Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum

Just me running down the asylum hall allyflame (Atlas Obscura User)

What the patient sees behind locked quarters allyflame (Atlas Obscura User)

One of the dreary restroom areas allyflame (Atlas Obscura User)

The main entrance into the Asylum. Our guide told us that there are three mass graves on a nearby hill containing between 25,000 to 100,000 bodies! The State of West Virginia isn’t sure, because of poor record keeping. The Asylum was in operation for 130 years. The mass graves are off limits to the public. rbt45769 (Atlas Obscura User)

The end part of one wing of the Asylum. rbt45769 (Atlas Obscura User)

An example of patient artwork that has been preserved for exhibit in the Asylum art gallery. rbt45769 (Atlas Obscura User)

A view looking toward the main entrance showing the staggered arrangement of the Asylum wings. rbt45769 (Atlas Obscura User)

The imposing steeple has clocks on just three sides. No one knows why. rbt45769 (Atlas Obscura User)

The original part featured dogwood flowers above the windows! rbt45769 (Atlas Obscura User)

This is a fully restored wing of the original building built in 1858. The Commonwealth of Virginia started construction of the Asylum only to have the newly established state of West Virginia take control in 1864. rbt45769 (Atlas Obscura User)

The tuberculosis wing of the hospital grounds. rbt45769 (Atlas Obscura User)

A rare view of the back of the Asylum complex. rbt45769 (Atlas Obscura User)

The 1858 wing of the Asylum. rbt45769 (Atlas Obscura User)

A sad statistic. Many lobotomies were performed here during the 1940’s and ‘50’s. rbt45769 (Atlas Obscura User)

A view out jolennox (Atlas Obscura User)

Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum jolennox (Atlas Obscura User)

Trans-Alleghany Lunatic Asylum Destination aficionado (Atlas Obscura User)

renott (Atlas Obscura User)

Just down the hall James Wood

Dark Echo James Wood

The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum (aka The Weston State Hospital) James Wood

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Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum operated from 1864 to 1994.

Today it stands as a testimony to the inhumane practices once used in mental health. Sitting on 666 acres, this spooky area is home to numerous buildings including a museum, a gift shop where a few of the remaining employees still work, and an abandoned cemetery.

Famous for its looming structure, it was built using the Kirkbride design, a design common to asylums of the early 19th century.

Much of the asylum remains closed off to the general public as the main building and out-buildings are in bad repair and are structurally unsound. A wide choice of tours are available, and specialty supernatural/ghost hunts, even overnighters are available for those searching for tortured spirits who have yet to escape.

Know Before You Go

There are occasional ghost hunt events that open up three of the back buildings. These are separate from their normal tours/hunts. The overnight ghost hunt tour costs around $100 per person and has limited slots available, but for those wanting a bit more freedom to explore, this is a really great experience. They label this as Ghost Hunt, but it's also an awesome LEGAL urban exploration of an abandoned set of asylum buildings. It's a superb opportunity for photographers. Make sure to visit the official website and check schedule/availability. The First Floor self guided tour ($10) and the Four Floor 90-minute tour ($30) focus on the history and evolution of mental health treatment and the history of the asylum, from its construction and architecture to its patients, staff, treatments, and inner workings. A historian’s delight! There is a military discount, but only for the historical tour. Yes, there is a modest gift shoppe.