West Virginia Trip 09/04

While I was in West Virginia I went and toured the Weston State Mental Hospital formerly known as the Trans-Allegheny Asylum for the Insane. The Building was built in 1858. Crafted of native blue sandstone quarried mostly from the West Fork riverbed and nearby hills in Lewis County, West Virginia, the historic Weston Hospital is purportedly the largest hand-cut stone building in North America. Beginning in 1858 and with funding from the State of Virginia, it was designed and built by R. Snowden Andrews following an architectural format developed by Dr. Thomas Kirkbride for the construction of state mental hospitals in the mid to late 1800s, i.e. a central administration building and two wings, one for male patients and the other for female. The main building is comprised of two double-sectioned wings joined by a central structure. It is graced by a central clock tower reaching 200 feet above the tree-lined park surrounding the building. Four lower towers or cupolas once reached some 150 feet in the air; at some unknown time, probably and four other towers, each standing 150 feet high. The solid sandstone walls are two and one half feet thick and backed throughout by brick. There are 921 windows and 906 doors. A full basement, with dirt floor, runs the entire length of the structure and the interior floors are reinforced concrete. The roof is supported by heavy timbers. Much of the roof's original slate has been replaced by rubberized roofing and/or asphalt shingles and is currently (June 2001) in need of repair. Funding has recently been received from the West Virginia Legislature and a National Treasures grant. One use of these funds will be to repair the leaking roof before the end of 2001. The campus measures 38.97 acres by a recent survey. The adjoining "farm" tract is 275.91 acres is owned by the West Virginia Department of Agriculture. The hospital campus is encompassed along its front length (east) and northern side by a Victorian wrought iron fence similar to others found in yards throughout the town. The fence was installed in 1892 and is in moderately good repair.

"It is 1,295 feet long, is covered by three and one-half acres of slate roof, and affords 9 acres of floor space. To visit all the wards in this building requires a walk of two and one-third miles." More than fifteen miles of steam pipe, most of which is still in place, delivered heat to the wards. Over twenty miles of telephone wire connected the various departments within the general office.

The history above is provided by http://www.westonlandmark.com/

 
The entrance to the grounds with Weston in the
background as seen from the balcony above the entrance portico.  Photo by Joyce Chambers, August 2002
 
 
 
 
 
Pictures provided by the site listed above and may be copyrighted.
 
 
Here is a picture of the main entrance building.
Here is a side picture of the main building with the main entrance to the right.
 
Each column is hand chiseled.
 
Below you can see some of the original Stencils done on the ceiling.
Here is a outside recreation area for the patients.
Here is a part of the building on the back side of the Hospital.
Here are some of the acturial detials of the building there are 4 of these little buildings on the end of the wings. All of the buildings have these faces on them.
This is the only building which the faces are gargoyles. They are there to ward off the evil spirits.
The columns below are not made of concrete but are made of solid stone.
Here is a piece of artwork still left hanging on the walls. It was done by one of the patients.
Here is one of the Dormitories for the patients. Up to 10 patients lived in these rooms.
Here is the hall for one of the Wards. Down the hall you can see the nurses station.
Here is one of the isolation rooms. This one is not lined with rubber. The pink color on the floor is from a paint ball war (see next pic below)
Here are some remnants of some damage that was done when some of local police and some State Police and I believe even FBI agents told a security guard for the then closed hospital that they had permission for a training exercise. They went inside and had a paint ball war game. The state had to pay several hundred thousand dollars for cleaning. None of the officers involved were disciplined for this action and some are still on the force.
Here is a picture of one of the nurses station with the med room behind.
 
Here is the ballroom for the hospital. This is where all of the large functions where held for staff or patients.
Here is a picture of one of the hall to the dormitories for the staff who lived in the hospital while attending school. There were 2 nurses per room.
Here is a picture of me in the car.
Here is a picture of a beautiful grave marker in a very old cemetery in Weston, WV. For size of scale the angel in the pic is taller than I am.
 
Here is another head stone that we just could not figure out.
Here are the towers of St. Patricks Catholic Church in Weston, WV.
Here is another shot of St. Patricks.
Here is a picture of the Weston Colored School.
Here is a picture of the Lewis County Courthouse in Weston, WV
Here is the Weston, WV Post Office.
Here is a Monument for the Veterans of All Wars. Just outside the Lewis County Courthouse.
 
Here are some pictures of St. Pauls Church in Weston, WV. (note: all stained glass is original Tiffany glass.)
St. Pauls Church in Weston, WV.
St. Pauls Church in Weston, WV.
Frog and I.
Cool looking old barn.
WWII Motorcycle.
   
   

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