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{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox_nrhp | name = Weston Hospital Main Building
{{Infobox NRHP
| nrhp_type = nhl
| image = Weston State Hospital.jpg | name = Weston State Hospital <!-- This is the official NRHP name-->
| nrhp_type = nhl
| caption = The Weston State Hospital's Main Building in 2006
| image = Weston State Hospital.jpg
| location= River Street, ]
| caption = The Hospital's main building in 2006
| lat_degrees = | lat_minutes = | lat_seconds = | lat_direction = N
| location = Asylum Drive, ]
| long_degrees = | long_minutes = | long_seconds = | long_direction =
| coordinates = {{coord|39|02|19|N|80|28|17|W|display=inline,title}}
| area =
| locmapin = West Virginia#USA
| built = Constructed 1858-1881. Opened to patients 1864.
| built = Constructed 1858–1881. Opened to patients 1864.
| architect= ]
| architect = ]
| architecture= ], ]
| architecture = ]<br />]<br />]<br />]<ref name="nrhpinv2">{{Cite web |title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Weston Hospital Main Building / The Lunatic Asylym West of the Alleghany Mountains / West Virginia Hospital for the Insane |url={{NHLS url|id=78002805}} |date=January 10, 1990 |author=West Virginia SHPO and Carolyn Pitts |publisher=National Park Service}}</ref>
| designated = ], ]<ref name="nhlsum">{{cite web|url=http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1791&ResourceType=Building
|title=Weston Hospital Main Building |accessdate=2007-10-13|work=National Historic Landmark summary listing|publisher=National Park Service}}</ref> | designated_nrhp_type = June 21, 1990<ref name="nhlsum">{{cite web |url=http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1791&ResourceType=Building |title=Weston Hospital Main Building |access-date=2007-10-13 |work=National Historic Landmark summary listing |publisher=National Park Service |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080328041110/http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1791&ResourceType=Building |archive-date=2008-03-28}}</ref>
| added = April 19, 1978<ref name=nris />
| added = ], ]<ref name=nris>{{cite web|url=http://www.nr.nps.gov/|title=National Register Information System|accessdate=2007-02-15|work=National Register of Historic Places|publisher=National Park Service}}</ref>
| area = {{convert|26.5|acre}}
| governing_body =
| refnum= 78002805 | refnum = 78002805<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>
| embedded =
{{Infobox mapframe|embed=yes|wikidata=yes|id=Q7833486|width=300|height=180|stroke-width=1|stroke-color=#e70022|shape-fill=#c0edea|shape-fill-opacity=0.3|zoom=15|point=none|coord={{Coord|39.0385|-80.4712}}}}
}} }}


The '''Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum''' was a ] located in ] and known by other names such as '''West Virginia Hospital for the Insane''' and '''Weston State Hospital'''. The asylum was open to patients from October 1864 until May 1994. After its closure, patients were transitioned to the new '''William R. Sharpe, Jr. Hospital''' in Weston, named after ], a member of the ].<ref name="WVenc" /><ref name="WHRChist">{{cite web |author=Weston Hospital Revitalization Committee |year=2005 |title=Hospital History |url=http://www.westonlandmark.com/history.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20010713141751/http://www.westonlandmark.com/history.htm |archive-date=2001-07-13 |access-date=2007-02-15}}</ref> The hospital reopened as a tourist location in March 2008.<ref name="WVenc">{{cite book |last=Swick |first=Gerald D. |title=The West Virginia Encyclopedia |publisher=West Virginia Humanities Council |year=2006 |isbn=0-9778498-0-5 |editor=Ken Sullivan |location=Charleston, W.Va. |pages=779 |chapter=Weston State Hospital}}</ref>
The '''Weston State Hospital''' was a ] operated from 1864 to 1994 by the government of the ] of ], in the city of ]. The hospital's main building is one of the largest hand-cut ] buildings in the United States, and was recognized as a ] in 1990.<ref name="nhlsum"/><ref name="nrhpinv2">{{citation|title={{PDFlink||671&nbsp;KB}}|date=January 10, 1990 |author=West Virginia SHPO and Carolyn Pitts |publisher=National Park Service}}</ref>

Utilizing the ], the hospital was designed by architect ] of Baltimore, Maryland.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Weston State Hospital – Kirkbride Buildings |url=https://www.kirkbridebuildings.com/buildings/weston/ |access-date=2024-04-05 |website=www.kirkbridebuildings.com}}</ref> Construction of the hospital started in 1858 but was not completed until 1881.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum |url=https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/78002805}}</ref> Originally designed to accommodate 250 patients, it became overcrowded in the 1950s with 2,400 patients. The asylum was sold at auction in 2007 and is open for tours and other events to raise money for its restoration.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Writer |first=Jenn Young, Staff |date=2007-08-31 |title=Old Weston State Hospital auctioned off for $1.5 million |url=https://www.wvnews.com/theet/news/local/old-weston-state-hospital-auctioned-off-for-1-5-million/article_8172496c-eaea-5251-8ba3-133881b39f12.html |access-date=2024-04-05 |website=WV News |language=en}}</ref> The main building of the hospital is said to be one of the largest hand-cut ] buildings in the United States and was designated a ] in 1990.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=2008-03-28 |title=National Historic Landmarks Program (NHL) |url=http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1791&ResourceType=Building |access-date=2024-04-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080328041110/http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1791&ResourceType=Building |archive-date=March 28, 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Blair |first1=Thomas R. |title=The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, Then and Now |journal=American Journal of Psychiatry |date=November 2014 |volume=171 |issue=11 |pages=1160–1161 |doi=10.1176/appi.ajp.2014.14060747 |pmid=25756633}}</ref>


==History== ==History==
===19th century===
The construction of the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum was authorized by the ].<ref>{{Cite news |first1=Jim |last1=Barnes |date=25 May 2018 |title=In West Virginia, a moving, respectful tour of the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/travel/in-west-virginia-a-moving-respectful-tour-of-the-trans-allegheny-lunatic-asylum/2018/05/24/03d476e6-5937-11e8-858f-12becb4d6067_story.html |newspaper=Washington Post }}</ref> An appointed Board of Directors was tasked with the purchase of a pre-approved parcel of land near the ], which at the time was still considered the state of Virginia.<ref name="WHRChist" /> Construction began in late 1858 and was initially conducted by prison laborers.<ref name=":3">{{cite thesis |id={{ProQuest|304446506}} |last1=Jacks |first1=Kim |date=2008 |title=Weston State Hospital }}{{pn|date=April 2024}}</ref><ref name="WHRChist" /> Most of the building materials were sourced nearby, most notably the blue sandstone from a quarry in Mt. Clare, West Virginia and because of this, skilled stonemasons from Germany and Ireland were employed.<ref name="WVenc" /><ref name="WHRChist" /><ref name=":3" />


Construction was interrupted by the outbreak of the ] in 1861. Following the ] of the State of Virginia from the United States, the government demanded the return of the hospital's unused construction funds for its defense. However, before this could occur, the ] seized the money from a local bank, delivering it to ].<ref name="WVenc" /><ref name="WHRChist" /> This money was to set aside for use by the Virginia government who remained loyal to the Union, also known as the ].<ref>{{Cite news |orig-date=Wednesday, June 22, 1864 |title=The Restored Government of Virginia--History of the New State of Things. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1864/06/26/archives/virginia-the-restored-government-of-virginiahistory-of-the-new.html |work=New-York Times |date=June 26, 1864 |location=Virginia}}</ref> These funds were designated as a “start-up treasury” for what would become a new ] State. Funding was appropriated from this established treasury for the hospital's continued construction in 1862.<ref name="WHRChist" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Virginia-West Virginia Debt Agreement of 1861 ORDINANCES OF CONVENTION, ASSEMBLED AT WHEELING, VIRGINIA JUNE 11, 1861 ORDINANCE OF AUGUST 20, 1861 |url=https://law.lis.virginia.gov/pdf/compacts/virginia-west-virginia-debt-agreement-of-1861/}}</ref>
The hospital was authorized by the ] in the early 1850s as the Trans-] Lunatic Asylum.<ref name=WVenc>{{cite book| last= Swick |first= Gerald D. |editor= Ken Sullivan (ed.) | title= The West Virginia Encyclopedia |year= 2006 |publisher= West Virginia Humanities Council |location=Charleston, W.Va. |isbn= 0-9778498-0-5 |pages= p. 779 |chapter=Weston State Hospital}}</ref> Following consultations with ], then-superintendent of the ], a building in the ]<ref name=WHRChist>{{cite web |url=http://www.westonlandmark.com/history.htm |title= Hospital History |author=Weston Hospital Revitalization Committee |year=2005 |accessdate=2007-02-15}}</ref> was designed in the ] and ] styles by ] (1830-1903),<ref name=nris/><ref name=WVenc/> an architect from ] whose other commissions included the ] in ] and the south wing of the ] in ].<ref name=WVnrhp>{{cite book |title= Historic West Virginia: The National Register of Historic Places |year=2000 |publisher=West Virginia Division of Culture and History: State Historic Preservation Office |location= Charleston, W.Va. |pages= pp.74-75}}</ref> Construction on the site, along the ] opposite downtown Weston, began in late 1858. Work was initially conducted by ]; a local newspaper in November of that year noted "seven convict ]es" as the first arrivals for work on the project. Skilled stonemasons were later brought in from ] and ].<ref name=WHRChist/>


Construction was interrupted by the outbreak of the ] in 1861. Following its secession from the United States, the government of Virginia demanded the return of the hospital's unused construction funds for its defense; before this could occur, the ] seized the money from a local bank, delivering it to ], where it was put toward the establishment of the ], which sided with the northern states during the war. The Reorganized Government appropriated money to resume construction in 1862; following the admission of West Virginia as a U.S. state in 1863, the hospital was renamed the West Virginia Hospital for the Insane. The first patients were admitted in October 1864, but construction continued into 1881. The 200-foot (61 m)<ref name=WHRCnews>{{cite web| url=http://www.westonlandmark.com/news.htm |title= Hospital News |author=Weston Hospital Revitalization Committee |year=2005 |accessdate=2007-02-19}}</ref> central clock tower was completed in 1871, and separate rooms for ] were completed in 1873.<ref name=WVenc/><ref name=WHRChist/><ref name=WVnrhp/> The hospital was intended to be self-sufficient,<ref name=WVnrhp/> and a farm, dairy, ], and cemetery were located on its grounds,<ref name=WVenc/> which ultimately reached 666 acres (266 ]) in area. A ] well was drilled on the grounds in 1902.<ref name=WHRChist/> Its name was again changed to Weston State Hospital in 1913.<ref name=WVenc/> While construction was attempted during the war, the grounds and buildings were often occupied by both ] and ] military and building supplies were taken by Confederate raiders.<ref name="WHRChist" /> Following the admission of West Virginia as a U.S. state in 1863, the hospital was renamed the West Virginia Hospital for the Insane. The first patients were admitted in October 1864, but construction continued into 1881. The 200-foot (61 m)<ref name="WHRCnews">{{cite web|url=http://www.westonlandmark.com/news.htm |archive-url=https://archive.today/20010813164408/http://www.westonlandmark.com/news.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=2001-08-13 |title=Hospital News |author=Weston Hospital Revitalization Committee |year=2005 |access-date=2007-02-19 }}</ref> central clock tower was completed in 1871, and separate rooms for ] were completed in 1873.<ref name="WVenc" /><ref name="WHRChist" /><ref name="WVnrhp">{{cite book |title=Historic West Virginia: The National Register of Historic Places |publisher=West Virginia Division of Culture and History: State Historic Preservation Office |year=2000 |location=Charleston, W.Va. |pages=74–75}}</ref> The hospital was intended to be self-sufficient,<ref name="WVnrhp" /> and a farm, dairy, ], and cemetery were located on its grounds.


Patients were admitted into the asylum for a variety of reasons including asthma, laziness, egotism, domestic troubles, and even greediness. This led to an overwhelming number of patients being admitted, causing the asylum to face a shortage of staff and beds.<ref name="thehauntedplaces.com">{{Cite web |date=2021-09-13 |title=Murders at Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum |url=https://thehauntedplaces.com/trans-allegheny-lunatic-asylum-murders/ |access-date=2022-06-07 |website=The Haunted Places |language=en-US}}</ref>
Originally designed to house 250 patients in solitude, the hospital held 717 patients by 1880; 1,661 in 1938; over 1,800 in 1949; and, at its peak, 2,400 in the 1950s in overcrowded conditions. A 1938 report by a survey committee organized by a group of North American medical organizations found that the hospital housed "], ], ] and non-educable mental defectives" among its population. A series of reports by ] in 1949 found poor sanitation and insufficient furniture, lighting, and heating in much of the complex, while one wing, which had been rebuilt using ] funds following a 1935 fire started by a patient, was comparatively luxurious.<ref name=WHRChist/>


===20th century===
By the 1980s, the hospital had a reduced population due to changes in the treatment of mental illness. In 1986, then-Governor ] announced plans to build a new psychiatric facility elsewhere in the state and convert the Weston hospital to a prison.<ref name=WHRChist/> Ultimately the new facility, the William R. Sharpe Jr. Hospital, was built in Weston and the old Weston State Hospital was simply closed, in May 1994.<ref name=WVenc/> The building and its grounds have since been mostly vacant, aside from local events such as tours (no longer inside the building), fairs and church revivals.<ref name=WHRChist/> In 1999, all four floors of the interior of the building were damaged by ] players; participants in the vandalism were found to include at least twenty local police officers and employees of area law enforcement agencies.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.postgazette.com/regionstate/19990620paint4.asp |title= A town sees red over police vandalism: Site of planned museum trashed beyond belief in paintball games |author= Lash, Cindi |work= ] |date=] |accessdate=2007-02-19}}</ref>
A ] well was drilled on the hospital grounds in 1902.<ref name=WHRChist/> Its name was again changed to Weston State Hospital in 1913.<ref name=WVenc/>


Originally designed to house 250 patients in solitude, the hospital held 717 patients by 1880; 1,661 in 1938; over 1,800 in 1949; at its peak, 2,600 in the 1950s in overcrowded conditions. A 1938 report by a survey committee organized by a group of North American medical organizations found that the hospital housed "], ], ] and non-educable mental defectives" among its population. A series of reports by '']'' in 1949 found poor sanitation and insufficient furniture, lighting, and heating in much of the complex, while one wing, which had been rebuilt using ] funds following a 1935 fire started by a patient, was comparatively luxurious.<ref name=WHRChist/>
Efforts toward ] of the building have included proposals to convert the building into a Civil War Museum<ref name=WVenc/> and a hotel and golf course complex.<ref name=WHRCnews/> A non-profit ] organization, the Weston Hospital Revitalization Committee, was formed in 2000 for the purpose of aiding in preservation of the building and finding appropriate tenants.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.westonlandmark.com/about_whrc.htm |title= About WHRC |author=Weston Hospital Revitalization Committee |year=2005 |accessdate=2007-02-19}}</ref> Three small museums devoted to military history, toys, and mental health, respectively, were opened in the first floor of the building in 2004, but were soon forced to close due to ] violations.<ref name=WHRCnews/>


The lack of proper care and access to sanitation led to a large number of deaths at the asylum. While the official count of patients who have died in the asylum is not available, research is currently underway to determine an accurate count. Weston State Hospital expert and historian, Titus Swan, estimates the number to be in or above the five figure range.<ref name="thehauntedplaces.com"/>
The hospital was auctioned by the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources on ], ]. Joe Jordan, an asbestos demolition contractor from ], was the high bidder and paid $1.5 million for the 242,000 square foot building. Bidding started at $500,000.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dailymail.com/story/News/2007082978/Morgantown-contractor-buys-old-Weston-State-Hospital/ |title=Morgantown contractor buys old Weston State Hospital |publisher=Charleston Daily Mail |accessdate=2007-08-29}}</ref> Joe Jordan has also begun maintenance projects on the former hospital grounds.{{Fact|date=September 2007}}

Weston State Hospital found itself to be the home for the West Virginia Lobotomy Project in the early 1950s. This was an effort by the state of West Virginia and ] to use ] to reduce the number of patients in asylums because there was severe overcrowding.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=American Lobotomy: A Rhetorical History|last=Johnson|first=Jenell|date=19 April 2016|publisher=University of Michigan Press|isbn=978-0-472-03665-3|pages=152, 162, 164–165, 168–169}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Cahal |first=Sherman |date=2019-07-05 |title=Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum |url=http://abandonedonline.net/location/trans-allegheny-lunatic-asylum/ |access-date=2019-11-10 |website=Abandoned |language=en-US}}</ref>

By the 1980s, the hospital had a reduced population due to changes in the treatment of mental illness. Those patients who could not be controlled were often locked in cages. In February 1986, then-Governor ] announced plans to build a new psychiatric facility elsewhere in the state and convert the Weston hospital to a prison. Moore authorized work to begin on the prison conversion, but the state found the move to be unconstitutional and work was suspended. <ref name=":1" /><ref name=WHRChist/> Ultimately the new facility, the William R. Sharpe Jr. Hospital, was built in Weston and the old Weston State Hospital closed in May 1994. The closure came by court order due in part to a class action lawsuit filed by family members of patients. <ref name=WVenc/> The building and its grounds have since been mostly vacant, aside from local events such as fairs, church revivals, and tours.<ref name=WHRChist/> In 1999, all four floors of the interior of the building were damaged by several off duty city, county and state police officers playing ],<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.post-gazette.com/regionstate/19990620paint4.asp |title=A Town Sees Red Over Police Vandalism. |author=Post Gazette | work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | date=1999-06-20}}</ref> three of whom were dismissed over the incident.

Efforts towards ] of the building have included proposals to convert the building into a Civil War Museum<ref name=WVenc/> and a hotel and golf course complex.<ref name=WHRCnews/><ref name=":1" /> A non-profit ] organization, the Weston Hospital Revitalization Committee, was formed in 2000 for the purpose of aiding the preservation of the building and finding appropriate tenants.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.westonlandmark.com/about_whrc.htm |archive-url=https://archive.today/20061120102548/http://www.westonlandmark.com/about_whrc.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=2006-11-20 |title=About WHRC |author=Weston Hospital Revitalization Committee |year=2005 |access-date=2007-02-19 }}</ref><ref name=":1" />

===21st century===
]Three small museums devoted to military history, toys, and mental health were opened on the first floor of the main hospital building in 2004, but were soon forced to close due to ] violations.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=WHRCnews/>

The hospital was auctioned by the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources on August 29, 2007. Joe Jordan, an asbestos demolition contractor from ], was the high bidder and paid $1.5 million for the {{convert|242000|sqft|m2|adj=on}} building. Bidding started at $500,000.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.dailymail.com/story/News/2007082978/Morgantown-contractor-buys-old-Weston-State-Hospital/ |title=Morgantown contractor buys old Weston State Hospital |newspaper=Charleston Daily Mail |access-date=2007-08-29 }}{{dead link|date=January 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Joe Jordan has also begun maintenance projects on the former hospital grounds. In October 2007, a Fall Fest was held at the Weston State Hospital. Guided historic and paranormal daytime tours were offered as well as evening ghost hunts and paranormal tours.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://trans-alleghenylunaticasylum.com/main/hauntings.html|title=Paranormal tours and Ghost Hunts TRANS-ALLEGHENY LUNATIC ASYLUM|website=trans-alleghenylunaticasylum.com|access-date=2017-09-20}}</ref>

]The main building of the asylum, known as the Kirkbride, holds several rooms that serve as the museum, located on the first floor. There are paintings, poems, and drawings made by patients in the art therapy programs, a room dedicated to the different medical treatments and restraints used in the past, and artifacts such as a straitjacket and hydrotherapy tub. The tour guides dress in clothes that resemble 19th century nurse outfits; blue dress, white apron, white cap, and white shoes. The shorter historical tour offer allows visitors to see the first floor of the Kirkbride, while the longer historical tour allows visitors to see all four floors, apartments of the staff, the morgue, and the operating room. Aside from the historical tours, there are also two paranormal tours. Both start as the sun sets, the shorter tour lasting around two to three hours, the longer tour being overnight with the option of having a private tour.<ref name=":0" />

==In popular culture==
]The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum is featured in the Pulitzer-winning novel ] by West Virginia author ]. This Civil War era story is set in the Asylum and explores daily life in the early days of its operation.

*The former facility was featured as a haunted location on several paranormal television shows, including '']'', ]'s '']'', ]'s '']'', and '']'' on ]/] as well as '']'' and '']'' and most recently Travel Channel's '']'' and '']''.
*The facility is featured in ]' 2018 video game '']'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wboy.com/news/lewis/asylum-making-plans-to-capitalize-on-appearance-in-fallout-76/|title=Asylum making plans to capitalize on appearance in Fallout 76|last=Hines|first=Alex|date=October 12, 2018|website=]|access-date=January 16, 2024}}</ref> under the name "Fort Defiance," acting as a base for The Brotherhood of Steel, one of the game's main factions.
*The facility is featured in episode 60 of the podcast '']''.
*], a songwriter, musician, and artist, and featured in the documentary ], was a patient at the hospital during the late 1980s.<ref>{{Cite web |last=SPIN Staff Writer |date=March 1989 |title=Phantom of My Own Opera: SPIN's 1989 Daniel Johnston Profile |url=https://www.spin.com/2019/09/daniel-johnston-interview-spin-1989/ }}</ref>
*The facility is featured on ''Expedition X'', released on the ] in August 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-08-12 |title='Expedition X' two-part premiere to feature Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum |url=https://www.wowktv.com/news/west-virginia/expedition-x-premiere-to-feature-trans-allegheny-lunatic-asylum/?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=socialflow&fbclid=IwY2xjawEps6VleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHQKLIKB7kft7eFryVwHMa2JD-YE3WZumxU0QHJ1tqQPSADpj5cB0-L_BTw_aem_hLzaf29hyD7tPDMMT0lQfA |access-date=2024-08-14 |website=WOWK 13 News |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-08-12 |title='Expedition X' two-part premiere to feature Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum |url=https://www.wboy.com/news/lewis/expedition-x-premiere-to-feature-trans-allegheny-lunatic-asylum/ |access-date=2024-08-14 |website=WBOY.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
File:Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum 2017 -1.jpg|Frontal view of the asylum
File:Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum 2017 -2.jpg|Violin on display
File:Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum 2017 -3.jpg|Display
File:Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum 2017 -4.jpg|View of a central room in the asylum
File:Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum 2017 -5.jpg|View through an external window
File:Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum 2017 -6.jpg|Artifact on display
File:Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum 2017 -7.jpg|Corridor inside the asylum
File:Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum 2017 -8.jpg|Corridor inside the asylum
File:Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum 2017 -14.jpg|Desk displaying various artifacts
File:Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum 2017 -13.jpg|View down a corridor in the asylum
</gallery>


==See also== ==See also==
Line 37: Line 80:
*] *]


== References == ==References==
{{reflist}} {{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Weston State Hospital}}
* {{official website|http://www.trans-alleghenylunaticasylum.com/}}
*
* at Abandoned
* at Architecture of the State
* at Asylum Projects
* at Kirkbride Buildings
* at ]

{{National Register of Historic Places}}
{{Kirkbride Plan}}


{{authority control}}
{{Registered Historic Places}}


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Latest revision as of 21:02, 5 November 2024

United States historic place
Weston State Hospital
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark
The Hospital's main building in 2006
Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum is located in West VirginiaTrans-Allegheny Lunatic AsylumShow map of West VirginiaTrans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum is located in the United StatesTrans-Allegheny Lunatic AsylumShow map of the United States
LocationAsylum Drive, Weston, West Virginia
Coordinates39°02′19″N 80°28′17″W / 39.03861°N 80.47139°W / 39.03861; -80.47139
Area26.5 acres (10.7 ha)
BuiltConstructed 1858–1881. Opened to patients 1864.
ArchitectRichard Snowden Andrews
Architectural styleGothic Revival
Tudor Revival
Kirkbride Plan
Jacobean Revival
NRHP reference No.78002805
Significant dates
Added to NRHPApril 19, 1978
Designated NHLJune 21, 1990

The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum was a psychiatric hospital located in Weston, West Virginia and known by other names such as West Virginia Hospital for the Insane and Weston State Hospital. The asylum was open to patients from October 1864 until May 1994. After its closure, patients were transitioned to the new William R. Sharpe, Jr. Hospital in Weston, named after William R. Sharpe Jr., a member of the West Virginia Senate. The hospital reopened as a tourist location in March 2008.

Utilizing the Kirkbride Plan, the hospital was designed by architect Richard Snowden Andrews of Baltimore, Maryland. Construction of the hospital started in 1858 but was not completed until 1881. Originally designed to accommodate 250 patients, it became overcrowded in the 1950s with 2,400 patients. The asylum was sold at auction in 2007 and is open for tours and other events to raise money for its restoration. The main building of the hospital is said to be one of the largest hand-cut stonemasonry buildings in the United States and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1990.

History

19th century

The construction of the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum was authorized by the Virginia General Assembly. An appointed Board of Directors was tasked with the purchase of a pre-approved parcel of land near the West Fork River, which at the time was still considered the state of Virginia. Construction began in late 1858 and was initially conducted by prison laborers. Most of the building materials were sourced nearby, most notably the blue sandstone from a quarry in Mt. Clare, West Virginia and because of this, skilled stonemasons from Germany and Ireland were employed.

Construction was interrupted by the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861. Following the secession of the State of Virginia from the United States, the government demanded the return of the hospital's unused construction funds for its defense. However, before this could occur, the 7th Ohio Volunteer Infantry seized the money from a local bank, delivering it to Wheeling. This money was to set aside for use by the Virginia government who remained loyal to the Union, also known as the Restored Government of Virginia. These funds were designated as a “start-up treasury” for what would become a new Union State. Funding was appropriated from this established treasury for the hospital's continued construction in 1862.

While construction was attempted during the war, the grounds and buildings were often occupied by both Union and Confederate military and building supplies were taken by Confederate raiders. Following the admission of West Virginia as a U.S. state in 1863, the hospital was renamed the West Virginia Hospital for the Insane. The first patients were admitted in October 1864, but construction continued into 1881. The 200-foot (61 m) central clock tower was completed in 1871, and separate rooms for black people were completed in 1873. The hospital was intended to be self-sufficient, and a farm, dairy, waterworks, and cemetery were located on its grounds.

Patients were admitted into the asylum for a variety of reasons including asthma, laziness, egotism, domestic troubles, and even greediness. This led to an overwhelming number of patients being admitted, causing the asylum to face a shortage of staff and beds.

20th century

A gas well was drilled on the hospital grounds in 1902. Its name was again changed to Weston State Hospital in 1913.

Originally designed to house 250 patients in solitude, the hospital held 717 patients by 1880; 1,661 in 1938; over 1,800 in 1949; at its peak, 2,600 in the 1950s in overcrowded conditions. A 1938 report by a survey committee organized by a group of North American medical organizations found that the hospital housed "epileptics, alcoholics, drug addicts and non-educable mental defectives" among its population. A series of reports by The Charleston Gazette in 1949 found poor sanitation and insufficient furniture, lighting, and heating in much of the complex, while one wing, which had been rebuilt using Works Progress Administration funds following a 1935 fire started by a patient, was comparatively luxurious.

The lack of proper care and access to sanitation led to a large number of deaths at the asylum. While the official count of patients who have died in the asylum is not available, research is currently underway to determine an accurate count. Weston State Hospital expert and historian, Titus Swan, estimates the number to be in or above the five figure range.

Weston State Hospital found itself to be the home for the West Virginia Lobotomy Project in the early 1950s. This was an effort by the state of West Virginia and Walter Freeman to use lobotomy to reduce the number of patients in asylums because there was severe overcrowding.

By the 1980s, the hospital had a reduced population due to changes in the treatment of mental illness. Those patients who could not be controlled were often locked in cages. In February 1986, then-Governor Arch Moore announced plans to build a new psychiatric facility elsewhere in the state and convert the Weston hospital to a prison. Moore authorized work to begin on the prison conversion, but the state found the move to be unconstitutional and work was suspended. Ultimately the new facility, the William R. Sharpe Jr. Hospital, was built in Weston and the old Weston State Hospital closed in May 1994. The closure came by court order due in part to a class action lawsuit filed by family members of patients. The building and its grounds have since been mostly vacant, aside from local events such as fairs, church revivals, and tours. In 1999, all four floors of the interior of the building were damaged by several off duty city, county and state police officers playing paintball, three of whom were dismissed over the incident.

Efforts towards adaptive reuse of the building have included proposals to convert the building into a Civil War Museum and a hotel and golf course complex. A non-profit 501(c)3 organization, the Weston Hospital Revitalization Committee, was formed in 2000 for the purpose of aiding the preservation of the building and finding appropriate tenants.

21st century

Wheelchairs on display

Three small museums devoted to military history, toys, and mental health were opened on the first floor of the main hospital building in 2004, but were soon forced to close due to fire code violations.

The hospital was auctioned by the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources on August 29, 2007. Joe Jordan, an asbestos demolition contractor from Morgantown, was the high bidder and paid $1.5 million for the 242,000-square-foot (22,500 m) building. Bidding started at $500,000. Joe Jordan has also begun maintenance projects on the former hospital grounds. In October 2007, a Fall Fest was held at the Weston State Hospital. Guided historic and paranormal daytime tours were offered as well as evening ghost hunts and paranormal tours.

Violin on display in glass case

The main building of the asylum, known as the Kirkbride, holds several rooms that serve as the museum, located on the first floor. There are paintings, poems, and drawings made by patients in the art therapy programs, a room dedicated to the different medical treatments and restraints used in the past, and artifacts such as a straitjacket and hydrotherapy tub. The tour guides dress in clothes that resemble 19th century nurse outfits; blue dress, white apron, white cap, and white shoes. The shorter historical tour offer allows visitors to see the first floor of the Kirkbride, while the longer historical tour allows visitors to see all four floors, apartments of the staff, the morgue, and the operating room. Aside from the historical tours, there are also two paranormal tours. Both start as the sun sets, the shorter tour lasting around two to three hours, the longer tour being overnight with the option of having a private tour.

In popular culture

Looking for ghosts, 2017

The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum is featured in the Pulitzer-winning novel Night Watch by West Virginia author Jayne Anne Phillips. This Civil War era story is set in the Asylum and explores daily life in the early days of its operation.

Gallery

  • Frontal view of the asylum Frontal view of the asylum
  • Violin on display Violin on display
  • Display Display
  • View of a central room in the asylum View of a central room in the asylum
  • View through an external window View through an external window
  • Artifact on display Artifact on display
  • Corridor inside the asylum Corridor inside the asylum
  • Corridor inside the asylum Corridor inside the asylum
  • Desk displaying various artifacts Desk displaying various artifacts
  • View down a corridor in the asylum View down a corridor in the asylum

See also

References

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. West Virginia SHPO and Carolyn Pitts (January 10, 1990). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Weston Hospital Main Building / The Lunatic Asylym West of the Alleghany Mountains / West Virginia Hospital for the Insane". National Park Service.
  3. "Weston Hospital Main Building". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on March 28, 2008. Retrieved October 13, 2007.
  4. ^ Swick, Gerald D. (2006). "Weston State Hospital". In Ken Sullivan (ed.). The West Virginia Encyclopedia. Charleston, W.Va.: West Virginia Humanities Council. p. 779. ISBN 0-9778498-0-5.
  5. ^ Weston Hospital Revitalization Committee (2005). "Hospital History". Archived from the original on July 13, 2001. Retrieved February 15, 2007.
  6. "Weston State Hospital – Kirkbride Buildings". www.kirkbridebuildings.com. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  7. ^ "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum".
  8. Writer, Jenn Young, Staff (August 31, 2007). "Old Weston State Hospital auctioned off for $1.5 million". WV News. Retrieved April 5, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. "National Historic Landmarks Program (NHL)". March 28, 2008. Archived from the original on March 28, 2008. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  10. Blair, Thomas R. (November 2014). "The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, Then and Now". American Journal of Psychiatry. 171 (11): 1160–1161. doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.2014.14060747. PMID 25756633.
  11. Barnes, Jim (May 25, 2018). "In West Virginia, a moving, respectful tour of the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum". Washington Post.
  12. ^ Jacks, Kim (2008). Weston State Hospital (Thesis). ProQuest 304446506.
  13. "The Restored Government of Virginia--History of the New State of Things". New-York Times. Virginia. June 26, 1864 .
  14. "Virginia-West Virginia Debt Agreement of 1861 ORDINANCES OF CONVENTION, ASSEMBLED AT WHEELING, VIRGINIA JUNE 11, 1861 ORDINANCE OF AUGUST 20, 1861".
  15. ^ Weston Hospital Revitalization Committee (2005). "Hospital News". Archived from the original on August 13, 2001. Retrieved February 19, 2007.
  16. ^ Historic West Virginia: The National Register of Historic Places. Charleston, W.Va.: West Virginia Division of Culture and History: State Historic Preservation Office. 2000. pp. 74–75.
  17. ^ "Murders at Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum". The Haunted Places. September 13, 2021. Retrieved June 7, 2022.
  18. ^ Johnson, Jenell (April 19, 2016). American Lobotomy: A Rhetorical History. University of Michigan Press. pp. 152, 162, 164–165, 168–169. ISBN 978-0-472-03665-3.
  19. ^ Cahal, Sherman (July 5, 2019). "Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum". Abandoned. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
  20. Post Gazette (June 20, 1999). "A Town Sees Red Over Police Vandalism". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  21. Weston Hospital Revitalization Committee (2005). "About WHRC". Archived from the original on November 20, 2006. Retrieved February 19, 2007.
  22. "Morgantown contractor buys old Weston State Hospital". Charleston Daily Mail. Retrieved August 29, 2007.
  23. "Paranormal tours and Ghost Hunts TRANS-ALLEGHENY LUNATIC ASYLUM". trans-alleghenylunaticasylum.com. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
  24. Hines, Alex (October 12, 2018). "Asylum making plans to capitalize on appearance in Fallout 76". 12 WBOY. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  25. SPIN Staff Writer (March 1989). "Phantom of My Own Opera: SPIN's 1989 Daniel Johnston Profile".
  26. "'Expedition X' two-part premiere to feature Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum". WOWK 13 News. August 12, 2024. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  27. "'Expedition X' two-part premiere to feature Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum". WBOY.com. August 12, 2024. Retrieved August 14, 2024.

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