An abandoned hospital.....

Tuberculosis Sanatoriums are said to be the most haunted places, think Waverly Hills, and I can only imagine the suffering that occurred in these hospitals.  From the early 1900's to the time when antibiotics came into play in the late 1930s/early 1940s, TB ran rampant in America.  Called simply, "the white plague", it took thousands of lives.  To battle this deadly disease, large and small, public and private sanatoriums were built throughout the country to isolate and care for TB patients.  It was essential to remove those affected with the deadly disease from their homes, families and society, the virus is highly contagious.  Medical treatment of the day was rest and fresh air, and in some instances, surgical procedures that included collapsing of lungs.  Can you imagine?  Horrific to be sure.  The Sanatoriums were built with huge windows optimal for fresh air circulation, and many had large porches for patients to sleep and live in.

This past weekend we did a walk-thru of an old TB hospital that has been abandoned for years. We carefully walked the entire building, taking in the vibe of the crumbling structure.  Over the years it has been vandalized and many of the large windows are broken; there are sinks that have been pulled from the walls and smashed onto the floor, and graffiti. As I walked the hallways and rooms, I thought about the patients who were treated here.  The lucky ones who survived and left this place, and the terminal patients who died there. Sad. Unlike a general hospital, many people that came to Sanatoriums were already dying, and for them, this was the last stop in this lifetime.

The team searched the building top to bottom so that we could become familiar with the layout and also to determine what locations our stationary cameras should be set up to hopefully capture the supernatural during our investigation, scheduled in the near future.  As a sensitive, I feel that the place is indeed inhabited by lots of spirits; why are they still there?  Why do they stay in a place where they suffered so much?  On our investigation, we will ask these questions, and hopefully?  We will capture the voice of a spirit tell us why. 

At the end of our walk-thru, we discovered that we had left something behind, up on the third floor.  I went alone to retrieve it and when I arrived in that room on the third floor, I suddenly felt pressure on my chest.  It felt like something was squeezing my lungs, and it was difficult to breathe.  I thought, hey, it's the humidity, but the funny thing is that once out of the property?  I was fine, and we were still in the heat and humidity.  Now thinking about it?  I wonder if one of those spirits still in that hospital wanted me to know what it was like; to feel how they felt, not being able to breathe.  Interesting?  I think so, definitely.  It makes me wonder, what will happen in the dead and dark of the night on our investigation when we are trying to communicate with the spirits there?

I guess we will find out ;)

--sa