4,537 Comments for Pennhurst State School

I have two of my own "Striper Shirts" that I stole from Pennhurst

where this picture was taken was where i got caught by pa state police.they gave me a very strick warning not to come back. but ive been there a bunch of times sence then. warning.... do not go up to pennhurst up the 2 drive ways......[ entry information edited as per site policy ]. * best way and you wont get caught*

I have been to Pennhurst about 10 to 15 times. I love every adventure that I have there. This is above and beyond one of the most unique and emotional pictures that I have ever witnessed...Bravo!!

Perhaps one of the most amazing photos that I have ever seen. I love the way that the light depicts a real sense of desolation and despair...Bravo!!

ive been to pennhurst over 6 dozen times and this room still freaks me out the most

nice man, nice

anonymous, is there like an underground bunker around the area

it was sealed by those national guard guys...anybody ever have a run in with these dudes or what?

ASBESTOS

nice picture dude

its a turkey vulture...they are everywhere around here

Lynne, thanks for clearing that up for me.

I know what you're saying, entirely. I am very much a skeptic when it comes to most everything. I fully support all sciences, and despite the mistakes of the past, I believe that science will prevail. However, the fact is, horror stories will always be with us, and I say good. Looking at a rotting insane asylum is scary, because insanity is scary (to those that are "sane") and decay reminds of our own death. Seeing a building that was once teeming with life and is now being eaten away by mold and bacteria is a bit like seeing inside our own coffins. So people get freaked out and they imagine scary things. It doesnt mean the things they post here are true. The above pic is scary if you think of a schizophrenic making it (and only because of the terror of schizophrenia, not because they are harmful) and harmless if you think of bored kids who resent being locked up. It really doesnt matter at all. People will always believe what they want to believe, regardless of the facts. Unfortunately.

Danny~

You are correct, this site is about art. It's about the awesome photography of some of the most fascinating places.

However, when you find garbage posted about how person Y went into A building and did Z with their friends... Or other garbage where a trash incinerator was used to cremate unclaimed bodies....
The examples could continue.

You want to reeducate the mislead. Not because anyone of us want to be preachy about Mental Health Care or any other Health Care in that matter.
You want them to understand that these places were indeed horrific in the past for some people, as well as a safe haven for others.

Unfortunately, when working to get points across, express memories of the people who lived and worked in these buildings.
There are people who come around
and call them liars, and try to tell everyone else on here that they are right, and those of us who might know better are dead wrong.

We don't try to romanticize these places.

But what would you do if you saw a rust stain on the wall(coming from a piece of metal on the door), and someone insists that it's blood, and you are in the medical field and know darn well what blood looks like, at various ages, because you have dealt with it.
You would want to correct them, yes?
Or would you let them perpetuate the horror stories that society won't let die?

Just curious.

Lynne,
I'm sure you are a good person who cares very much about the mentally and physically handicapped. It's quite obvious that you are on some type of crusade to get rid of the negative stigma surrounding mental health care, and thats good. Many people don't get the help they need because of all the negative images attached to being "crazy" so to speak. I am all for viewing things as they are. However, I was under the impression that this web site was devoted to the photography of urban decay. This is art. The above picture, whether or not it was just a joke or whatever, is still a strong image, and "the pit of oblivion" fits perfectly as a description of depression as well as a description of institutiional life, whether it be in a mental hospital or a prison. Being locked up is no fun.

Why was Mona Lisa smiling? Why did Paul McCartney write "Yesterday"? I don't nor want to know why. I make my own explanations.

When you have pictures of rotting structures in front of you, are you going to think of the helpful doctor and the smiling nurse, or the "Nurse Ratchetts" of the world? It would be like trying to have a wedding in a cemetary. Im sorry to ramble on, but I feel like Motts is trying to show some of the beauty in decay and death, and, in a way he is helping to "de-myth" these places, but everyone wants to turn it into a politcal issue. The problem is that this isnt the place. We're all just looking at some beautiful pictures.