While one could easily be scared by ghosts, paranormal activity, witches…what have you, I’d like to believe that hands down, life is sometimes spookier than the unknown. Asylums have long been viewed in a negative light, and for the most part, would you really want to spend a night or weekend in one? While mental health is important, and many are able to benefit from treatment and even a temporary stay, some patients never leave.
From confining the mentally deranged and criminally insane, to housing people who have committed some of the most horrific crimes…there’s a good reason asylums have such a scary and (crazy) bad rep. North Carolina is home to one that is considered extremely haunted, although no paranormal investigation has been done at this time. Wondering where?
Broughton Hospital Broughton Hospital is an active psychiatric hospital located in Morganton. Broughton could quite possibly be one of the most haunted buildings in the state. But due to its status as an operational mental hospital, no paranormal investigations have been made. Broughton Hospital opened on March 29th 1883 as Western Carolina Insane Asylum. By 1886, two new wings were opened and over 500 beds available. Over the years, patients were used to construct roads on the property as well as maintain the grounds and gardens. In 1890, the named changed to State Hospital at Morganton and stayed that way until 1959. During the 1920s the patient-to-physician ratio was 300-to-1 and increased to 500-to-1 by the ’30s. The increase in those who needed mental help, and those who were able to serve them, led to desolate and abandoned environments for patients. Broughton has always been a ‘behind closed doors’ type of place, where those who have worked here are too scared to come forward about the events they’ve witnessed, except for a few.
NCDHHS Any psychiatric ward with over 100 years of history is filled with its own share of terrifying, sometimes tragic, ghost stories. From the beginning, Broughton has been home to both the mild, and sometimes timid, mentally ill, and the deranged, terrifying criminally insane.
Margaret M. Langley, a former Broughton nurse, wrote a book tiled ‘Haunted Broughton’ retelling her personal ghost stories along with the stories heard from coworkers. Margaret worked the night shift, making her witness to times when paranormal activity is at its peak. Her book is filled with bone chilling stories. In an interview with Love To Know, she was asked about her scariest personal occurrence. Her answer? “When I was in Bates Building all by myself one night. I had never had a fear of being there alone prior to that night. I was sitting at the conference room table looking over my time sheet and writing down my upcoming vacation days. All of a sudden, a woman’s voice spoke in my right ear and called my name in a loud whisper, “Margaret!” It scared me so bad that it felt like an iron prod was shoved up my spine into the base of my skull. (I am sure that was my blood pressure shooting up.) I slowly rose from my seat and, almost as if in a daze, walked over to the desk, replaced the time book and left the conference room. As I walked down the hallway to exit the building, I held my breath and kept looking behind me. At the door, I could not get my key in fast enough; it didn’t want to go in! Finally, I got the lock turned, and out the door I went. I never went into that building alone again. It was an event I will never forget, ever.”
Wikimedia Commons The property at Broughton is home to a graveyard, underground tunnels used to transport patients, multiple different wings and wards, and plenty of eerie, rarely-discussed history.
While it can be hard to really research what truly goes on here, this YouTube video also gives you insights into the horror and history (plus some chills):
Broughton Hospital
Broughton Hospital is an active psychiatric hospital located in Morganton. Broughton could quite possibly be one of the most haunted buildings in the state. But due to its status as an operational mental hospital, no paranormal investigations have been made. Broughton Hospital opened on March 29th 1883 as Western Carolina Insane Asylum. By 1886, two new wings were opened and over 500 beds available. Over the years, patients were used to construct roads on the property as well as maintain the grounds and gardens. In 1890, the named changed to State Hospital at Morganton and stayed that way until 1959. During the 1920s the patient-to-physician ratio was 300-to-1 and increased to 500-to-1 by the ’30s. The increase in those who needed mental help, and those who were able to serve them, led to desolate and abandoned environments for patients. Broughton has always been a ‘behind closed doors’ type of place, where those who have worked here are too scared to come forward about the events they’ve witnessed, except for a few.
NCDHHS
Any psychiatric ward with over 100 years of history is filled with its own share of terrifying, sometimes tragic, ghost stories. From the beginning, Broughton has been home to both the mild, and sometimes timid, mentally ill, and the deranged, terrifying criminally insane.
Margaret M. Langley, a former Broughton nurse, wrote a book tiled ‘Haunted Broughton’ retelling her personal ghost stories along with the stories heard from coworkers. Margaret worked the night shift, making her witness to times when paranormal activity is at its peak. Her book is filled with bone chilling stories. In an interview with Love To Know, she was asked about her scariest personal occurrence. Her answer? “When I was in Bates Building all by myself one night. I had never had a fear of being there alone prior to that night. I was sitting at the conference room table looking over my time sheet and writing down my upcoming vacation days. All of a sudden, a woman’s voice spoke in my right ear and called my name in a loud whisper, “Margaret!” It scared me so bad that it felt like an iron prod was shoved up my spine into the base of my skull. (I am sure that was my blood pressure shooting up.) I slowly rose from my seat and, almost as if in a daze, walked over to the desk, replaced the time book and left the conference room. As I walked down the hallway to exit the building, I held my breath and kept looking behind me. At the door, I could not get my key in fast enough; it didn’t want to go in! Finally, I got the lock turned, and out the door I went. I never went into that building alone again. It was an event I will never forget, ever.”
Wikimedia Commons
The property at Broughton is home to a graveyard, underground tunnels used to transport patients, multiple different wings and wards, and plenty of eerie, rarely-discussed history.
Pretty spooky if you ask me! Do you have any personal connections with Broughton Hospital or stories you want to share?
If a haunted, active asylum isn’t enough, the abandoned Stonewall Jackson Boys School is filled with a dark and eerie past. Read about it here.
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