I finally made it to the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum (TALA) in Weston, West Virginia, a massive Gothic structure built in the 1800s, for the full-day “Discover the Asylum” tour. This is a guided tour that takes you through the asylum’s most historic and haunted areas. On this same trip, I also visited Philippi, WV, about an hour away, which has a unique connection to the asylum.
Table of contents:
About the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum
TALA is a massive historic psychiatric hospital built in the mid-1800s. Construction began in 1858 but paused during the Civil War, and the building was completed in 1881. Parts of the asylum were in use as early as 1864. The building is built entirely of hand-cut stone. The building was designed under the Kirkbride Plan, which was meant to promote healing through natural light, ventilation, and long, open corridors. It was originally meant to house 250 patients, but sometimes held thousands.
The campus includes multiple buildings: the Main Kirkbride building (which is the length of 3 football fields!), the Medical Center, Forensics (also known as the Criminally Insane building), Women’s Auxiliary, and Geriatrics buildings. Patients were often subjected to experimental treatments, including lobotomies, and many suffered from neglect and overcrowding, despite the original intent to create a therapeutic environment. Not only that but there were instances of patient-on-patient violence (patient-on-nurse too), sometimes leading to death, and suicides. TALA closed its doors officially in 1994.
Interesting fact: despite some claims of the asylum sitting on 666 acres, this is NOT true.
Why I chose the Discover the Asylum tour
TALA offers tour options focused on history, the paranormal, or both. I wanted to learn as much as I could about both the historical and paranormal parts of TALA, so the 45-minute or 90-minute tours didn’t appeal to me. It’s a massive building, with a history that spans 130 years!
This tour covers both historical and paranormal stories, and lets visitors explore more of the building compared to shorter tours. It’s a LONG tour (8 hours), but you get to see more of the building(s) than the other tours.
About the Discover the Asylum tour
- Length of time: 8 hours (website may say 6)
- When: Select Mondays
- Reservations required? Yes
- Cost: As of 2025, $150 per person (or $160 with lunch)
Tours are limited in size (probably 30-40 people split across two guides), and happen when the asylum is closed to the public. Expect lots of standing and walking, stairs, and potentially extreme temperatures inside, so bring water and dress accordingly. There is no heat or A/C in the buildings.
You can bring your own lunch, OR you can purchase a boxed lunch for an additional $10. Book early, as I heard that tours sell out months in advance.
I stayed at the Hampton Inn Weston which is about a 10 minute drive from TALA. Check-in starts at 8:30 am with the tour beginning at 9:00 am (or a little after). I arrived early around 8:15 am and the gates weren’t open yet, so arriving at 8:30 am is just fine. There is plenty of parking available.
Before the tour
We gathered at a covered tent with chairs and a table with manila envelopes that had each of our names on them. Inside these envelopes there was information about the asylum. There we waited for the full group to arrive, and folks could take that time to sign a waiver, or use the bathrooms.
Bathrooms: Bathrooms are only available before the tour, during lunch, and after the tour, with a single male and female restroom by the main entrance.
Our guides were Greg and Amy, who were extremely knowledgeable both about the history of this area as well as the dark history and paranormal experiences. Greg shared with us that he had taken a tour with his school when TALA was still operational.
Video and audio recordings are not allowed during the tour, but photos are allowed. There is a separate Photography tour that can be booked that is meant for more official photography.
First part of the tour: Main building
After all groups were checked in, we took a quick picture and split the group in 2 to start touring the main building. One group started with Amy, and the other with Greg, and later would switch.
For the group that I was in, we started off in a ward reconstructed to resemble the 1950s. The rooms were complete with beds and were lightly decorated (some with mannequins in them! They might spook you). We then moved throughout the building to areas that were in much more disrepair, learning about the purpose of each ward, listening to patient stories, and the inhumane conditions at times. You can peek into each room.
We also observed architectural details, including where construction paused during the Civil War. Paranormal stories were shared as well about the guides’ own personal experiences as well as others. We reached the 4th floor, swapped guides, and made our way back down.
Lunch
Lunch (if ordered), consisted of a pepperoni roll (a West Virginia staple!), a brownie, and water. Each of them will have a post-it note with names on them. Some people purchased additional drinks and snacks from the gift shop.
During lunch we had the opportunity to explore small exhibits about TALA, and browse the gift shop. The gift shop was open only during lunch, and there was a 3% fee for using credit or debit cards.
Final part of the tour: Outer buildings
This part of the tour included the Medical Center, Geriatric Building, Women’s Auxiliary, and Criminally Insane Building. This took about 2 hours.
Highlights included:
Medical Center
This was the main location for treatment. The floors when we visited were a little wet which is why it’s important to wear closed-toed shoes on this tour. We got to explore the various rooms, including the x-ray and treatment rooms. We also saw the basement morgue where bodies were kept temporarily before burial. We learned that if no one claimed the bodies here within 5 days, they were either donated to WVU or buried up the hill.
While lobotomies were sometimes performed in surgical rooms, they reportedly took place in patient wards and other less formal areas. Dr. Walter Freeman was famous for the “ice pick” lobotomy, and often performed these procedures without washing his hands or sterilizing instruments, sometimes just wiping the ice pick on a towel before moving onto the next patient. He also claimed he could tell simply by looking at a patient whether a lobotomy was necessary, so his assessments were totally based on subjective observation.
Women’s Auxiliary Building
This building was really interesting, as historic records aren’t clear as to what this building was originally used for. Today, visitors can look around inside and also see a mysterious ‘Fallout Shelter’ sign on the brick exterior, but the original purpose remains unknown.
Criminally Insane Building
This building was meant for the more violent patients, with prison-like security features and isolation from the general population. There were bars and gates all over to keep staff safe. Even the sinks were built shallower to prevent drownings. Stalactites and stalagmites even form in one of the rooms. Wild!!!
Visiting nearby Philippi, WV
Philippi was on my route to TALA, so I decided to stop by!
Mummies at the Barbour County Historical Museum
The Barbour County Historical Museum is just an hour from Weston, and is home to two mummies who were formerly patients at the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum.
In the late 1800s, a local farmer and undertaker Graham Hamrick became fascinated with mummification. He was a self-taught embalmer who developed a unique mummification process. He first started embalming fruits, vegetables, and animals and then later these two female remains.
He purchased these female remains from TALA. These patients had no family to claim them, so TALA willingly sold them to Hamrick who then preserved them using his secret formula in 1888. The mummies later toured with P.T. Barnum’s circus towards the end of the 1880s before returning to Philippi. They survived storage in many different areas (barns, under beds), and they even survived the worst flood in North Central West Virginia in 1985. Today, they continue to be on display at this museum.
Philippi Covered Bridge
Right next to the museum, is the Philippi Covered Bridge! It was built in 1852 and has survived Civil War battles. It is the longest covered bridge in West Virginia and is still in use today, carrying traffic across the Tygart Valley River as part of Route 250. You cannot walk inside the bridge, but you can walk alongside it. It’s a cool piece of history to see and experience.
Where to stay in Weston
There are a number of hotels close to TALA. I stayed at the Hampton Inn Weston, which was a really clean, and comfortable stay.
- Hampton Inn Weston
- Holiday Inn Express & Suites Weston (it looks like they have a discount through the TALA website)
- Quality Inn
- Super 8 by Wyndham Weston WV
Places to eat
I really wanted to go to Buns, which supposedly has great burgers, onion rings, and thai tea, but it was unfortunately closed on Sundays.
Instead I went to Weston Grill And Lounge which is right in front of the Quality Inn. I ordered a grilled chicken wrap which was pretty tasty, but reviews say they have really incredible Indian food! I enjoyed a mango lassi there, which was really tasty.
Preparing for the Discover the Asylum tour
What I’d recommend
- Dress appropriately (inside the building, summer can get exceptionally HOT, and winters COLD); and wear close-toed shoes as some areas are dusty or wet
- Water: Bring a bottle of water, especially during the warmer months
- ID: bring your ID in case they need to check it
- Charger (or portable power bank): Consider bringing a charter or portable charger for your phone. It’s a long tour, so taking lots of photos may drain your cell battery. Put your phone on airplane mode to help conserve battery
- Cash: If you’d like to tip the guides (they definitely deserve it!), or make a purchase from the gift shop, carry cash with you. There is a 3% surcharge to use credit and debit cards in the gift shop
- Pack light for easier walking and standing
Optional: Watch ghost hunting shows filmed at TALA to get a sense of the atmosphere
If you’re curious about the paranormal activity at the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, a few ghost-hunting shows have featured overnight investigations here:
- Expedition X: The Madhouse (S5 E5, 2024)
- Destination Fear: Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum (S2 E12, 2020)
- Portal to Hell: Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum (S1 E6, 2019)
- Paranormal Lockdown: Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum (S1 E1, 2016)
- Ghost Hunters: The 200th Episode: Grant is Back (S9 E25, 2014)
- Ghost Adventures: The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum (S3 E1, 2009)
Overall impression
Overall I had a really great experience. The tour was a nice balance of being informative, spooky, and a deep dive into history. Our tour guides were also incredible.
It’s hard not to feel the weight of the lives of those who lived there and their stories of sadness and resilience. It’s a part of history worth learning about. I’d highly recommend visiting TALA, and especially taking this tour.
