Sometimes when strangers find out that I am a paranormal investigator or my daughter freely tells them that I talk to ghosts, haha, they look at me like I’m crazy. I’ve got news for you. There’s a whole lot of crazy in the world, and believing in the paranormal should be at the bottom of that list.
In 2021, the Diamond State Ghost Investigators (DSGI) traveled to Weston, West Virginia, for a private overnight paranormal investigation.
History of Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum
The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum (TALA), also known as the Weston State Hospital, is a former psychiatric hospital located in Weston, West Virginia. The hospital was built between 1858 and 1881, but it didn’t start operating until 1864. While that seems like a date from a long time ago, it’s unnerving when you learn that the hospital didn’t close until 1994. Some patients who were treated at TALA have been relocated to other locations but are still alive today.
The asylum is a National Historic Landmark known for its Kirkbride design, common to asylums of the early 19th century.
The history of TALA is one that turns my stomach. I find it upsetting to think that doctors experimented on people with brain health issues with methods that they hoped would “fix” them. In addition, hundreds of people were admitted to the hospital for reasons that don’t make sense. A husband could commit his wife for reasons such as reading too many seductive novels or having extreme PMS. *note my eye roll* Men and women, boys and girls of all ages, stayed within those walls. Some of the children were born and died there.
The hospital was established with the purpose of providing respectful treatment to patients with mental health issues. They had dining rooms for patients to eat off fancy China plates. Patients were able to move about freely and even go outside to exercise. Unfortunately, as more and more people were admitted and the hospital surpassed maximum capacity, things went downhill. A place built for hope quickly became a place filled with despair.
Too many giggles and too many people
The Philadelphia Inquirer article shared in this post is from 1936. It references an 18-year-old patient who apparently had long-lasting giggle fits. The response to stop this was a “pelvic disorder surgery” performed by Dr. J.E. Offner, superintendent of the Weston State Hospital. Just imagining a young girl unable to stop her giggles in an asylum environment freaks me out.
At its peak in the 1950s, the hospital held 2,600 patients, more than ten times the number it intended to house. Doctors and nurses confined difficult patients in open-air cages to make room for those deemed to have easier cases. The asylum became a training ground for experimental lobotomies courtesy of Dr. Walter Freeman. His “ice pick method” involved inserting an ice pick into the patient’s eye socket and using a hammer to sever the connective tissue in the prefrontal cortex of the brain.
An onslaught of activity
The amount of activity we encountered in only about 10 hours of time was something I probably should have expected, but I didn’t. The energy was that of confusion. You could feel eyes on you at times, with almost wonderment. Like patients wondering who you are, why are you there? We voiced that we wanted to hear their stories, weren’t there to hurt them, and just wanted to talk. At times the investigators, with their headphones on listening for EVPs were hearing so many voices at once that it was impossible to make out what the voices were trying to say. Other times we heard what I consider to be “residual energy imprints.”
Residual energy in paranormal investigations refers to the theory that certain locations can retain and replay energy from past events, resulting in repetitive paranormal activity.
The same things happened over and over again, repetitively over time at the hospital and we hear those imprints. For example, we heard the sound of heels coming down the hall, which makes sense if nurses were walking from room to room. For the most part, I felt anxious. I didn’t feel scared, because the energy I felt wasn’t threatening, instead, it felt a little confused or lost.
Not fear
And then, we investigated the 4th Floor. I realize we were there to make contact, and we did, on every floor, but the entities on the 4th floor didn’t want us to leave once we got there. I was at the back of the line when we were heading out, and that’s when I was scratched. It felt hot, it stung my mid to lower back, and I lifted my shirt to show the team, and they saw a fresh scratch.
I’ve been touched before during investigations, and my hair has been played with, but I have never been hurt. I was upset and shaken when we returned to the break room to regroup with the full team. It wasn’t until after the fact did I really think about what happened.
I’d like to believe that the patient who reached out in the hall just didn’t want us to leave. Maybe it had taken all of his or her energy just to get up to where we were sitting, and then we got up and left.
On our way, turning into the hallway, something ran up behind us quickly and pushed us forward. At the time, we thought it was another teammate playing a prank, but when we looked, there was no one there. Maybe the same person who didn’t want me to leave saw that we were coming back and pushed us forward. I don’t know, but I’d like to think that had been the thought process. I want to believe the patients we encountered while investigating TALA were not malicious or evil.
Saying hello to Lilly
Much like how I grew up, I share my views of the paranormal with my kids. My two oldest boys are skeptical. I appreciate that they should absolutely be skeptical. It doesn’t stop them from wanting to hear about all the investigations. My youngest daughter is a wide-open book who wants to experience everything. I will need to be sure to simmer her down a bit before she ever goes out on an investigation because she needs to protect herself. However, before leaving for TALA, she asked me to say hello to Lilly. When we came across Lilly’s room, we sat in there for a bit, we didn’t get too much activity, but it was the only time the music box played music. I know it was Lilly, and I’d like to think she heard me say that a little girl in Delaware cares about her and says hello.
The lobotomy recovery room
A team member heard a disembodied voice growling close to her ear, while two others saw tall shadow figures in the lobotomy recovery room. We had REM pods set up in the room, and when we asked if anyone was with us, the lights turned on in response. Sometimes the lights moved in succession as if an entity were moving closer to us and backing away. I can imagine patients waking up in this recovery room and not knowing what happened or where they are. Someone may have growled due to desperation to communicate, but the surgery they underwent prevented them from doing so
Facts and vaults
And here’s a random factoid for my fellow gamers out there. The asylum is actually in Bethesda Game Studios’ Fallout 76, it is called Fort Defiance.
DSGI has not yet posted evidence from TALA to our digital vault. You can find evidence from other places posted. Head to our main navigation or click here to see our DSGI Evidence Vault.