Can you tour the ridges in Athens Ohio?
Can you tour the ridges in Athens Ohio?
WORTH THE DRIVE: Tour the grounds of a haunted former asylum and cemetery in Athens. An early photograph of the former Athens insane asylum, The Ridges. For a few select nights in October, guests will be able to tour one of the most haunted buildings in the state of Ohio.
Where is the Athens Lunatic Asylum?
Athens, Ohio
The Athens Lunatic Asylum, now a mixed-use development known as The Ridges, was a Kirkbride Plan mental hospital operated in Athens, Ohio, from 1874 until 1993….Athens Lunatic Asylum.
| Athens State Hospital | |
|---|---|
| Location | Athens, Ohio |
| Built | 1868 |
| Architect | Levi T. Scofield |
| Architectural style | Late 19th And 20th Century Revivals, Late Victorian |
When did the ridges in Athens close?
1993
The Ridges, formerly called the Athens Lunatic Asylum, was a mental hospital operated in Athens, Ohio from 1874 until 1993.
Why did Athens Asylum close?
The practice ended when a federal court ruled in 1973 that patient labor had to be compensated with minimum wages and overtime. By the 1980s, the process of deinstitutionalizing the mentally ill gained momentum, and state hospitals, such as Athens, began to close.
When did Byberry mental hospital closed?
1990
From the arrival of its first patients in 1911 to 1990, when the Commonwealth formally closed it down, the Philadelphia State Hospital, popularly known as Byberry, was the home for thousands of mental patients.
Who owns the ridges in Athens Ohio?
Ohio University
Ohio University eventually purchased the grounds and renamed the site the Ridges. The hospital still spawns much interest, with many people believing that the grounds are haunted. Most believers point to a fifty-four year-old woman who died in one of the hospital’s abandoned wards in 1979.
What happened at Athens asylum?
In 1977, Athens Asylum made news when it housed multiple personality rapist Billy Milligan. In the highly publicized court case, Milligan was found to have committed several felonies, including armed robbery, kidnapping, and three rapes on the Ohio State University campus.
Is this asylum in London really haunted by a ghost?
It comes as no surprise that the buildings of this historic asylum are allegedly haunted. One of the most famous ghosts is that of Margaret Shilling, who left her body print upon the hospital floor.
What is the history of the Athens hospital for the insane?
Within two years, it was renamed the Athens Hospital for the Insane. Over the years, its name would be changed many times to the Athens State Hospital, the Southeastern Ohio Mental Health Center, the Athens Mental Health Center, the Athens Mental Health and Mental Retardation Center, and the Athens Mental Health and Developmental Center.
How many people were in the asylum in the 1960s?
In the 1960s, the Asylum reached its peak, with a total of 660,888 square feet, serving 2,000 patients, which was triple its capacity. Fortunately, the number of patients began declining for the next several decades as de-institutionalization became a better alternative.
