The Weston Asylum Possession

The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in Weston, West Virginia, housed thousands of patients in conditions that bred suffering. Among them were cases that staff described as demonic possession rather than mental illness. The line between the two was never clear.

The Asylum

Built between 1858 and 1881, the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum was designed to house 250 patients using the Kirkbride Plan of humane treatment. By the 1880s, it held over 2,400 patients in horrific overcrowding. Restraints, isolation, and violence were common.

The Cases

Staff reported patients who spoke in languages they could not know, displayed impossible strength, predicted future events, and reacted violently to religious symbols. These patients were described in records as “demoniacal” rather than insane.

The Treatments

In the nineteenth century, possession and insanity received similar treatments. Restraint, sedation, and isolation were standard. Some patients received religious intervention from local clergy. Neither medical nor spiritual treatment showed consistent success.

The Deaths

Thousands died in the asylum over its 130-year operation. Many were buried in unmarked graves on the grounds. The suffering accumulated in the building has left it thoroughly haunted.

The Ghosts

Now a historic landmark, the asylum reports extensive paranormal activity. Apparitions appear in windows. Voices echo in empty wards. Equipment malfunctions. Visitors experience physical contact. Whether these are ghosts of patients or something they brought with them is unknown.

Assessment

The Trans-Allegheny Asylum housed genuine mental illness alongside what some believed to be spiritual affliction. The suffering of either case was real. The asylum’s haunting suggests that suffering, whatever its source, leaves permanent traces.