🏥 Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum

I recently toured the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in West Virginia—one of the largest and most historic psychiatric hospitals in the U.S. It was both eye-opening and chilling. 🔹 Tour Experience: We joined the “Four Floor Tour”—one of several offered. The guides dressed in vintage nurse uniforms 👩‍⚕️, which really set the mood. My guide had actually worked at the asylum before it closed, and shared firsthand stories of interacting with patients. 🔹 History & Conditions: Opened in the 1860s, the asylum started with only 9 female patients. Over time, it became severely overcrowded—at its worst, patients were crammed into hallway wards with terrible living conditions 😔. The building itself is massive and haunting. 🔹 Medical Artifacts: We saw many unsettling historical tools and surgical instruments used in early psychiatric treatments 🪒💉. It was a stark reminder of how far mental health care has come—and how lucky we are to live in a more compassionate era. 📌 A fascinating—if somber—look into the history of mental health. Highly recommended for those interested in history, medicine, or the macabre. #TransAllegheny #WestVirginia #AbandonedAsylum #MentalHealthHistory #HauntedHistory #USTravel #WeekendGetaway #DarkTourism