Run Down

Pennhurst Asylum,  Spring City, Pennsylvania

This photo is from the Pennhurst Asylum in Spring City, Pennsylvania. I have posted a number of images from inside the abandoned asylum and decided to capture one of the out buildings that are on the property. I am not sure what building this is (there are at least 15 buildings on the site), but I am guessing it is the Director's House. During our visit there, we were only given access to a couple of buildings, and this one was not included. 

The asylum has a long and sordid history. Originally named the "Home for the Feeble Minded and Epileptic", it could house up to 10,000 patients. About half of the patients were placed there by court order and the remaining ones by their families. It was designed to provide care and treatment of the disabled. Somewhere along the way, something went very wrong, and there is extensive documentation of the abuse of patients, including children. It eventually was closed in 1987. Many swear that the asylum is haunted, and, while I didn't see any ghosts, walking through the buildings was quite eerie.