592 Comments for Western State Hospital (Virginia)

Wow , thanks for this photo journey.
To imagine this woman would have been 10 years old when the Wright brothers first flew and in later years the Apollo moon landing ,
not to mention telegraph, radio and television.
All in her lifetime.
Amazing.

Looks like at one point the little window had been a larger one that was bricked in.

Thanks so much for these photos. My 3rd g-grandmother was committed here in the late 1850s for "religious fervor." She was deemed "sane for many months" when she died there in 1862. She was buried in the cemetery, and I'm so grateful to see photos of where she lived/was lain to rest.

Are there records that you can research on who is buried here? If so where can you find them? Thanks

I was an inmate at SCC in 1994 an this looks like the segregation cells under the main building on the hill since most of the institution was dorms and yes it was very haunted. I was in the seg cells once for fighting.

THANK YOU so MUCH for the photos. I just found that my great Aunt Mary was there cira 1930/1941. Such a beautiful place, I hope there is some way to save it.

They were only 28 yrs old.

So sad to see this headstone. Makes one wonder just what type of life she led.....

They are renovating this I work for a insulation company and they spray foamed the roof deck, it looks nothing like this any more but there are still 3 more buildings and it is in Staunton va it was a insane asylum, then a correction center male and female and now apartments

Going to check this place out this summer should be interesting,

I've read that the Western State Hospital in VA is owned by developers now. I just found my GG GPA who in his last 6 weeks was taken there and died and buried there. Are the plot stones still there or has the developer destroyed them? I have my GG GPA's row/plot # and was hoping to visit him in May. : (

The workmanship on that hydronic heating system plumbing is really nice.

So glad you documented this photographically and provided some written annotations.

I was a prisoner here in 1992 and that very pretty building used to house hundreds of convicts. The screened in porches on either end of the building was where we could sit outside after lockdown. Seeing this photo brought chills to my soul. I still remember the haunted nights inside that building and the things both long term guards and inmates would tell of seeing in its walls...... Glad that part of my life is long behind me though the memories of 2 years there will stay with me forever. Extremely haunted.

I would start by contacting the state's mental health or human services departments to locate these records.