Hello friends,
A few weeks ago, Bryan and I went for a little road trip for his birthday. We weren't sure exactly where we were headed, but we thought West Virginia was a good starting point. There were a few stops along the way. We stopped at a few parks, saw some amazing sunsets, and took a shit ton of photos. But, probably my favorite stop was the one I've decided to share with you today. We found ourselves pretty close to Weston, and figured The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum could be a fun stop. My dad had talked a lot about this place, and it seemed like it could be pretty cool. Turns out it was a shit ton of fun, and our tour guide was just amazing! She was probably in her mid-twenties, and her humor was spot on. Most of our group didn't quite get it, but Bryan and I thought she was funny!
The whole experience was intense. Seeing the conditions people lived in once, and hearing about how they truly weren't as terrible as you'd think, was quite overwhelming. The building itself was overwhelming in it's size and beauty. Being some one who travels through life with mental illness, it was an interesting time processing all the stories we heard that day. The doctor's truly seemed to care about their patients there in the later years of the asylum. They decorated their halls with bright and beautiful colors, stunning furniture, and happy hand painted flowers on the walls. She told us they hand painted the walls instead of using wall paper because the patients had tendency to peel off the paper and eat it.
She had a million amazing stories....
Of course, I took some outfit photos in their creepy ass bathroom. I was going for a country vibe, can you tell? I've really been digging my little raccoon tail on my key ring, actually I've got two on there now. And, fuck yea...check out my stellar boots!
There were several posters in the main lobby that really grabbed my attention. They're so simple, but speak SSOOOO loudly! I love simple design like this, it speaks so clearly to its subject. The colors were just lovely too. This was the first thing I saw when we walked in. And, I'm not going to lie- this kind of heightened my nerves as we approached the start of our tour. They knew too much already....
And, there were countless long hallways. Some how the light shown through the windows just right the whole time. The ceiling were all crumbly, and I'm sure you can imagine the musky smell swirling down these halls.
The further we went in our tour, the brighter and happier the colors got. Bryan of course was being cheeky the whole time. He's always joking, my big goofball. You should check out his instagram for all of his amazing photography!
There were pieces of furniture sparsely placed throughout the halls.
Salon chairs leftover left ghostly feels as we passed by. It's weird how pieces of furniture can spark up memories I've never had.
This was our tour guide. Such a hysterical girl! There were a few floors that they had redone to be period accurate. The new owners of the property have put a ton of money into restoring these floors. They've collected and curated some beautiful decor for these rooms, and halls. It was really mesmerizing.
These shots were from the doctor's quarters on the second floor. If anyone was living the high life in this place, it was the doctor and his family.
This was a shot from the highest floor in the building, the nurses' quarters. Unlike the stunning doctor's quarters, the nurses lived in very small, box-like dorms with one high up window. They looked very similar to the patients' rooms, without the bed restraints or bars.
After the guided tour, there were a few rooms with more information on the doctors, and history on the asylum. I loved all the found objects from all around the grounds. The nurses' uniforms were spooky to me, like there were three of them just standing in the corner.
The glass collection was my favorite. And, I had to snap a shot of all the old trunks for my dad. He restores old trunks as a hobby, and they're aaaamazing!
I know it sounds ridiculous, but I could definitely feel some spirits still floating around the halls. It may be my over active imagination, or maybe there's still some ghosts in those walls. I can just see the folks roaming the grounds on a sunny day like the day we visited. It truly was an intense trip.
Come October, Bryan, Dad, and I plan on going back down for their haunted house, and night tour. I'm kind of really nervous/ excited about it now that I'm writing this and remembering how crazy this tour was for me. But, I'm certainly looking forward to the trip....and all the new photos to be taken!
Have you ever been here?
xo. holly erinn
