’s haunted history, hop on a late-night ghost tour. On the tour, visitors can enter the Black Hole – an eight by four foot punishment cell with stone walls and no windows. This spot is the source of the gaol’s most notorious ghost story: over 20 drunken soldiers were kept in the ‘hole’ for 24 hours, and three of them died. Staff say they often hear wailing noises coming from the room when nobody is around. If this isn’t enough to scare you off, we’re sure the dummy figures around the museum and gaol (like the one below) will stick around in your nightmares.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kelly Armstrong (@ohkelly) on Jan 24, 2020 at 10:11pm PST

2. Old York Hospital

The Old York Hospital is a must-see for paranormal fanatics in WA. The hospital was built in 1896 to accommodate the growing number of ill prospectors in the Goldfields. After hospital operations ceased in 1963 it became a hostel, and today it’s privately owned.

There are plenty of stories about paranormal activity at the hospital in York , some even dating back to the 1920’s. The building is home to an elusive upstairs room, which former matrons used to refuse to go up to alone. A group who stayed in the hospital-turned-hostel in 1980 also noted moaning sounds coming from inside the walls, apparitions making their way through the hallways, and even a levitating teapot in the kitchen.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kerry Ashworth (@ashworthkerry)

3. Oakabella Homestead, Bowes

The National Trust-classified Oakabella Homestead was established in 1851, and is situated 35 kilometres north of Geraldton . It was originally inhabited by some of the Wheatbelt’s most prominent families.

The spirit of a man named George is the most commonly-sighted paranormal presence at the homestead. In 1966, George accidentally killed himself while he was cleaning his gun in a room at the end of the cottage. Marks and stains still cover the walls and wardrobe in this room, and when a staff member at the homestead moved furniture in the room, they reported a constant banging sound until all furniture was back in its original place.

Today, the homestead has undergone a huge transformation by the Jackson family, who have owned the property for the past 100 years. It's now a café and tearoom, and welcomes caravanners and campers.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Natalie🔮 (@nat_nat2594)

4. Big Bell Ghost Town, near Cue

When the Big Bell Mine was in operation in the early 1900’s, the town of Big Bell was thriving. However, once the mine closed its doors in 1955, most of the town’s residents moved on and the town soon became abandoned.

Today, you can visit the ruins of the Big Bell Hotel, visit the entry point to the old mine, and even see the remains of what was said to be the longest bar in Australia during the town's early 1900’s prosperity. The abandoned town is certainly eerie – but if you're after a bonafide haunted house, head to the old Masonic Lodge nearby in Cue. It's currently owned by the National Trust who plan on restoring it, but even its exterior is guaranteed to send a chill up your spine.

RELATED: WA's spookiest ghost towns »

View this post on Instagram A post shared by James (@fifotograph) on Jan 10, 2018 at 3:03am PST

5. Camp Quaranup, Albany

Built in 1875 as a quarantine station, Camp Quaranup housed sick passengers from ships arriving in Albany in the late 1800’s. Its quarters are said to be home to multiple ghosts – notably in the nurse’s quarters and the morgue. One such character is the ghost of a young man who was electrocuted and buried underneath the building’s floorboards. Legend has it that each night, he walks around the area and howls.

Today, the facility hosts a number of school camps, weddings and community events; providing the unique experience to stay in accommodation with such a strong tie to local history.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by TafeTourism (@tafetourism) on Sep 22, 2019 at 5:02am PDT

6. Abbey Church clock tower, New Norcia

As Australia’s only monastic town, New Norcia has its fair share of haunted histories.

St Joseph’s Native School within the township was run by Benedictine Missionary Sisters from Spain from 1904 to 1974. 26-year-old Sister Maria Harispe one of the most influential women on staff, and spent 17 years living and teaching traditional Catholicism before becoming gravely ill with cancer.

Maria wore a blue habit, and it is believed that her ghost wanders around the clock tower every night at midnight; keeping an eye on the community she cherished for almost two decades.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Leitha Delves (@audrey_lorentina_bo) on Dec 15, 2019 at 5:59am PST

7. The Tanami Road, Halls Creek

‘The Tanami’ is one of the most isolated roads in Australia, and its name may sound familiar to fans of horror film ‘Wolf Creek’. Tanami Road stretches past the infamous Wolfe Creek crater – and due to its remote location, it isn’t common to see any other vehicles or people on it (though you might spot the odd kangaroo, dingo or snake).

8. Patrick Taylor Cottage, Albany

Albany’s Patrick Taylor Cottage is the oldest surviving dwelling in the State, and is rumoured to be haunted by former tenant Major Fredrick Ingoldby on the anniversary of his death each year. According to workers, when September rolls around, Fredrick’s ghost is known to violently knock over display cases and items throughout the cottage.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kinari Patel (@midnightnerd) on May 14, 2018 at 12:51am PDT

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Last updated: July 2020

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Mapping NYC’s creepy abandoned hospitals and asylums

These structures are a real New York horror story

New York City is no stranger to creepy abandoned buildings, but the spookiest among them might be the hospitals, asylums, and other medical centers that have long since been left in the shadows. In each borough, you’ll find at least one of these abandoned buildings, some awaiting their newfound purpose—whether it be restoration or a new development—while others have simply been left to rot.

Below, we’ve compiled a list of some of these long-neglected structures. Many of them are off-limits to the public but, of course, that hasn’t stopped them from receiving the occasional visitor or two. (We’re not advocating that, of course.) In some, artifacts like apparel, medical equipment, books, and letters have been left behind, making these spaces all the more frightening.

Hart Island Women’s Asylum

Many people know Hart Island as the home of the almost impossible to access Potter’s Field , where the homeless and people whose families could not afford burials are buried in a public unmarked graveyard. But the island was also home to a Phoenix House rehab facility, as well as a women's asylum called the Pavilion. Remnants of the island’s more animated days remain, with letters and hospital beds strewn throughout the crumbling buildings. There has been a push to get the island opened up to the public; some city officials have even advocated for a Governors Island-like park.

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North Brother Island

This 20-acre island, off the Bronx in the East River, dates back to the 1880s and served as a quarantine site famously known for housing Typhoid Mary. The hospital was converted to an experimental drug rehab center in the 1950s but the program ended in 1963, due to corruption and high costs. The NYC Parks Department has controlled North Brother Island since 2001, however the abandoned hospital still stands and while it is off-limits to the public (and difficult to get to), people still find their ways . Currently, the city is exploring the possibilities of making the island accessible to the public .

Renwick Smallpox Hospital

On Roosevelt Island, the decrepit 19th century Gothic Revival structure that once functioned as the Renwick Smallpox Hospital is high on the list of city’s creepiest landmarks. The hospital opened in 1856 in an effort to keep those with smallpox separated from the rest of society, and treated roughly 7,000 patients throughout its 19-year run . The hospital was later converted into a nursing school but eventually the building was shuttered and has fallen into disrepair. There have been talks of renovating and reviving the structure , but some Roosevelt Island resident would rather just see it torn down .

Creedmoor Psychiatric Center campus

Many of the buildings on the Creedmoor Psychiatric Center campus in Queens are now abandoned, with just an outpatient center and The Living Museum in the campus’s former kitchen hall. Back in the day, Creedmoor was home to violent patients; some were transferred straight from prison into the understaffed hospital, where conditions were bad for both residents and employees. The buildings remain littered with belongings of patients past, medical equipments, a flock of pigeons, and a squatter or two.

Greenpoint Hospital

It’s been 35 years since the Greenpoint Hospital shuttered and ever since, plans to redevelop the building into affordable housing have been continuously stalled . It’s become home to squatters in the years since it was closed.

Brooklyn Navy Yard Hospital

Built in the 19th century, the crumbling Brooklyn Navy Yard Hospital is one of the few original buildings that remain at the Navy Yard ; many of the buildings that once surrounded it, including the ramshackle townhouses of Admiral’s Row, have since been torn down. Steiner Studios is planning to transform the space into a media complex but for now, the eery structure, which once treated soldiers during World War II, remains in a dilapidated state .

Ellis Island Hospital Complex

While most people head to Ellis Island to see its main building, or as part of their trips to see the Statue of Liberty, there is another historic site that’s much more difficult to access. The 29-building complex dates back to 1902 when the Ellis Island Immigrant Hospital was opened as the country’s first public health hospital. The hospital quarantined thousands of immigrants with infectious diseases who were deemed too sick to enter the country. But many people weren’t treated—those who died at the hospital were sent to the campus’s morgue. By the 1930s, the hospital was on a decline and eventually shuttered. By 1954, the complex was officially abandoned and is now accessible through a select number of private tours.

Neponsit Health Care Center

For the past 20 years, this former nursing home in the Rockaways has sat abandoned and deteriorating ever since the city  unexpectedly evacuated 282 elderly residents  in the middle of the night back in September 1998. The abandoned property spans 14 acres and dates back to 1915 when it was built with designs by McKim, Mead & White. The Oceanside hospital was originally used to treat children after journalist Jacob Riis pioneered for a hospital to treat tuberculosis cases. The fate of the center remains unknown, though it has been appraised for $40 million and  eyed by developers  for luxury apartments.

Bayley Seton Hospital

While Staten’s Bayley Seton Hospital is still up and running, eight of the twelve buildings located on the 20-acre Stapleton campus have been abandoned—so it’s hella creepy here. In the 19th century, the site was home to the Marine Hospital Service and the Seaman’s Retreat, before going on to be renamed several times and eventually selling to the Salvation Army in 2008. The campus has been used as the filming scene for several episodes of the television show Gotham .

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6 Haunted Asylums You Can Actually Visit

Care to step inside?

Crumbling corridors, broken windows, the anonymous graves of former patients. Few places are as haunting as an abandoned asylum. While many of these institutions from the 19th and early 20th centuries are now gone, some still stand. A few facilities even offer tours.

Visitors to the haunted asylums below report disembodied voices, meandering apparitions, and eerie noises echoing through the halls. Care to step inside?

1. Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum - Weston, West Virginia

• Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Built in the mid-1800s, the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum  was originally intended to house as many as 250 patients. However, during the height of its use in the 1950s, nearly 2,400 souls were packed into the building, creating extremely poor living conditions. The facility was not known to treat its patients well—those who could not be “controlled” were locked in cages. Ultimately, the operation was shut down and the building completely vacated by the mid 1990s. In 2007, the hospital was sold by the state to private buyers, who now operate ghost tours in the allegedly haunted asylum. Visitors can take guided trips through the building or, if they feel especially daring, spend the night inside. Prior guests report spectral sightings, strange noises, and disembodied voices. Unsurprising, given the gruesome history of those who lived and died within the old hospital’s walls. Note: tours are on hold until March 26 while the building undergoes restoration.

Related: CORRIDOR OF HORRORS: THE TRANS-ALLEGHENY LUNATIC ASYLUM

2. Rolling Hills Asylum – East Bethany, New York

• Photo Credit: Jennifer Kirkland / Flickr

Rolling Hills Asylum , originally called Genesee County Poor Farm, was created as a “poorhouse.” The term was used throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries to describe state-run compounds that housed orphans, the poor, petty criminals, the mentally ill, and anyone else deemed unfit for mainstream society. While such asylums were ostensibly created to protect the vulnerable, they often ended up marginalizing them further—residents were called “inmates,” regardless of the reason why they lived at the poorhouse. Able-bodied inmates were required to work the land, caring for animals and sustaining the community. Many spent the remainder of their lives inside; there are up to 1,700 documented deaths at Rolling Hills, and likely many more that went unmentioned. Those who died were buried in unmarked graves on the property. Today, visitors can spend hours at the site, participating in various tours and exploring the once-populated farm. Many claim experiencing various creepy paranormal activity, ranging from disembodied voices and doors forced shut, to screams in the night and flickering shadow people. Explore if you dare!

3. Century Manor Insane Asylum –Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

• Photo Credit: Dean McCoy / Flickr

Opened in 1876, Ontario’s Century Manor Insane Asylum was a beautiful facility for the region’s psychiatric patients. The building itself, built on a hill with a stunning view of Hamilton, was thought to calm the most troubled of minds. If the scenery didn’t do the trick (which it often did not), doctors frequently turned to shock therapy and lobotomies for treatment. Other procedures included salt rubs, morphine injections, and being locked in a coffin-like crib. Making a ghastly situation even worse was the tradition of Hamilton residents treating the asylum as entertainment. Locals often brought picnic baskets to the grounds and had a laugh at the behaviors of patients. Locals also knew to listen for the steam whistle alarm, which signaled the escape of a seriously ill individual, and served as a warning to usher playing children inside. The facility became a museum in the 1980s, and is now part of the Hamilton Ghost Tour circuit.

Related: A REAL LIFE DR. JEKYLL / MR. HYDE: MURDER IN LITTLE EGYPT

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4. Waverly Hills Sanatorium – Louisville, Kentucky

The commonly held belief that Waverly Hills served as an insane asylum is inaccurate. It was actually a tuberculosis ward and, later, a home for the elderly with declining mental conditions. That said, the facility’s troubled history and its catalog of paranormal encounters make it a perfect fit for this list. Waverly Hills began in 1883 as a small, one-room schoolhouse built by Major Thomas H. Hays for the education of his daughters, as the family lived too far from existing schools. In 1908, Kentucky’s Board of Tuberculosis Hospitals purchased the property to establish a sanatorium and combat the state’s tuberculosis epidemic. Originally a two-story building, Waverly Hills Sanatorium soon expanded into a sprawling campus to support the ever-increasing number of patients. In fact, Waverly Hills was a self-contained city—complete with its own postal code. Patients, doctors, nurses, and staff were permanent residents of the complex.

Perhaps the creepiest feature of Waverly Hills is the tunnel that leads from the first floor of the sanatorium to the bottom of the hill. This subterranean passageway—later dubbed “the body chute”—was used to dispose of the dead out of eyesight of living patients. With this kind of eerie history, as well as the sheer numbers of patients who died slow and painful deaths on the premises (some reports suggest 8,000!), it’s easy to understand why urban explorers with a taste for the supernatural are attracted to Waverly Hills. Visitors can book organized tours and ghost hunting expeditions through its winding corridors and 400+ rooms.

5. Pennhurst Asylum – Spring City, Pennsylvania

• Photo Credit: Fredd Dunn / Flickr

Pennhurst State School and Hospital is another example of a self-sustaining city/asylum with a dark and troubled history. Founded in 1903, the immense campus housed society’s “feeble-minded” individuals. Upon admission, patients were “classed” as either being insane or an imbecile, epileptic or healthy, and having a dental ranking of good, poor, or treated. For years the facility provided what was, at best, subhuman treatment of its patients and residents. In 1983, nine employees were charged with abuse. Yet it wasn’t until a 1987 abuse case that the entire operation was shut down. Reports of paranormal activity and eerie sightings soon surfaced. Now, Pennhurst is reopened as Pennhurst Asylum Haunted House and can be toured by those curious to explore it.

Related: BEDLAM: THE HORRORS OF LONDON’S MOST NOTORIOUS INSANE ASYLUM

6. Willard Asylum for the Chronic Insane – Ovid, New York

Opening in 1869, Willard Asylum for the Chronic Insane was once the largest asylum in the United States, and was in operation until 1995. Part of the campus continues to operate as a New York State rehabilitation facility. Consequently, the unused portion of Willard was originally off-limits to the public. However, public interest in the site’s history, not to mention the desire to see what spirits still linger within, led officials to open the building once a year for tours. Similar to the other abandoned intuitions on this list, the fate of many of Willard’s patients are unknown—though in 1995, some 400 patient suitcases were uncovered in the attic. Fair warning: The announcements of these yearly tours are often hard to track down for anyone living outside the Finger Lakes region.

Feature photo: Bob Jagendorf / Flickr . Other photos: Wikimedia Commons, Jennifer Kirkland / Flickr , Dean McCoy / Flickr , Fred Dunn / Flickr .

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An Inside Tour of ‘Willard Asylum for the Chronic Insane’ – Ovid, NY

Finger Lakes Region

by Chris Clemens

Each year in May there is a rare opportunity for those looking to tour a piece of intriguing history on the eastern shores of Seneca Lake. Three-hour walking tours of the Willard Asylum in Ovid, NY provide photogs, history buffs, explorers and the wildly curious a chance at a guided tour of the state’s second effort at government-run housing for those with mental illness, developmental disabilities, epilepsy and other ailments they felt like lumping in to the treatment model. Tours hosted by the Elizabeth Cady Stanton Child Care Center began eight years ago and attendance has grown exponentially ever since. In 2014, there were 10 groups of between 25-40 people both in the morning and the afternoon sessions.

Because part of the property has been converted to house the Five Points Correctional Facility, safety for visitors and security risks make providing tours a complex endeavour that the prison system loathes. Due to the grand efforts of preservation advocates, Five Points has allowed the tours one Saturday, once a year, for a limited number of people. Based on some feedback that I got from our docent, there’s a good chance that the event has outgrown it’s welcome and the prison may put the kibosh on the whole thing in the near future. If what you are about to read interests you at all, I wouldn’t wait around to take this tour assuming it will always be available. [12/23/2014 EDIT: As you’ll see in the comments at the end of this post, a couple helpful readers have corrected my facts here. The ‘lockdown’ facility on the campus is a drug-alcohol treatment program for low-level offenders. Whereas, Five Points Correctional is an entirely different facility about 4 miles away in Romulus, NY. Thanks to those who helped me get this straight!]

The property on Seneca Lake was first purchased in 1853 with the intention that it would be the home of the Ovid Agricultural College. The 440 acre university opened for classes in December 1860, but the timing proved horrible. Any young and able-bodied men were off fighting in the trenches of the Civil War and weren’t available for academia. The collegiate effort lasted only months and left a nearly brand new sprawling campus to rot in the heart of the Finger Lakes Region.

In the meantime, Dr. Sylvester D. Willard , the Surgeon General of New York, had discovered that those with mental illnesses, developmental disabilities, epilepsy, and even alcoholism suffered in torturous conditions in county-based almshouses. Though New York had already forged the path to state-run institutionalization when the Utica Lunatic Asylum was opened in 1843, when Willard discovered the inhumane treatments throughout his research, he proposed a bill that indicated a need for opening a second asylum–a bill that President Lincoln signed just six days prior to being assassinated. If the timing of Lincoln’s death and the signing of the bill doesn’t seem awfully close, you might be amazed to learn that Dr. Willard himself died of typhoid fever just two weeks prior to Lincoln’s passing! The bill that Willard penned that led to this second institution would be his legacy and therefore was named in his memory. The Willard Asylum for the Chronic Insane was to be constructed right away on the 440 acre parcel that lay dormant in the Finger Lakes.

It was only months after October 13, 1869 when Mary Rote arrived that Willard had filled all 250 beds and began to prepare for more. Rather than put additions directly on to the building, a campus of detached buildings was built. A Warden’s house overlooking the dock that the patients arrived at, numerous dormitory style buildings to house both residents and staff, a morgue, a fire department, a nurse’s station (that is now a daycare), a generator building and an all-purpose gymnasium that served as a recreational area, chapel and movie theatre all became part of a collection of over 70 buildings that slowly were constructed to serve the growing population. In 1890, the campus (now called Willard State Hospital) had over 2,000 residents on site, making it the largest in the entire country. Originally intended to serve only chronic patients, Willard now was poised to also serve patients with acute needs.

Despite later changing its name to Willard Psychiatric Center, the attempt to embrace a more person-centered treatment philosophy couldn’t outrun the national trend toward deinstitutionalization. Large treatment centers and hospitals began to close somewhere in the early 1970’s, largely due to Geraldo Rivera’s expose on the Willowbrook Hospital in downstate New York. Rather than a model that allowed one nurse to care for 150 patients on one floor, smaller group home models began to become the norm. Finally, in 1995, Willard would discharge its final patient and close its doors for good.

The tour for my group began in the Grandview building which is one of the oldest buildings on the property and was part of the Ovid Agricultural College mentioned earlier. First erected in 1860 and later renovated in 1870, the building housed Willard female patients whose ailments were less profound. Afterward, we moved on to Hadley Hall, which had been built in 1892. Featuring an all-purpose gymnasium, the hall was used for various recreational activities and even as a movie theater. Still available to check out is the projector room where operators had written the titles and dates of each movie they had played. I figured that was going to be the coolest thing in Hadley Hall, because so much history had been preserved there and one you could never stick into a couple photos or even a book. Almost as cool though, we were given an opportunity to wander into the basement of the building, where residents had their very own bowling alley.

Two final buildings on the tour were the Brookside (which was the Warden’s quarters) built on the crest of a picturesque hillside overlooking the lake, and the Bleak House, living quarters for the steward of the campus. Both homes were ridiculously stately and beautiful, with Brookside boasting two full kitchens and 11 bedrooms! The ornate wood detailing, stained glass windows and even the wooden banisters on the stairwells are a true work of art worthy of preservation.

I mentioned earlier that the Willard campus was entirely self-sustaining. A hospital onsite, a utility plant, living quarters for staff, morgue and fire department all ensured that residents at Willard never had to leave the property. The final stop on our tour was one that only added to the solemnity of the previous three hours. While walking through the cemetery at Willard, it was nearly impossible not to imagine who the residents at Willard were. What they looked like, what they struggled with, what their passions were, who their families were. Acres and acres of field are lined with anonymous markers that have only a number to indicate the burial. There is now a group of volunteer genealogists who dedicate their time and resources to finding the stories of each of the individuals buried in the cemetery plots at Willard, and they were on hand to answer questions and share some of the records they had discovered. If you’re interested in learning more about the burials and want more information, they have an incredibly cool website with tons and tons of constantly updated resources that you can find here .

A number of years ago someone was cleaning out the upstairs attic of one of the buildings at Willard and found a few hundred suitcases filled with personal belongings from former patients. If the heartbreaking tale of people losing their identities and enduring the last years of their lives in an institution of neglect isn’t enough to make you wonder about the history of our healthcare system, the suitcase exhibit might do the trick. The idea that an individual would arrive at Willard with a suitcase of personal keepsakes that would be tossed into an attic and never seen again is a chilling image how we have historically treated those who were institutionalized. The individual who found the suitcases ensured that they made it into the hands of the right people, and a traveling exhibit of all of the belongings from each of the suitcases has been making its way through museums for years. For more on the Willard Suitcase Exhibit check out this website that has been set up .

If you’re looking to attend the tour in May 2015, get ready to be Googling and hunting for information as it gets closer. Unfortunately, there’s never been one website to serve as a spot for the announcement. A good resource for tour details may be my fellow blogging friend Jennifer Morrisey over at Home In The Finger Lakes . She put together a pretty sweet series of posts from the same tour I was on, in fact, you can even see me in a few of her photos! Additionally, as more information on the tour is available, I’ll be sure to share it on the Exploring Upstate Facebook Page , so be sure to follow there too!

Chris Clemens is the Founder/Publisher of Exploring Upstate . From his hometown in Rochester, he spends as much time as possible connecting with the history, culture, and places that make Upstate New York a land of discovery. Follow him on Twitter at @cpclemens

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104 comments.

Upcoming Public Tour of Willard Asylum for the Insane - Home in the Finger Lakes December 22, 2014 @ 5:54 am

[…] I did attend the tour! You can find all my pictures and posts from the day HERE.  My friend Chris Clemens over at Exploring Upstate also attended and wrote an excellent post about the History and Tour of Willard also. […]

Christ Episcopal Church & the Willard Psychiatric Center – Willard, NY » Exploring The Burned Over District December 22, 2014 @ 2:42 pm

[…] Willard Asylum for the Insane would go through a few name changes, but always continued to treat the mentally […]

Willard is currently a treatment/correctional facility run by OASIS and parole and is not a standard Correctional Facility. 5 Points is a totally separate facility run by NYSDOCCS. Someone needs to do their homework

Hey Carol– You’re 100% correct, I got my facts mixed up. Thanks for reading through and taking the time to leave a comment with the correct information, the input is helpful!!

Technically Willard Drug Treatment Center is also operated by NYSDOCCS in collaboration with OASAS. It is a 90day “shock/boot” camp style program for low level offenders and parole violaters with drug/alcohol issues. Like Carol indicated, this facility is located on the old Willard Psychiatric Hospital Campus.

Thank you both for being so helpful in me getting the facts straight. I’ve provided an edit within the post referencing the correct info!

and I think there is a cost for the tour??

You are correct Bob. Last year i think it was $20. Since I’m not an official representive of the historical society, I didn’t want to publish a ticket price in case it changed.

The cost this year is $10 per ticket!

i found your article quite interesting. i had a relative that was in Willard back in the 1960’s and he passed away there. i would love to tour the facility but my disability won’t allow me to do all that walking.

I worked in Sunnycrest for 12 years and loved every minute of it I worked with females and remember Mary Murphy also male service with Big George everyone was afraid of him but workers would have him lift trucks and laugh but he would get sick after and loved me as I would give him hell as his body could not tolerate it anymore Yes there are stories to be told but they needed help just as you and I there problems were real some would get discharge and come back as they had gotten instutionalized and could not make it on the outside I also worked in roll playing and was attacked as I reminded him of his mother He felt so bad after when we were done but it really helped him. I moved to Florida and was sick ther was no hospital down here anywhere as I would have gone back.

I also worked at Willard Psychiatric Center as a Youth Opportunity worker in Sunnycroft and the Birches Infirmary for several years. My Aunt Donna worked there as a nurse, along with my step father Jimmy Clair as an Attendant. I would be very interested in attending a tour as it is a huge part of my childhood and teen years. I sang at Hadley Hall in one of the talent contest auditions and used to attend the Saturday matinees and have lunch afterward downstairs. My Uncle Gaylord Poth worked there for many years and then later at the new facility Dick van Dyke Alcohol Units along with my Aunt Kaye Poth as well and they lived very close by. I remember the Willard Picnics as a highlight to attend growing up with live music and food all day and well into the evening. We wore white uniforms and were there when wards were starting to be unlocked so it was an exciting time of change and a huge education. My step dad worked 3-11 and retired from Willard and was greatly loved by many. He actually spent many hours bending silver spoons for so many staff to wear their keys on and it became very popular for staff to have their own unique silver crafted spoon key chain. I remember the baked bread and cold milk for dinner and large bowls of fresh cooked pink buttered rutabaga that was grown on Willard farms. I remember sitting in large rooms with pastel colored leather seats on heavy metal chairs that went all the way around these rooms with bars on the windows and a television up in the corner. I smoked a corncob pipe with an individual who gave me that pipe and told me how to chew tobacco. It did not last when I got home though. I loved working there and have so many wonderful memories of the incredible people we served.

I took care of a man who was in willard. I couldn’t figure out why he was so distant at my initial home visit & a few days into working at the house & reading his history I could see why he acted the way he did. once I was there for a while he came around, was a very nice, caring & outgoing man. I love working with the people I work with. they’ve changed my life in so many ways.

How do we get to sign up for the tour…

Hi Nancy….Walking tours of the grounds and facilities will take place on Saturday, May 16th, 2015 at 9am and 1pm. Tickets are available for $10 (children under 10 are free) and will be sold the day of the event at Camp Edgemere. More information is available on the Facebook Page for the Elizabeth Cady Stanton Child Care Center.

I would like to go on this tour info please

Hi Elizabeth…Walking tours of the grounds and facilities will take place on Saturday, May 16th, 2015 at 9am and 1pm. Tickets are available for $10 (children under 10 are free) and will be sold the day of the event at Camp Edgemere. More information is available on the Facebook Page for the Elizabeth Cady Stanton Child Care Center.

When is the tour?!

Hi Kelly…Walking tours of the grounds and facilities will take place on Saturday, May 16th, 2015 at 9am and 1pm. Tickets are available for $10 (children under 10 are free) and will be sold the day of the event at Camp Edgemere. More information is available on the Facebook Page for the Elizabeth Cady Stanton Child Care Center.

Hi Chris, Do you have any info on a tour for 2016? Our Book Club just read “What she left behind” & would really enjoy joining the tour!

Hey Elizabeth—haven’t seen anything published for this year’s tour yet. In previous years they’ve announced just weeks ahead of time. So, if they are doing it again, it’d be too early to know yet still.

Hi Chris, I am very interested in taking a tour of Willard Asylum, I tried to look on Elizabeth Cady Stanton child care center, and wasn’t able to find anything. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Wayne Wright

Hello Wayne,

The tours stopped years ago after they got out of hand. If you search for news (maybe 2017?) you’ll find some stories about their last tour. I’m fairly certain the child care center is no longer operating.

Would love tour information. My email is [email protected] if there is some type of list?

Hi Machelle… There isn’t a list, it’s first come-first serve. Walking tours of the grounds and facilities will take place on Saturday, May 16th, 2015 at 9am and 1pm. Tickets are available for $10 (children under 10 are free) and will be sold the day of the event at Camp Edgemere. More information is available on the Facebook Page for the Elizabeth Cady Stanton Child Care Center.

I too would love tour info!! I live about six hours away but would love to come to this.

Hi Diane…Walking tours of the grounds and facilities will take place on Saturday, May 16th, 2015 at 9am and 1pm. Tickets are available for $10 (children under 10 are free) and will be sold the day of the event at Camp Edgemere. More information is available on the Facebook Page for the Elizabeth Cady Stanton Child Care Center.

Rolling Hills Asylum - East Bethany, NY | January 25, 2015 @ 8:55 am

[…] began to provide residential care for New Yorkers as early as 1736. If you read my post about the Willard Asylum for the Chronic Insane you already know that in the early 1800’s officials began to concern themselves with the type […]

Please post the Tour Dates when you know them for May 2015. I would like to go on the tour to see where my Great-Great-Grandmother was housed. THX

Hi Sharon…Walking tours of the grounds and facilities will take place on Saturday, May 16th, 2015 at 9am and 1pm. Tickets are available for $10 (children under 10 are free) and will be sold the day of the event at Camp Edgemere. More information is available on the Facebook Page for the Elizabeth Cady Stanton Child Care Center.

would like more information on the tour for 2015 please— thank you

Hi Wendy…Walking tours of the grounds and facilities will take place on Saturday, May 16th, 2015 at 9am and 1pm. Tickets are available for $10 (children under 10 are free) and will be sold the day of the event at Camp Edgemere. More information is available on the Facebook Page for the Elizabeth Cady Stanton Child Care Center.

This is a fascinating article, but very misleading about tours for 2018. Went two years ago and was turned away. Very poor organization for tours.

Hi Connie. This was written in 2014 after the tour that year. It has nothing to do with any tour other than the one done that year.

I worked there as a youth op. And my relatives also worked there. My grandparents had a house across the street.

My husband, Tom McCann Boak, worked with Louis Martz in Grandview. Any relation? My husband worked there 26 1\2 years until it closed.

Hi I’m trying to trace information on my grandfather who was in Willard. I hope to take the tour next year if it is still available. My grandad was Sylvester Cullen who died in Willard in September 1971, at the age of 73. by any change to you think your husband ever came across him there?

rosemary cullen (co cavan ireland)

Would also like info on tour dates

Hi Joan…Walking tours of the grounds and facilities will take place on Saturday, May 16th, 2015 at 9am and 1pm. Tickets are available for $10 (children under 10 are free) and will be sold the day of the event at Camp Edgemere. More information is available on the Facebook Page for the Elizabeth Cady Stanton Child Care Center.

I would also like tour dates and contact information as to how to attend

Hi Deb…Walking tours of the grounds and facilities will take place on Saturday, May 16th, 2015 at 9am and 1pm. Tickets are available for $10 (children under 10 are free) and will be sold the day of the event at Camp Edgemere. More information is available on the Facebook Page for the Elizabeth Cady Stanton Child Care Center.

The building referred to as a “nursing station” was actually the nursing school which was one of the best in the state for years. Seeing these pictures brought back a lot of memories since I graduated from that school

Why was nothing mentioned about their excellent nursing school? My sister graduated from Willard in the early seventies.

Hi Chris, My parents worked there for many years. I would love to be able to take my mom on this tour. Where can I find the information to sign up?

Hi Barb, there’s no sign up, just first come/first serve. Walking tours of the grounds and facilities will take place on Saturday, May 16th, 2015 at 9am and 1pm. Tickets are available for $10 (children under 10 are free) and will be sold the day of the event at Camp Edgemere. More information is available on the Facebook Page for the Elizabeth Cady Stanton Child Care Center.

Thanks for the write-up and photos! Seems like a great tour and hope I can manage to do it. What didn’t you like about the Buffalo Asylum tour? Would you not recommend it?

Hi, when are the 2015 dates? Prices? How do I sign up? I would LOVE this opportunity.

Hey Brooke…No sign up, just first come/first served. Walking tours of the grounds and facilities will take place on Saturday, May 16th, 2015 at 9am and 1pm. Tickets are available for $10 (children under 10 are free) and will be sold the day of the event at Camp Edgemere. More information is available on the Facebook Page for the Elizabeth Cady Stanton Child Care Center.

I too would like to know how to book a tour for 2015! Please let me know!

Hi Melanie…Walking tours of the grounds and facilities will take place on Saturday, May 16th, 2015 at 9am and 1pm. Tickets are available for $10 (children under 10 are free) and will be sold the day of the event at Camp Edgemere. More information is available on the Facebook Page for the Elizabeth Cady Stanton Child Care Center.

This tour is not sponsored by the Historical Society but by Elizabeth Cady Stanton Children’s center, a not for profit day that is housed in the Jackson Bldg – the old nursing school. We are waiting word to see if the tour can be held again this year. If it is it will be May 16th and the cost will be $10.00

I have a group of family members who would love to go on this tour as one of our family members had been in this facility. Please let me know the dates and times

Does anyone know if the Tour for 2015 is going to take place and when?

Hi Becky…Walking tours of the grounds and facilities will take place on Saturday, May 16th, 2015 at 9am and 1pm. Tickets are available for $10 (children under 10 are free) and will be sold the day of the event at Camp Edgemere. More information is available on the Facebook Page for the Elizabeth Cady Stanton Child Care Center.

Hi Lee Anne! When you hear if the tour is happening, would you mind e-mailing me? My boyfriend and I and possibly his brother and girlfriend would like to go. My email is [email protected]

My wife and I would also like to know if and when the tour is. I’ve driven through the property quite a few times and would love to see inside.

Hi Scott…Walking tours of the grounds and facilities will take place on Saturday, May 16th, 2015 at 9am and 1pm. Tickets are available for $10 (children under 10 are free) and will be sold the day of the event at Camp Edgemere. More information is available on the Facebook Page for the Elizabeth Cady Stanton Child Care Center.

I’m hoping you have visited our website at http://www.willardcemeterymemorialproject.com . I see you told several people about last year’s May 16 event, but the best event that day was the memorial to the gravedigger, Lawrence Mocha. You can view the video on our website.

good evening my name is Cindy and I was just wondering has it always looked this scary ? Was it always run down like the pictures show? How awful.

Hey Cindy… A few of the buildings are still in use and while they’re not modern or luxurious, I wouldn’t say they’re too scary. A few of the buildings that have gone unused for decades have probably fallen victim to disrepair and weathering, but considering, they’re in pretty decent shape. Back in the day, Willard was mostly considered QUITE modern and a beautiful grounds, particularly the Director’s home. Most likely, what makes many of these photos seem scary is our imaginations and the things we imagine happening and being done to the residents.

Very interesting !

http://www.homeinthefingerlakes.com/upcoming-public-tour-of-willard-asylum-for-the-insane/

Hi I was wondering if it was haunted?

Hi Michelle…. I suppose it depends on what you believe about spirits and the afterlife. But, there are certainly some people who do believe the grounds have supernatural qualities.

Hi Chris. Do they only allow people in during the once a year tour?

Hi Virginia…. Correct. The only access legally granted to the public is during the tour. The child care center goes to great lengths to get approval from the state for the tours.

Hi Chris, I would love to relive my childhood memories. My grandfather Dr James Murphy was the director of Willard for 25 years. I am unsure of what the exact years were, but everyone working there would always remind me that he had been there for 25 years .I know that he lived on the property and my parents were married 2/2/1955. I believed that Dr Murphy left around 1964. My mother graduated from the nursing school and worked there until 1972 when we moved to Rochester. She did return to work at the Dick Van Dyke clinic and retired from there. I actually delivered newspapers throughout Willard from the bottom of the hill to the top on a bike. It was great to bike down the hill. My dad was on the softball league and work the security and the fire dept. I lived the white house on the corner next to the state hospital the first house going into Willard. I went to many free movies. The patients were below. The rest were on the balcony.

Information for this years tour: http://www.homeinthefingerlakes.com/upcoming-public-tour-of-willard-asylum-for-the-insane/

Is the place haunted dose any one know

Hi Amanda, I actually attended the aforementioned drug treatment facility in 2012. And for those who believe in that sort of stuff (I didn’t before I was there) it is haunted. I spent 90 days there and can report on several “strange” occurrences that I witnessed and it changed my beliefs forever in more than a few ways. It is a known fact throughout the correctional staff that the Willard grounds are unquestionably haunted.

We are driving from Rochester NY area, do tours fill fast? Are we guaranteed a “spot” if we arrive before the start of the tour?

Hey Maggie…

Last year we wasted a bit of time trying to figure out where to buy tickets and ended up showing up at 8:59 and we were turned away because it was too late. As I was walking away, the volunteer ran after me and said, “c’mon quick. come in here and pay and we’ll get you into a group!”

With that being said, I don’t really know if they are capping the attendance or not this year, but I don’t think there are any guarantees. If I were going again, I’d be getting there at 8:30 just to be safe. I suspect that there will be a TON of people there.

Today we visited the facility. However…it was poorly planned. We lost our tour guide and they ran out of maps as well didn’t plan for enough people. Our group did our own tour. Alot of people got turned away because it was sold out fast. I’d like to come next year. Hopefully, the planning committee can plan for 1000+ people and have more tour times. I was slightly disappointed in the inefficiency. We also got yelled at by a lady because a condemned building wasn’t properly locked up. She was being extremely rude.

Most likely there will not be another one. Some people were going through the tunnels,going into restricted buildings. Yes, they didn’t expect the crowds that they had, but as the day wore on the prison guards had enough and slowly shut down places. Too bad, but many former employees and children of the employees were there. It was great to talk with them.

Yes my grandaughter and I made the attempt to be part of the one o’clock tour group. It was mayhem. We didnt even get near Camp Edgemere, much less the entrance to Willard. Traffic was backed up 3 to 5 miles from the entrance road. Police would allow traffic to drive by only. The frustrating thing was we could see hundreds of cars and hundreds of people wandering the property. Apparently a lot of people up the re were not nice and stayed to give themselves tours. Information printed from last indicated visitors under 1000. There must have been three times that today. There was no one oclock tour. It was a serious disappointment for a lot of people. If there is a next year, the amateur sponsors are going to have to turn it over to a professional crowd control organization with a lot more tour guides and professional crowd control officers with plenty experience.

I was told after today there will be no more tours I was also told people went into buildings and vandalized it I was a little disappointed that we could not go into some of the other buildings but I am just glad I was able to do the tour I actually got some orbs in a picture from Hadley hall and smelled a man’s cologne in elliot hall room 107 did not smell that in any other room I definitely had a great time learning about willard I just hope that in the future the Graves will have names cause to me those poor people have names and are not just a number l

You were having o factory hauluations.to bad this place wasn’t still open u would be a great candidate.the place is haunted for use.I myself have seen a few ghosts there and been touched,touched in many ways.this placed saved my life also

We drove 2 hours to get there only to get stuck in a traffic jam 3 miles long, figured all was ok because we were almost a hour early for the 1 oclock tour, got almost there and a State Troop directibg traffic said the tour was over due to a fire. I didn’t believe him for some reason. UNREAL

Was this only a one day event or will there be more tours. Does anyone know?

One day a year.

Why is that there are always people who just feel like it’s ok to just, ..TAKE? They are responsible for the outcome of all this. Some of us are saddened by the fact that so many more won’t get to see any of it because of vandalism and the like, ..poor behavior, deplorable, ..it sickens me.

Beautiful building.

A Look Inside the Former 'New York State Lunatic Asylum at Utica' | June 20, 2015 @ 8:51 am

[…] quietly announced a few tours available throughout May and June. Since I’ve now been to the Willard Asylum for the Insane in Ovid and the Richardson-Olmstead Complex in Buffalo, I hopped at the opportunity to get a peek […]

Will there be a tour in 2016?

Not sure Sandra. Historically, tours haven’t been announced until about a month beforehand.

Group homes have been replacing the old Institutions but there will always be a need for a secure facility for those afflicted with extreme mental conditions. Group homes are not an answer for these unfortunate souls and Control Drugs can not solve everything. Even worse and threatening the ability of people who need the use of group homes due to mental problems is our current governors use of these homes to house Forensic individuals (Pedophiles) . They take the place of individuals on waiting lists from families desperate for help.

Anything set up for 2016 -Anastasia

of course I did not see Sandra’s question, until now, I would like to be on the informational email alerts for this… Please let me know if there is the way to check up on it.

Any update on 2016 tours? I’ve tried looking online but am not finding anything for this year. Thank you!

Haven’t heard anything yet–sorry!

Hi! I’m a writer for Atlas Obscura, and I’m currently working on a place page for Willard Psychiatric Center.

We like to illustrate our write ups with lots of photos, and I was wondering if you would allow us to use some of your photos of Willard. We would gladly credit you in whatever format you prefer. Please let me know!

will there be any tours in 2017?

Historically, the tours at Willard were always done in May. A couple years ago, the crowd size was far beyond what the organizers were anticipating, and as a result, things didn’t go according to plan. If you Google news about Willard you’ll find some news stories about it. There hasn’t been any discussion of a tour since then that I’m aware of.

U want to attend a tour..Is there lodging nearby?

As of right now, I don’t believe there are talks to do another tour. But, to answer your question, the nearest hotels or motels to Ovid are probably a 20-25 minute drive. There may be Airbnb options closer, but I’ve never looked.

Book Roundup: January 2018 | A Fuller Existence February 5, 2018 @ 7:27 pm

[…] and they had been photographed and displayed in museums around the country. Also, according to Exploring Upstate up until a few years ago, you could actually go on a tour of Willard. So creepy and yet so cool. […]

I assume they have permanently decided to stop tours? That’s to bad. I would have loved to see inside.

Creepy Finger Lakes, Episode 3: Willard Asylum for the Insane – The Braless Gourmet November 7, 2018 @ 12:54 pm

[…] “An Inside Tour of ‘Willard Asylum for the Chronic Insane,” available here. […]

I don’t know if this has already been said but frankly, I’m not reading through 95 comments to check. Anyway. It may seem cruel or heartless to many nowadays, in our touchy-feely times but, perhaps the removal of personal belongings at the beginning of an inmate’s life at Willard, was grounded in cold, hard logic. Perhaps it was thought that the personal possessions of the individuals concerned, would be constant reminders of traumas in their lives, prior to their Willard residency. Maybe the removal of personal belongings was an attempt at a truly ‘fresh start’?

The strange tale of Ern(e)st Szameitat | Hospitalstraße 22 April 11, 2020 @ 4:37 am

[…] A picture of Willard today Source […]

I also graduated from Willard School of Nursing, 50 years ago. As the Class of 1971 will be having a reunion next year I have been revisiting anything related to Willard. I would write more, however, I fear this may be a futile attempt. Several of us live outside NYS, today but I know a tour would be very interesting. As students we had different assignments to a specific patient & I believe the few weeks with them, hopefully, provided a sense that they mattered.

Books Read in January and February – margaretL04 March 17, 2021 @ 3:54 pm

[…] about asylums. The tension is real! I grew up on Seneca Lake, roughly across and down some from The Willard Asylum for the Chronic Insane, and Willard, as we called it, loomed largely in our young imaginations. I used to terrify myself […]

“BORLEY RECTORY: THE MOST HAUNTED HOUSE IN THE UK” and More Strange True Stories! #WeirdDarkness - Weird Darkness October 19, 2022 @ 12:11 am

[…] can also see what happened to the patients who ended their lives at the asylum. The morgue is still largely intact, with the autopsy tables in place next to the drawers where bodies were kept. The crematorium […]

Old York Hospital

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Through use of the computer, we can adjust the radiograph, therefore helping to avoid the need to retake an x-ray. This decreases radiation exposure to your pet and our staff. The designated radiograph monitor for this system provides exceptional resolution. We are able to see very fine detail and subtle changes. Digital radiograph technology permits us to rapidly view a very high resolution image of our patient and thereby help with a quick and accurate diagnosis.

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OLD YORK HOSPITAL: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

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'Old Main' asylum in Utica to open for free public tours in June

• Updated: May. 12, 2016, 2:40 p.m. |
• Published: May. 12, 2016, 1:40 p.m.

• Nick Canedo | [email protected]

Calling all ghost hunters: The infamous "Old Main"  psychiatric asylum in Utica  will open for public tours for two days in June.

Originally named the New York State Lunatic Asylum of Utica, this place-- one of the creepiest stops in Upstate New York --has had a variety of names: Utica Lunatic Asylum, Utica State Hospital, Utica Psychiatric Center. Popularly known as Old Main, this asylum opened in 1843 and closed in 1978. But in 2014, the place reopened for tours to thousand of visitors. The place has become infamous for stories of forced lobotomies and the Utica crib, a coffin-like wooden bed with a cage around it. The victims of these extreme medical procedures are believed to haunt the place.

10 creepy stops to make on a haunted tour of Upstate NY

Take a road trip and visit the spookiest, creepiest places in the region.

Free educational tours of Old Main will be provided by the state Office of Mental Health with help from the Landmarks Society of Greater Utica, State Assemblyman Anthony Brinidisi announced, the Observer-Dispatch  reports.

How to attend

On Friday, June 10 and Friday, June 17, tours will take place every 20 minutes from 9 a.m. to 11:40 a.m. and then from 3 p.m. to 5:40 p.m., TWC News  reports.

While the tours are free, participants must make reservations at least one week prior by emailing the following information to [email protected] : names of all individuals interested in the tour; the requested date and time of the tour; organization or school affiliation if any; and any special arrangements for wheelchair access, if necessary.

The Observer-Dispatch reports tour group sizes are limited to 20 people; a total of 720 individuals will be able to tour the buildings during the scheduled tour dates and times.

In April, the state announced that the popular Willard Asylum  in the Finger Lakes would not be opened for tours  this year.

Haunted places in Upstate NY: 56 spooky houses to visit -- if you dare

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You are here: Real Ghost Stories :: Apparitions / Voices / Touches :: Old York Hospital

Old York Hospital

T his is my first story and was also the first time I have experienced anything paranormal.

When I was about 10 or 11 years old my family lived in a very little old town called York in Western Australia. I was with a young friend at the time we were just out exploring in town as kids do. After a while we found an old Ping Pong table in a rather run down tin carport type shed (so it was open at the front), tucked away out the back of the old York Hospital which had long since been shut down.

We were just playing around with the Ping Pong table when I looked up and saw a woman in one of the windows of the hospital. I think, from memory, the building was 2 or 3 stories high. She was just standing there, just looking down at the little children making a racket out the back. I pointed her out to my friend and he said he could see her too, and he also described her just as I have below.

Even though it was a long time ago I can still remember what she looked like in detail but without colour, eg her hair and clothes had no colour that I can remember in my mind. It's like she was different shades of grey. She was quite tall and thin with a high bun in her hair but not tight (if that makes sense), kind of loose around her head. She was wearing a nurse-type uniform. I remember a lighter grey/white collar, possibly a cape around her shoulders, I could tell she was not from our era. At a guess I would say she was in her mid-50s and rather stern looking.

We ran back to my friend's house where we told his mother who, as I was about to find out, was a very spiritual person. She decided that the spirit of the lady we saw was trapped in the old hospital. What happened after this is very hard to explain to this day, but I will do my best.

She went into a sort of trance like state where her spirit or astral body, I don't really know because she was talking and kind of acting out what she was doing in front of us, travelled to the old hospital to help the trapped spirit. But when she arrived there she was not wanted and she started thrashing around like she was being attacked and also said she was being choked. She had her hands at her own throat like she was trying to pry hands away whilst screaming and acting like she was in real danger.

Things got even weirder after that. Something to do with her son (my friend from the hospital) having to also astral travel, or whatever it was they were doing, to the hospital to help her. Unfortunately this is where things get hazy. I don't really remember much after that point as I was so unbelievably frightened I think I ran out of the room.

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3-month-old killed in 10-vehicle crash involving concrete truck

ANDERSON, S.C. ( WHNS /Gray News) – A 3-month-old died after a car crash involving ten vehicles in South Carolina Thursday afternoon.

According to troopers, a cement truck going too fast for conditions on U.S. 29 crashed into the back of a sedan stopped for roadwork on the interstate, causing a chain reaction and making the car slam into the back of a pickup truck that was also stopped.

Authorities said the drivers of the pickup and concrete trucks were not injured, but the driver of the sedan was taken to the hospital and the infant was flown to the hospital.

Baby Jakai Govan died in the hospital at 1:17 a.m. Friday from subdural hemorrhage secondary to a skull fracture.

The corner’s preliminary investigation showed the 3-month-old was restrained in a car seat.

Troopers with the South Carolina Highway Patrol said charges will be filed in this crash.

Copyright 2024 WHNS via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Old York Hospital

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• (0.40 km) Laurelville
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• (0.76 km) York Motel
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3-year-old cancer survivor's has her artwork showcased during PGA Tour's Houston Open

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- At the PGA TOUR's Texas Children's Houston Open, caddies for the players were carrying more than just golf bags.

"Just being one of four, that was pretty special," Justin Hill admitted.

The caddie bibs for the tournament featured art from patients at Texas Children's Hospital. One of the four designs worn by caddies throughout the tournament at Memorial Park was a watercolor work of handprints. It was done by three-year-old Maggie Hill of The Woodlands, who spoke with ABC13 via Zoom.

Last summer, Maggie was diagnosed with Medulloblastoma, a cancerous brain tumor.

Her treatments, including six rounds of chemo, kept her and her mother Amanda at Texas Children's for long days and long stays.

"There's only so much Elsa that I can watch," Amanda said smiling. "So we would do a lot of art, and then she and I would hang her artwork up. I started bringing a roll of tape, and we'd hang everything up in her room just for some color decoration."

The same art that helped Maggie through her hospital stays and clinic appointments was worn during the Houston Open by Ted Scott, the caddie for Scottie Scheffler who is the top-ranked golfer in the world.

"There's been so many moments in this that, you know, you never imagine your life like going down this path," Justin Hill, Maggie's father, shared. "It's kind of surreal. And this is, at least one of those, that it's a good moment to have happen."

"We told her that everyone is seeing her artwork, and she was like, 'Oh, yay.'"

By winning the Texas Children's Houston Open, Stephan Jaeger earns more than $1.6 million, but Maggie's family says that's not the only prize.

"They really want to showcase what the kids can do," Amanda said of Texas Children's Hospital. "And it just makes them feel like a million bucks."

For more sports news, follow Adam Winkler on Facebook , X and Instagram .

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Vacation horror as ‘drunk’ son, 20, jumps from royal caribbean cruise in front of family.

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A cruise turned into a nightmare for people aboard Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Seas when a young man jumped overboard shortly after 4 a.m. Thursday.

The 18-story ship was sailing between Cuba and the Bahamas’ Grand Inagua Island when the as-yet-unidentified man jumped off one of the decks.

According to onlookers, his father and brother watched helplessly as he leaped over the side.

Some passengers said it appeared to be an impulsive, spur-of-the-moment decision. 

“I had hung out with him and his brother in the hot tub until 3:30,” passenger Bryan Sims tells The Post. ” It was standing room only. He sat right beside me the whole time.”

“He was pretty drunk,” Sims continues.

“As we were walking from the hot tub back to the elevators, his dad and brother were walking towards us. His dad was fussing at him for being drunk, I guess.” “When we got to them, he said to his dad, ‘I’ll fix this right now.’ And he jumped out the window in front of us all.” 

“There was a lot of yelling, and the crew was alerted immediately,” another passenger,  Deborah Morrison, told The Post.

“His family was horrified. Just beside themselves. I can’t even begin to imagine what they’re going through.”

“It was insane,” says Sims. “It was just surreal.” 

In a statement to The Post, Royal Caribbean said its crew immediately sprang into action following the incident.

“The ship’s crew immediately launched a search and rescue effort alongside the US Coast Guard, who has taken over the search,” the statement reads.

“Our Care Team is providing support and assistance to the guest’s family during this difficult time. For the privacy of the guest and their family, we have no additional details to share.”

News of the apparent suicide attempt quickly spread among the guests — and many of them tried to help in any way they could.

“The early morning was definitely somber as so many people came out of their cabins to stare at the sea, hoping to be able to aid in finding the person,” said Amy Phelps Fouse, a passenger on the ship.

“Royal Caribbean has been excellent at communicating updates throughout the day,” Fouse continued. “They have asked that people act with compassion in light of the tragic situation.”

Overboard incidents on cruise ships are rare.

According to the Washington Post , about 386 people were reported to have gone overboard on the major cruise lines between 2000 to 2020.

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The incidents, whether accidental or intentional, are often deadly.

In the past few years, most cruise lines have enacted onboard safety measures and surveillance systems to help reduce the risk of overboard deaths.

The Coast Guard confirmed to The Post it is still conducting a search and rescue operation in the waters off Cuba. The man has not yet been found.

If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis and live in New York City, you can call 1-888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential crisis counseling. If you live outside the five boroughs, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or go to  SuicidePreventionLifeline.org .

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Harrowing video shows elephant charging truck during African safari, killing American tourist

S hocking video captured the moment a 5-ton bull elephant in Zambia charged at a safari vehicle — flipping it over several times and killing an 80-year-old American woman during an expedition.

The unidentified woman was among six tourists with the group Wilderness Zambia who were out on a photography tour Saturday when they came under attack by the crazed beast, the Telegraph reported.

“At around 9:30 a.m. on Saturday morning the six guests were on the game drive when the vehicle was unexpectedly charged by the bull elephant,” Wilderness Zambia CEO Keith Vincent said in a statement.

One international client killed by elephant in Kafue National Park from lufupa Lodge during Safari. Two injured and being evacuated to Lusaka. Full details being awaited from the operator through the Senior Warden Kafue Region. Very unfortunate indeed. pic.twitter.com/4ntbyhec1G

Distressing footage captured by a passenger shows the elephant barreling toward the vehicle as it cruises along a bush-lined road before suddenly stopping when its path was blocked.

The passenger continues to record as the animal lunges at the vehicle and flips it over.

The elderly woman later died of her injuries while another woman remains hospitalized.

The other four guests were treated for minor injuries after the violent attack.

“Our guides are all extremely well-trained and experienced, but sadly in this instance the terrain and vegetation was such that the guide’s route became blocked and he could not move the vehicle out of harm’s way quickly enough,” Vincent said.

Kafue National Park’s management sent a helicopter to the scene to evacuate the victims.

 “This is a tragic event and we extend our deepest condolences to the family of the guest who died. We are also, naturally, supporting those guests and the guide involved in this distressing incident,” Vincent added.

The group was reportedly staying at the luxurious Lufupa Camp in the Kafue National Park, the largest game reserve in Africa.

African Parks, which manages the park, also controls 22 other wildlife sanctuaries in Africa.

The tour group was making arrangements to return the woman’s body to the US, the Nigerian Bulletin reported.

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Patient With Transplanted Pig Kidney Leaves Hospital for Home

Richard Slayman, 62, is the first patient to receive a kidney from a genetically modified pig. Two weeks after the procedure, he was well enough to be discharged, doctors said.

By Roni Caryn Rabin

The first patient to receive a kidney transplanted from a genetically modified pig has fared so well that he was discharged from the hospital on Wednesday, just two weeks after the groundbreaking surgery.

The transplant and its encouraging outcome represent a remarkable moment in medicine, scientists say, possibly heralding an era of cross-species organ transplantation.

Two previous organ transplants from genetically modified pigs failed. Both patients received hearts, and both died a few weeks later. In one patient, there were signs that the immune system had rejected the organ, a constant risk.

But the kidney transplanted into Richard Slayman, 62, is producing urine, removing waste products from the blood, balancing the body’s fluids and carrying out other key functions, according to his doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital.

“This moment — leaving the hospital today with one of the cleanest bills of health I’ve had in a long time — is one I wished would come for many years,” he said in a statement issued by the hospital. “Now it’s a reality.”

He said he had received “exceptional care” and thanked his physicians and nurses, as well as the well-wishers who reached out to him, including kidney patients who were waiting for an organ.

“Today marks a new beginning not just for me, but for them as well,” Mr. Slayman said.

The procedure brings the prospect of xenotransplantation, or animal-to-human organ transplants, significantly closer to reality, said Dr. David Klassen, the chief medical officer for the United Network for Organ Sharing, which manages the nation’s organ transplant system.

“Though much work remains to be done, I think the potential of this to benefit a large number of patients will be realized, and that was a question mark hovering over the field,” Dr. Klassen said.

Whether Mr. Slayman’s body will eventually reject the transplanted organ is still unknown, Dr. Klassen noted. And there are other hurdles: A successful operation would have to be replicated in numerous patients and studied in clinical trials before xenotransplants become widely available.

If these transplants are to be scaled up and integrated into the health care system, there are “daunting” logistical challenges, he said, starting with ensuring an adequate supply of organs from genetically engineered animals.

The cost, of course, may become a substantial obstacle. “Is this something we can really realistically attempt as a health care system?” Dr. Klassen said. “We need to think about that.”

The treatment of kidney disease is already a huge expense. End-stage kidney disease, the point at which the organs are failing, affects 1 percent of Medicare beneficiaries but accounts for 7 percent of Medicare spending, according to the National Kidney Foundation.

Yet the medical potential for pig-to-human transplantation is tremendous.

Mr. Slayman opted for the experimental procedure because he had few options left. He was having difficulty with dialysis because of problems with his blood vessels, and he faced a long wait for a donated kidney.

The kidney transplanted into Mr. Slayman came from a pig genetically engineered by the biotech company eGenesis. Company scientists removed three genes that might trigger rejection of the organ, inserted seven human genes to enhance compatibility and took steps to inactivate retroviruses carried by pigs that may infect humans.

More than 550,000 Americans have kidney failure and require dialysis, and over 100,000 are on a waiting list to receive a transplanted kidney from a human donor.

In addition, tens of millions of Americans have chronic kidney disease, which can lead to organ failure. Black Americans, Hispanic Americans and Native Americans have the highest rates of end-stage kidney disease. Black patients generally fare worse than white patients and have less access to a donated kidney.

While dialysis keeps people alive, the treatment of choice for many patients is a kidney transplant, which dramatically improves quality of life. But just 25,000 kidney transplants are performed each year, and thousands of patients die annually while waiting for a human organ because there is a lack of donors.

Xenotransplantation has for decades been discussed as a potential solution.

The challenge in any organ transplantation is that the human immune system is primed to attack foreign tissue, causing life-threatening complications for recipients. Patients receiving transplanted organs generally must take drugs intended to suppress the immune system’s response and preserve the organ.

Mr. Slayman exhibited signs of rejection on the eighth day after surgery, according to Dr. Leonardo V. Riella, medical director for kidney transplantation at Mass General. (The hospital’s parent organization, Mass General Brigham, developed the transplant program.)

The rejection was a type called cellular rejection, which is the most common form of acute graft rejection . It can happen at any time but especially within the first year of an organ transplant. Up to 25 percent of organ recipients experience cellular rejection within the first three months.

The rejection was not unexpected, though Mr. Slayman experienced it more quickly than usual, Dr. Riella said. Doctors managed to reverse the rejection with steroids and other medications used to tamp down the immune reaction.

“It was a roller coaster the first week,” Dr. Riella said. Reassuringly, he added, Mr. Slayman responded to treatment like patients who receive organs from human donors.

Mr. Slayman is taking several immunosuppressive drugs, and he will continue to be closely monitored with blood and urine tests three times a week, as well as with doctor visits twice a week.

His physicians do not want Mr. Slayman to go back to work, at the state transportation department, for at least six weeks, and he must take precautions to avoid infections because of the medications that suppress his immune system.

“Ultimately, we want patients to go back to the things they enjoy doing, to improve their quality of life,” Dr. Riella said. “We want to avoid restrictions.”

By Wednesday, Mr. Slayman was clearly ready to go home, Dr. Riella said.

“When we first came in, he had a lot of apprehension and anxiety about what would happen,” Dr. Riella said. “But when we rounded on him at 7 a.m. this morning, you could see a big smile on his face and he was making plans.”

Roni Caryn Rabin is a Times health reporter focused on maternal and child health, racial and economic disparities in health care, and the influence of money on medicine. More about Roni Caryn Rabin