After I released the episodes about Penhurst State School and Hospital,

I had a number of listeners comment about the Halloween attraction

Pennhurst Asylum.

I know many people who are big fans of that event. It's one of the best

Halloween attractions in the state, right up there with terror behind the walls at

Eastern State Penitentiary. There are also some folks who are not a fan of that event.

A few twisted Philly listeners reached out and shared their concerns about hosting a Halloween haunted house

in a facility where people were abused.

I can understand those concerns.

I know little to nothing about the Halloween attraction because, as you all know,

as much as I enjoy Halloween, I am not at all a fan of Halloween houses. I don't

go to terror behind the walls or Jacobs Woods, Bates Motel or Penhurst Asylum because those events scare the crap out of me.

For that reason it was hard for me to respond when people asked questions about the Halloween

and paranormal events at Penhurst since I hadn't attended any.

Last summer some friends and I visited Penhurst for a self-guided walking tour.

That was a powerful, reverent experience, walking along the catwalks that connect the campus,

past buildings that have been so significantly affected not only by time and the elements, but crime.

Before the Penhurst campus was sold to a private company, the buildings were plagued with theft

and vandalism.

They were also used by people suffering from drug addiction.

35 years ago, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission approved Penhurst as a site for the National Register of Historic Places,

which meant Penhurst fell under the Pennsylvania

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