Most people fall into one of two categories: you either believe in the paranormal, or you don’t. There’s usually no gray area. However, even if you are adamant there’s no such thing as hauntings, you might find that resolve tested when you visit this abandoned Pennsylvania asylum. It’s one of the most haunted places in Pennsylvania.

The early days of Pennhurst State School and Hospital in Spring City, originally the Eastern Pennsylvania Institution for the Feeble-Minded and Epileptic, gave little clue to the horrors that awaited the patients in the years to come.

Wikipedia/Public Domain

When it opened in 1908, the asylum that cared for mentally and physically disabled Pennsylvanians seemingly thrived. Both paid employees and volunteers worked hard to provide a safe home for residents.

Google/Eric Coopman

However, as the years went on, the funding for the asylum began to decrease. A lack of funding led to horrific conditions – overcrowding, lack of food, and abuse of patients.

Google/Walter Turner

While word trickled out from behind the asylum’s walls of the horrific conditions, the public largely had no idea of the horrors at Pennhurst Asylum until the media got involved.

Google/Raine Mckenna

A local news station ran an expose on the asylum in 1968, but little was done. Then, in the early 1980s, former resident Terry Lee Halderman brought a lawsuit against Pennhurst State School and Hospital.

Google/Raine Mckenna As a resident of Pennhurst, Halderman suffered physical abuse that resulted in visible bruises. The lawsuit would expose unspeakable horror, including a resident who had been in physical restraints for 720 hours in just one month.

Pennhurst Asylum closed in 1987, but its story is far from over. Many say the restless spirits of those who died at the asylum remain everywhere on the grounds.

Google/Raine Mckenna One of the abandoned hospitals in Pennsylvania, Pennhurt Asylum attracts ghosthunters, both novice and professional, from all over.

Both professional and aspiring paranormal investigators can join overnight paranormal investigations of Pennhurst. Tours run from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. and include access to the most haunted sections of the Pennhurst campus.

Google/Brenna Skirata Tradain Overnight visits to this haunted asylum in Pennsylvania require that you arrive half an hour prior to the event’s start time. Ghost hunts are for those 18 and older. However, minors must be accompanied by an adult.

Ghost hunts, which are led by a seasoned ghost hunter, also include the opportunity to explore underground tunnels. This experience isn’t for the faint of heart.

A daytime tour, which focuses on the history of Pennhurst, is also offered. However, you may still experience the paranormal. If you’re an aspiring or a professional photographer, you can also sign up for a photography tour.

Google/Walter Turner During the Halloween season, Pennhurst transforms into one of the area’s spookiest haunted attractions, drawing visitors from all over for thrills and chills. The haunted asylum in Pennsylvania features three bone-chilling haunted attractions - the Legendary Pennhurst Asylum, the Pennhurst Morgue, and the Pennhurst Tunnels.

Plan your paranormal tour on the official website of Pennhurst Asylum. Or, go to the Pennhurst Asylum Facebook page.

Google/Raine McKenna While you’re on the Pennhurst Asylum website, you can purchase tickets for one of the paranormal tours. Online tickets are also available, during the fall, for the haunted attractions.

For a bird’s eye view of one of the most haunted places in Pennsylvania, watch the drone footage below. It shows just how large the Pennhurst Asylum campus is and how eerie it has become. The footage was posted on YouTube by Matthew Padden.

Wikipedia/Public Domain

Google/Eric Coopman

Google/Walter Turner

Google/Raine Mckenna

As a resident of Pennhurst, Halderman suffered physical abuse that resulted in visible bruises. The lawsuit would expose unspeakable horror, including a resident who had been in physical restraints for 720 hours in just one month.

One of the abandoned hospitals in Pennsylvania, Pennhurt Asylum attracts ghosthunters, both novice and professional, from all over.

Google/Brenna Skirata Tradain

Overnight visits to this haunted asylum in Pennsylvania require that you arrive half an hour prior to the event’s start time. Ghost hunts are for those 18 and older. However, minors must be accompanied by an adult.

Ghost hunts, which are led by a seasoned ghost hunter, also include the opportunity to explore underground tunnels. This experience isn’t for the faint of heart.

During the Halloween season, Pennhurst transforms into one of the area’s spookiest haunted attractions, drawing visitors from all over for thrills and chills. The haunted asylum in Pennsylvania features three bone-chilling haunted attractions - the Legendary Pennhurst Asylum, the Pennhurst Morgue, and the Pennhurst Tunnels.

Google/Raine McKenna

While you’re on the Pennhurst Asylum website, you can purchase tickets for one of the paranormal tours. Online tickets are also available, during the fall, for the haunted attractions.



Have you been to this abandoned Pennsylvania asylum? Share your experience in the comments! Fascinated by the paranormal? Hit the highway on this haunted road trip to the scariest places in Pennsylvania.

OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article.

Address: Pennhurst Asylum, 250 Commonwealth Dr, Spring City, PA 19475, USA

The OIYS Visitor Center

Abandoned Places In Pennsylvania February 03, 2023 Beth Price-Williams Are there any other abandoned places in Pennsylvania? Abandoned Pennhurst Asylum is, hands down, one of the most haunted places in Pennsylvania. However, it’s not the only abandoned place in Pennsylvania. Here are a few more:

Visit an abandoned paper factory in Pennsylvania, which sits in a town that was destroyed by a tragic flood in the early 20th century. Hike to a long-abandoned mining town in Pennsylvania. Explore the abandoned Pennsylvania turnpike, a stretch that will take you through two tunnels. Slip on your hiking shoes for a scenic trail that will take you to an abandoned iron furnace in Pennsylvania. Discover the abandoned Concrete City in Pennsylvania for a peek at the past.

For a one-of-a-kind adventure, follow this road trip to the most abandoned places in Pennsylvania.

The OIYS Visitor Center

Abandoned Places In Pennsylvania

February 03, 2023

Beth Price-Williams

Are there any other abandoned places in Pennsylvania? Abandoned Pennhurst Asylum is, hands down, one of the most haunted places in Pennsylvania. However, it’s not the only abandoned place in Pennsylvania. Here are a few more:

Visit an abandoned paper factory in Pennsylvania, which sits in a town that was destroyed by a tragic flood in the early 20th century. Hike to a long-abandoned mining town in Pennsylvania. Explore the abandoned Pennsylvania turnpike, a stretch that will take you through two tunnels. Slip on your hiking shoes for a scenic trail that will take you to an abandoned iron furnace in Pennsylvania. Discover the abandoned Concrete City in Pennsylvania for a peek at the past.

For a one-of-a-kind adventure, follow this road trip to the most abandoned places in Pennsylvania.

The OIYS Visitor Center

The OIYS Visitor Center

Abandoned Pennhurst Asylum is, hands down, one of the most haunted places in Pennsylvania. However, it’s not the only abandoned place in Pennsylvania. Here are a few more:

  • Visit an abandoned paper factory in Pennsylvania, which sits in a town that was destroyed by a tragic flood in the early 20th century.
  • Hike to a long-abandoned mining town in Pennsylvania.
  • Explore the abandoned Pennsylvania turnpike, a stretch that will take you through two tunnels.
  • Slip on your hiking shoes for a scenic trail that will take you to an abandoned iron furnace in Pennsylvania.
  • Discover the abandoned Concrete City in Pennsylvania for a peek at the past.

For a one-of-a-kind adventure, follow this road trip to the most abandoned places in Pennsylvania.