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Post by ufo4peace on Jun 11, 2012 1:19:09 GMT -6
www.opacity.us/site30_pennhurst_state_school.htmPennhurst State School was a hospital dedicated to treat people with mental and physical disabilities (not psychiatric), many from the coming from the Philadelphia area. Construction of The Eastern State Institution for the Feeble-Minded and Epileptic, as the hospital was named at that time, started in 1903 on a site in Spring City known as Crab Hill. The first group of buildings were completed in 1908, and the original campus layout was finished by 1921. The dire need for an institution for the developmentally disabled at the time had overcrowded the institution from the start, and the mixing of epileptics of normal mental capacity worsened the situation. It was soon realized that the epileptic patients should be treated in elsewhere, but the admission rates kept well above the number of discharges. The patients at Pennhurst were mostly young and were often collectively called "children," however the age of the residents ranged from infants to people over 70 years old. They were generally separated by their IQ level, which was categorized into three main groups: Morons (59-69), Imbeciles (20-49), and Idiots (below 20). These medical terms were antiquated before they became popular in common slang, and were replaced with the terms: Mild, Moderate, Severe, and Profound Mental Retardation. The lowest functioning patients were mostly bed-ridden in cribs, unable to move much or feed themselves. The amount of care needed for the patients here to attempt any kind of rehabilitation was quite a formidable task. Daily physical tasks such as changing diapers, showers, and assistance with walking were needed, as well as educational programs - the overcrowded atmosphere and lack of trained staff made both types of activities take a back seat. As with most mental and developmental institutions run by the states in the U.S., the role of the hospital shifted quickly from treatment as a goal to custodial care. Low wages, long hours, and the overcrowded workplace kept many skilled doctors and nurses from applying for jobs, creating an even more difficult situation. In 1946, there were only seven physicians serving over 2,000 patients at Pennhurst with no room for the 1,000 still on the waiting list for admission; the patient census peaked at 3,500 in 1955. Therapeutic facilities were constructed, but sat disused due to lack of trained staff. The funding problem also put a stranglehold on the maintenance of the buildings, and the daily budget for each patient sunk so low that some basic needs could not be met. The institution was found guilty of violating patient's constitutional rights in a class-action lawsuit, ruled by U.S. District Judge Raymond J. Broderick in 1977. Reports of beatings by staff and other patients, assault, and extended periods of isolation were uncovered, causing residents to regress farther and farther into a mentally disturbed state of mind, instead of being bettered by the school. An ex-patient, Roland Johnson, writes about his experiences at Pennhurst in his autobiography, Lost in a Desert World (1994). Many other documents, including abuse reports, patient case studies, and behavior modification reports can be found at El Peecho's Pennhurst website. In 1968, Bill Baldini of NBC reported on an exposé of Pennhurst called "Suffer the Little Children", which showed the public the conditions behind the closed doors of the hospital, and was instrumental in closing the facility.
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Post by casper on Jun 14, 2012 22:25:08 GMT -6
That place sure looks spooky. Have there been any ghost sighting sthere? I bet there are some. It sounds like there was a lot of pain and suffering in that place.
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Post by casper on Jun 14, 2012 22:28:22 GMT -6
I have a question. If a person was crazy when they were alive would their ghost be crazy too? Are there any stories about crazy ghosts? I've never heard one.
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Post by ufo4peace on Jun 15, 2012 2:49:14 GMT -6
Supposedly the place is haunted. It was on Ghost Hunters.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 15, 2012 7:56:59 GMT -6
What a sad, sad, story.
Another one of those "goals" intended to help people that went completely wrong.
I don't understand how they kept admitting people under these circumstances.
I would expect this place to be "haunted".
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Post by charles on Jun 16, 2012 13:34:26 GMT -6
Hi all! U4P - thanks for posting this. The unfortunate truth of places like this were that they got little of what they really needed and spiralled into becoming places of detention instead of places of living life to the person's potential. Having been working in such establishments for most of my professional life, I would have to say yes to places being like this being haunted. Over they years odd noises can be heard, usually when either the building is empty or at night. Yes, some of the noises can be the building settling at night in the way that buildings do. What becomes a little more spooky is when you hear a door slam inside the building - but you are the lone member of staff there, the patients are with you, all of the windows are closed and the doors are locked from the inside! That's then when you go !!! Also footsteps tend to bring that kind of feeling out too! Some of it will undoubtedly be the restless spirit/s of those who either passed away there or inhabited the place. Then there is the episode that happened one night on the women's ward of the hospital where I started my nurse training. It was in the middle of winter and had been snowing a bit (No more than 1 ft deep), the night staff were on duty and the patients had been settled for the night. During the night one of the patients became hysterical saying that there had been a man by her bed but he ran out of the fire exit when she woke & saw him. When the staff went to check, the fire door, as they tend to be, opened outward - the problem was that the snow piled up outside the door was obviously untouched virgin snow, so the door could not have been opened. What they all found disturbing though were the footprints leading away from the door. So, IMO, yep - these places sure do get some spooky stuff going on!! And, as Casper wondered, I believe that the spirit/ghost of the people there reflects their state of development and mind not only at their passing, but of their life. TTFN! Take care, seek peace and SMILE! Charles
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Post by ufo4peace on Jun 17, 2012 1:22:35 GMT -6
here's another one: NPR: A Mental Ward Exposed (graphic images)Philadelphia State Hospital (Byberry)This large complex has its humble beginnings as a small work farm for the mentally challenged in a section of Philadelphia called Byberry, in 1906. Construction for a large asylum complex was in progress from 1910 to the mid-1920s, which included several dormitories, an infirmary, kitchens, laundry, administration, and two coal power plants. Many buildings were built with scrap and other materials because of the World War I shortage, which resulted in quick deterioration of many of the structures in the complex. The Philadelphia Hospital for Mental Diseases opened its doors to its first patient in 1907. Its population quickly grew, but with this also came tales of abuse and neglect. With insufficient funds, the asylum had quickly fallen into disrepair, and patients wound up sleeping in hallways, and raw sewage was found on the bathroom floors during an inspection of the facility. In 1936, the institution was finally signed over to the state, although it did nothing to alleviate the problems in the facility until the early 1940s. This is when the new owners of the institution sought to change the old Byberry into the new "Philadelphia State Hospital," and the facility underwent an enormous expansion at the rate of one building each year until 1953. Governor Edward Martin inspecting Byberry, August 24, 1946 During World War II, some 3,000 conscientious objectors who refused to fight because of their religious beliefs were sent to work at state mental hospitals across the country. These people were one of the very few to witness the inside workings of the hospitals other than doctors and staff, and the conditions behind the closed doors shocked and appalled many. Charlie Lord, a Quaker assigned to Byberry, sought to improve the quality of life for the patients by following a strict rule of humane treatment, as did others like Warren Sawyer, who wrote detailed letters home about the conditions inside and his personal struggles working in such a place. Mr. Lord managed to sneak a small Agfa camera in his jacket pocket and take candid photographs of the horrid conditions behind the closed doors in hopes to "blow the lid off" the situation at Byberry and in other state hospitals. Lord's photographs were shown to Elanor Roosevelt in September 1945; she doubted their authenticity from such a cosmopolitan city as Philadelphia. Once she learned the truth, the advocated a reform campaign and wrote to health officials and journalists. In May 1946, they were published in a Life magazine entitled "Bedlam 1946," and created a mass uproar across the nation. Similar articles followed such as the Times' "Herded Like Cattle" (1948), and Albert Deutch's 1948 publication "Shame of the States," which detailed the conditions of many state hospitals in the country, including Byberry. NPR's A Mental Ward Exposed exhibits Lord's photographs with an audio transcript. A Peaceful War On Mental Institutions also contains more history and some of Sawyer's descriptive letters. By the 1960s, Philadelphia State Hospital consisted of over 50 buildings, 7,000 patients and 800 staff members, along with a deep financial annual cost. In the 1970s, the large staff buildings began to empty out as the workers would much rather commute than live on the grounds. De-institutionalization soon took its hold on this hospital, and most of it was evacuated throughout the 1980s. Horrid living conditions were publicized after a thorough investigation once again, including inadequate treatment, mismanagement, and patient abuse such as sexual exploitation and starvation. The hospital was ordered to close, and it's last patients left in June of 1990. Shortly after closing, Byberry was stripped from top to bottom, by looters and salvagers looking for free copper that could fetch a good price elsewhere. It was slated for demolition in 1991, but deconstruction was halted when large amounts of asbestos were found inside. At an estimated $16 million asbestos removal price tag (without demolition), the buildings have been left to rot away since. With lax private security patrolling acres and acres of land, and a multitude of horror stories surrounding this place, Byberry became a popular hangout for many people. Almost everything that could be broken is smashed to bits, anything flammable is now ashes, and graffiti is painted over so many miles of yellow tile that it doesn't resemble much of a hospital anymore. Luckily, this fireproof tile prevents most of the fires from spreading out of control and razing the entire complex to the ground. Guys wandering around with chainsaws, kids shooting flare guns at security from the roofs, massive BBQs, and parties featuring DJs are just a few of the crazy stories you'll hear from "The 'Berry".
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Post by Deleted on Jun 17, 2012 12:16:58 GMT -6
I love the part about Eleanor Roosevelt doubting the authenticity of the photographs. So familiar . . .
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Post by ufo4peace on Jun 17, 2012 22:56:27 GMT -6
I'm going to have to be the skeptic. The Ghost Hunters show looks fake. There seems to be a lot of these abandoned institutions and old abandon buildings. I think the only thing you'll hear if you decided to spend the night at one of those places is maybe a raccoon scouring around, a cat, a rat, creaking noises from wear in tear, the wind. You have to be careful it's not a crack house or a bum calls it home. Otherwise you'll wake up in the morning and see the sun shinning through a window with dust floating in the air.
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Post by skywalker on Jun 18, 2012 12:19:17 GMT -6
I think it probably depends on where you are and when you are there. Not all buildings are haunted and weird stuff doesn't happen every single day. A person would have to be in the right place at the right time.
The problem with thses ghost hunter shows and UFO shows is that they need to have something unusual happen in order to keep their audience entertained. If nothing happens nobody is going to watch so they try to make it suspensful even if nothing is going on.
I've never seen a ghost but I have had some weird experiences in old abandoned buildings like that. It's enough to keep me looking.
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Post by ufo4peace on Jun 19, 2012 13:10:54 GMT -6
I love the part about Eleanor Roosevelt doubting the authenticity of the photographs. So familiar . . . Abductees are in the same boat. It's one of those it's wrong but sweep it under the rug type things.
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Post by ufo4peace on Jun 19, 2012 13:14:28 GMT -6
I think it probably depends on where you are and when you are there. Not all buildings are haunted and weird stuff doesn't happen every single day. A person would have to be in the right place at the right time. The problem with thses ghost hunter shows and UFO shows is that they need to have something unusual happen in order to keep their audience entertained. If nothing happens nobody is going to watch so they try to make it suspensful even if nothing is going on. I've never seen a ghost but I have had some weird experiences in old abandoned buildings like that. It's enough to keep me looking. The thing about ghost is you wouldn't be afraid during the day but at night the ghost come out. Something with UV light? If a house was well lit with extreem bright light where you would have to put on shades would the so called ghost show up?
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Post by Deleted on Jun 19, 2012 15:54:52 GMT -6
Not if the ghost doesn't wanna
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Post by skywalker on Jun 21, 2012 15:57:36 GMT -6
Maybe they do show up in bright lights but people just don't notice them because there are so many other things for them to focus their attention on. Or maybe at night when people are afraid they are more alert...their senses might be heightened to the point to where they notice things that they otherwise wouldn't notice. It could also be that people's minds just start playing tricks on them making them think there is something spooky going on when there really isn't. It could go either way I suppose. It's still fun searching for them though. There's nothing like getting the bejeepers scared out of you to make you appreciate life.
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