The Asylum of the Dead!

March 19, 2009 - PRLog -- This institution, founded in 1895, officially opened its doors in 1902 under superintendent Dr. George Zeller, who would be known and widely respected as part of a revolution in mental health treatment for his focus on patient strengths and working toward improvement and discharge whenever possible. Zeller crusaded for a better public understanding of the mentally ill, and a number of stories attest to the respect he earned.

Illinois Asylum for the Incurable Insane housed those who were considered to be the most violent, destructive, and habitually untidy patients in the state of Illinois. It continued operation until 1972 when it was closed for good. In that time over 70,000 persons with varying degrees of mental or physical problems came through its doors, some ending up in unmarked, numbered or unnamed graves in one of the asylum’s four cemeteries. The property has 700 acres and over 20 of the original 33 buildings are still intact. Underground steam tunnels still lead to the power plant which was shut down by the EPA in the year 2000. Legend has it that these tunnels were also used to transport dead bodies out of the asylum, like many asylums did during those times.

It is reported by those who visit the old abandoned asylum, the sounds of screams and gibberish throughout the halls. It has also been reported that on one floor, in particular, an angry man is heard swearing and threatening to physically harm his interns. Sad voices in the one of the cemeteries speak of being abandoned at the asylum, and one specific ghost story tells of the spirit of "Old Book", a patient who dug graves at the hospital until his own demise. It is said that upon his death he took over the physical form of a tree on the grounds dubbed the "Graveyard Elm". Locally it is known as the "crying tree." The tree still stands on the hospital grounds today as several groups of workers have failed to fell it even after its own death decades ago. In the 1920s, Dr. Zeller penned a book titled, The Bereft, drawn from the mysterious experiences he had at the hospital during his two tenures as superintendent, 1902–1913 and 1921–1935. Included, among numerous other eerie stories, were Zeller's own account of Old Book and the Graveyard Elm.

This exciting Ghost Hunter University Paranormal Weekend Retreat begins on Friday evening, April 24th, with our nationally acclaimed Ghost Hunting 101 seminar. This seminar covers the basics of ghost hunting, from ghost hunting protocol, to equipment used in the field, to definitions and examples of positive and negative evidence. Following this seminar, we will break for dinner offsite. Dinner is NOT included with this event, and attendees will be on their own for dinner during the break. Following the dinner break, we will meet back at the asylum and be treated to a brief history lesson about the buildings and its inhabitants. Part one of our interactive paranormal investigation of the property wraps up the evening. The following night, Saturday, April 25th, we offer our more in-depth Ghost Hunting 102 seminar. This seminar allows attendees to learn more about the paranormal, as we delve deeper into its realm. Shadow People, demons, and elementals are discussed, and how to interpret EVP is also a focus during this seminar. As with the previous evening, an offsite dinner break dinner follows the seminar, and we will reconvene at the asylum for part two of our interactive paranormal investigation of the Illinois Asylum for the Incurable Insane. An evidence sharing and wrap-up session concludes the evening, and attendees will receive certificates of completion for their hard work.

As with every investigation, Christopher will be using the Telephone to the Dead a.k.a. Frank’s Box. Private readings will be available to Ghost Hunter University attendees at a discounted rate.

To register for this sure to be WICKED retreat, please call Haunted Times Magazine at 720-344-6150.

# # #

Haunted Times Magazine is the premiere paranormal magazine in the United States. Christopher Moon, President, Senior Editor, and Co-Owner of the magazine presents Ghost Hunter University Weekend Paranormal Retreats and events around the country all year.