45 Comments Posted by BustedTrespasser

"Rubber duckie, you're the one, you make bathtime lots of fun...." oh sorry, didn't realize you all were in here too.

Residents who were sent to Western Center were sent there because there was no other place to take them. They were not able to be rehabilitated. This was the last stop. If I'm not mistaken, the residents were sterilized after being admitted to prevent pregnancy. Most of these people would not have been likely to carry a viable baby to full term due to their medical conditions anyway.

Yes, that is Southpointe in the background, most likely part of the office complex. As far as the rolling country---welcome to western Pennsylvania.

I think this was one of the rooms where families would visit with the residents. When you went there, you signed in and a worker would go get the person you were visiting and wheel them out for your visit. Unless the resident had specific restrictions, you could wheel them outside around on the grounds while you visited with them.

Welcome to the office of Sweeney Todd!

I think Claudia is right about this one. From the mid 1960's until it closed in 2000, this was an institution primarily for people with severe mental retardation. My aunt was a resident at Western Center for several years until she passed away there from complications due to her condition in 1984. I remember visiting her with my family in the summers when I was a little kid. It was so sad to see all those people there in the condition they were in. But my aunt was always cheered up when my Grandma would visit. Despite having the mental abilities of a 1-1/2 year old, a vocabulary of 2 words, and being legally blind she was always happy to see her mom. One of the two words she ever knew all her life was "Mum". I think that speaks volumes about the strength of the bond between a mother and her children.

But this wash tub I think is elevated so a gurney can be wheeled right up beside it and the patient easily placed into it for bathing. I don't think this was the kind of hospital that perfomed operations, autopsies, and that sort of thing. It was more of a residential institution for the severly mentally handicapped.

Had to be made by one instrument. Looks like it was done with permanent markers rather than scratched in like with a fork. Like one of those instruments that would hold several pieces of chalk or several markers at one time used to draw lines on a chalkboard/marker board to write musical notes. Notice how the line on the outer curve of the letter "P" is wider than the others, as if the vandal put a little more pressure on that side of the marker instrument as they formed the curve of the letter "P".

You know her?

Do you happen to have any digital scans of those documents, Zach? I'd be very interested in seeing them.

I also can't forget to thank those who have prayed for my friend's mom. You may not even know it, but you've helped in some way to make life better for someone you don't know and probably have never met. Your kindness will certainly be rewarded in some way, so if some unexpected positive event happens to you sometime in the near future, know that it is more than just good fortune; you're being blessed. When you acknowledge your blessings, they continue! I hope you are greatly blessed for your kindness and thanks to all of you once again. :)

It's so sad to see these buildings are gone now. But there is some good news with my friend's mom. She is continuing to make some progress and her feeding tube should be removed any day now, if it hasn't been already because she can eat on her own now. She seems to have no cognitive damage to her brain from the tests that the doctors have done, just seems that it is mostly motor skills that were damaged by the stroke. She's able to say "yeah" in response to questions, but not much else yet. She has been laughing with friends and family when they visit her and is completely aware of everything around her. I hope to go with my friend to visit her sometime over the next few days.

Thank you for your concern. And no harm done. With all that was going on at the site that weekend, I can understand why people would be cautious. But we thank you for sharing the info that you did, it was helpful for our little quest that weekend.

Just a brief update on my friend's mom. She's been moved from the ICU in a Pittsburgh hospital to a rehabilitative nursing home in the suburbs. She's been stabilized for about 2 weeks now and is showing some signs of improvement. Her family has been very involved in her rehabilitation so far and we are all hoping for continued improvement. She can clearly understand when people communicate with her and she recognizes everyone, but with her being paralyzed over most of her body, she can do little communication back with us. Please continue to to pray for her, it is working! She's already doing a bit better than her doctors thought.

Well that would make sense. Too bad it was way too dark down there for us to explore the basement very much. Thanks Motts---and great work on the photos and the website as a whole!

If you're going to go up there, you better try to get permission first. The cops are being serious about people trespassing on the site and are now arresting people just for being there.

I thank you very much on behalf of her friends and family. I am informed that her condition has not changed much since she was taken to the hospital, but I know that stroke recovery can be a very long process. She's a very strong willed person, so I'm hoping that she will regain at least somewhat of a normal life.