When given the opportunity, at least one of the spirits strolling the corridors of Hill View Manor in New Castle, Pennsylvania, will introduce himself.
“I’m Jim,” is a popular example of electronic voice phenomena documented by paranormal investigators investigating the lengthy, tragic history of the poor farm-turned-nursing facility located approximately an hour north of Pittsburgh.
Hill View Manor was named the Lawrence County Home for the Aged when it first opened in October 1926. The facility was designed to care for the elderly, the poor, and those suffering from serious mental illnesses.
When the home originally opened, it was populated by a husband and wife partnership who functioned as superintendents, their children, a dozen staff members, and the initial 20 residents, who were referred to as convicts.
The institution was designed to accommodate 110 people, with males in one wing and ladies in another. The two wings were connected by a three-story building in the center that housed common rooms and housing quarters for the superintendent’s family and live-in employees. It immediately became overcrowded and understaffed, as was the case with many asylums at the time.
The residence underwent reconstruction and enlargement in the 1960s, and it eventually became Hill View Manor, a skilled care facility. The home closed in 2004 owing to financial difficulties.
During the home’s 78-year history, it is estimated that 10,000 people died on the property. Suicides were not uncommon, and some people plunged from the roof to their deaths. Many of those who died at the hospital were interred at the on-site cemetery, frequently in unmarked graves.
The spirits who linger
The structure is now privately held, and the spirits inside are eager to communicate with paranormal investigators or amateur ghost hunters.
The boiler room appears to be occupied by a man who died of alcohol poisoning and hypothermia following a night of drinking outside. Women who worked at or toured the property reported being grabbed by something invisible while in the room where the man died.
While the home was not designed to care for children, a young boy was among the first 20 patients to move there in 1926. Paranormal investigators say his name is Jeffrey, and his ghost has been seen roaming the halls.
People who worked at the home while it was open, as well as paranormal investigators doing more recent investigations, have reported hearing voices, footsteps, and music, as well as poltergeist activity throughout the huge manor.