Group Tour Magazine - August 2024 - 76

TRAPPED IN TIME
In quaint Weston, West Virginia, the TransAllegheny
Lunatic Asylum (TALA) stands as
a poignant reminder of how mental health
treatment has evolved over the decades.
Construction of the asylum was completed
in 1881. Originally intended to house 250
individuals, the hospital eventually reached
a peak of 2,400 patients in the 1950s. Overcrowding,
physical deterioration, and
changes in the treatment of mental illness
eventually led to the facility's closure in 1994.
Today, TALA remains open for the public
to explore, learn, and perhaps even
catch a glimpse of something supernatural.
" I believe people are drawn to TALA out of
curiosity, " says Michelle Graham, TALA's
filming and events manager. " There is a distinct
adrenaline rush you get from seeking
answers to the unknown. "
For those looking to delve into that
unknown, TALA offers several daytime and
overnight paranormal tours. Graham says
the facility's most comprehensive option is
the private ghost hunt, during which guests
can explore the building with an expert
guide, unbound by time restraints on each
floor or distractions from other groups.
TALA's most well-known spirit is a young
girl named Lily. Guests often bring her toys
and candy. Also notorious for interacting with
visitors are two male spirits on the fourth
floor named Frank and Larry, who love to play
cards and listen to jokes, Graham says.
" I am not necessarily a skeptic, but I would
say I'm a guarded believer, " she adds. " I have
had experiences that convinced me that
there are still spirits residing in the halls
of TALA. The most common reports are
footsteps, doors closing and opening on
their own, and disembodied voices. I have
personally experienced all these phenomena
and have seen two full-bodied apparitions
during my time at TALA. "
Of course, visits to TALA aren't only about
the hauntings. Graham says the building's
gothic revival-style architecture and groundbreaking
history make TALA a bucket list
destination for people of all interests. The
goal at TALA, she explains, is to make people
think and walk away with a better understanding
of mental health treatment history
and how it has evolved over the years.
76 AUGUST 2024
TALA is open for walk-in historic and
daytime tours Tuesday through Sunday each
week until Nov. 10. Reservations are required
for paranormal tours. Discounts of 10% are
offered for preregistered school tours, senior
citizens, and veterans.
Also no longer in operation but open to the
public is the Missouri State Penitentiary in
Jefferson City, which housed prisoners for 168
years before closing in 2004. Those interested
in visiting the prison can experience short
daytime ghost tours or overnight paranormal
investigations, both public and private.
Private student ghost tours require participants
to be at least 12. Overnight events
require tourgoers to be 17 and up. Ghost
tours of Missouri State include the historic
housing units, the upper courtyard, and the
gas chamber where 39 men and one woman
were executed over the years.
STAY THE NIGHT
Dubbed " America's Most Haunted Hotel "
after appearing on 17 national and international
paranormal television shows, the
Crescent Hotel & Spa in Eureka Springs,
Arkansas, has a twisted history unlike anything
you've heard before.
The still-operating hotel was originally
established in 1886 as a " hot spot " for the
elites. After briefly serving as a college for
women in the 1930s, ownership of the property
transferred to Norman Baker in 1937.
Baker transformed the hotel into the Baker
Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum,
Weston, West Virginia
PHOTO TRANS-ALLEGHENY LUNATIC ASYLUM BACKGROUND UNSPLASH/DAN WAYMAN
Group Tour Magazine - August 2024

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