Long Johns Required-A Ghost Tale Pt. 1

*NOTE: THE VIDEO AT THE END OF THIS POST HAS SOME FOUL AND INAPPROPRIATE TOPICS. PLEASE BE AWARE BEFORE PLAYING*
 This will account for our 3rd ghost hunt adventure. You can view my other blogs about Gettysburg, Eastern State, and WV State Pen.

We had heard good things about Trans Allegheny Lunatic Asylum (TALA), both from the internet and tv shows that had visited there. I have to say that they seem to have their gig together more so that WV State. They were very organized. I'm going to walk you through our night the best way I can remember. Its taken me a while to get around to writing this and my memory gets a bit fuzzy.

First off, their website gives you lots of information unlike WV State. They have FAQs which will help you with what you need and what you CAN'T bring.

NOTE: Bring a maglight. A mini one that the top unscrews a bit. You will find this really handy. I'll explain why below.

We decided to go in Nov. b/c its considered their "off" season. But be aware that the temps drop by at least 20 degrees inside the building. Unlike WV State they only have space heaters in the lounge area, but they do provide coffee all night for just $1 and they have snacks for sale.

I def. recommend putting on several layers or really warm clothes when going during this time of year. Our friend, who didn't go with us on our other hunts didn't realize how cold it got and seriously had wished he'd brought long johns. Personally, I had on a pair of leggins, a pair of thick jeans, socks (could have been better socks, like wool), long sleeve shirt, fleece shirt, my wool black coat, scarf on my neck, gloves. I could have used a hat to help the heat from going up, lol. It wasn't so bad the first half of the night, but as this is WV and we had came across patches of snow on our way there, it just got colder as the night went. And not even walking around and going up and down stairs kept us that much warmer.

They note on their website that a GPS can not find the address, but I can tell you it will get you close enough. TALA is unmistakable. The 9acre building they let you explore (they will opening up more facilities next year-per tour guide) is only one building on the site. Now, this is WV and if you aren't familiar with some of the roads there, then you might be a little taken off guard. The road we entered to get to TALA was pretty much a one lane road. I'm used to this b/c I have family there and we have the same kinds of roads to use to get to them. For most of the road there is a guardrail and river to your right hand side. So, those of you who don't know WV, if you have a river and guard rail on your side.........that means the person coming towards you has to squish over into the gravel, dirt, ditch. Trust me, they will have less damage than if you tried to get over.

You can pull right into the main gate and right up to the building. They open the doors exactly when they say they will. You are allowed back outside to your vehicle during the night, they loosely latch the door from the inside to keep random people out. But just to make it easier on yourself, try and get everything out that you will need at one time. Try to go light, there are 4 floors to cover and its a nice little hike.

There are smoking areas, OUTSIDE, and they will tell you where. There ARE bathrooms, but they are NOT heated and they didn't have any soap when we were there, lucky we brought hand sanitizer.

Okay, so pricing:

Public all night tours (hours depend on the time of year- we did 9pm-5am): $100pp-I think if you pre-pay with credit card you have to bring your ID with you. They can also question you about age and ask for ID.

Private Tours all night: $150 + $250 insurance if you don't already have some. If you want the place to yourself and don't want to be distracted by other people then go with this one, I think they also take you to an extra building with private tours. min. ppl 10. Though our guides told us that they book private tours all the time and only 5 people show up or just 2, but if the tour is paid for in full, they will still give one.

We went with the public tour and I would say we probably met the max. people of 40. When you come in, you must sign a waiver form. You can then take that form to the second check in point where they will "commit" you to the asylum. You each get a certificate with a fake reason of committal. Mine was domestic issues, but my friend got put in for masturbation and syphilis..........yea..........the lady thought he and I were a couple, so we made up this whole story about how he masturbated too much, then cheated and go syphilis and my domestic issues were not having sex b/c of him, lol. It was funny, you had to be there.

Anyway, after that they wait until everyone is checked in. Btw, you can rent emfs, etc. for the night, but they have a limited amount. All the money you spend goes back into the restoration of the building, so don't feel like you are getting nickled and dimed.

They split you up into even groups of four. Each guide starts on a different floor. The DON'T allow food and drinks on the halls. They also ask you not to antagonize the ghost. Firstly, for your safety, secondly b/c they have to work there all the time and they would like to be safe. Trust me, you don't have to be mean to get these ghost to "talk" to you.

Our guide was Sarah who seemed to have a lot of knowledge of the facility and the ghost. She didn't much history on the building, but she knew plenty about the ghost. The total opposite of WV State. Our group started on the 4th floor. I think this was a regular floor, normal craziness, lol. The right side was for substance abuse.........I think.  Your guide will give you the lowdown on each side and give you a walk through of at least one side (the layout is the same).

To the Left on this hall the ghost you have are a patient (can't remember his name) who likes dirty jokes, a Dr. who likes the ladies, and Jesse another patient. They tended to hang out at the beginning of the second part of the hallway (your guide will probably point this out.) in the first room on the right side. We got a great video using the flashlights.

Okay, the maglights are important b/c I think this is the way the guides have "trained" the ghost to talk to you. They are used to this method and getting them to use anything else is hard. If your guide doesn't show you, ask. I'll describe the best I can. Take the maglight and twist the top of it (the light) to make it a little lose. Then tap on it to see if you can get it to come back on. You are essentially breaking the connection between the battery and the light, but if you tap or press hard you can get the light to come on and off. This is how the ghost can "talk" to you. They will turn the light on and off by connecting their energy to the light or at least that is what we were told. In one of the videos we took, you can see my friend tapping on the the light to turn it on and off. You can see the force he has to put into it to turn it off and on, so I would like to think that it isn't just explained away.

Right now I only have one video uploaded (it takes forever for a 1 min. video b/c of my connection) and I will try and link that one here.

We def. got a response from the three "ghost" on that hallway with the lights and it actually made us really excited for the rest of the night. We did walk down to the other side. There is a room there (688) that they said shut itself one day and hasn't opened since. Though if you knock on it sometimes you will get a response. We didn't. On the second half of that hallway was the substance abuse area. We didn't really get anything there either. Although, in the high res. of my photos if you zoom in down the hallway, it almost looks like a torso coming out of one of the doors, but its not clear enough to tell. (These pictures are not hi res, they take too long.)

You get about 2 hours on each hall. Please note (and the guides will tell you too) don't leave to go downstairs unless you tell your guide first. They have to keep track of you and its only polite. You can go down to used the bathroom or smoke during the tour. You can also go down and take a break, but the guides usually give you a few mins. inbetween each floor.  We chose not to go into the lounge with the heaters for the first half or get coffee b/c we didn't want to get warmed up and then cooled down. Save it for when you really need it, lol. If you don't do coffee, bring your own stuff, b/c thats all they have to drink. I was sooooo thirsty by the end of the night.

I think we went all the way down to the first floor after that. The first floor is where the patients who had illnesses were. The ghost here were Ruth and Lily. Ruth was an older lady who b/c wheel chair bound at the end and she roams the halls sometimes bumping into you. She also doesn't like rude attitudes and will let you know. Lily is a little girl, about 8 who lives on this floor (didn't get a story behind her) and she has a room she likes. They keep balls, toys, and sometimes candy to give to her. You can bring her wrapped candy to give to her or bring something purple b/c that is her favorite color.  Lily is shy, so probably best to come to her in small numbers. Ruth has also been known to protect Lily, so play nice. We only got one response in this room from .......maybe Lily, but if could have been Ruth. The flashlight responded once to our guide talking, but stopped. The guide thought that Ruth may be keeping Lily from answering. So, I told Lily a story about how my brother takes care of foster children and protects and loves them. The moment I finished my story the flashlight turned on. I didn't ask a question, so I think it was someone acknowledging the story. Not sure. We tried a few more questions, but no responses.  The first floor only has one wing, btw.

This is where my memory gets fuzzy, which floor had what. I think I will stop right now and maybe clear some memory up with my friends that went along before posting anymore. Here is the video that was from that first room.

*NOTE: THIS VIDEO HAS SOME FOUL AND INAPPROPRIATE TOPICS. PLEASE BE AWARE BEFORE PLAYING*