THE HISTORY AND HAUNTING AT HILL VIEW MANOR: ALSO KNOWN AS: THE LAWRENCE COUNTY POOR FARM Hill View Manor in New Castle, Pennsylvania has acquired quite a bit of a reputation especially after being featured on Ghost Adventures, Ghost Hunters and Ghost Lab among other notable people in the paranormal field. Its story began in 1925 as the Lawrence County Poor farm built by Architect A. L. Thayer to be a working farm unlike any of its kind, housing the county’s homeless and indigents. The building was equipped with a kitchen, hospital, laundry, separate living quarters for men and women, a cemetery, bomb shelter and an extra wing for employees and officers. It officially opened the doors to those in need in 1926. A few decades later in the 1970s, a skilled care wing was added along with a new name, Hill View Manor, turning it in to a nursing facility. Unfortunately, the home faced financial strain and was forced to close in February 2004. While the building appears to be empty, minus a few things including medical equipment left behind, some people believe former residents still call Hill View Manor home. Its possible haunted status is possibly linked to numerous natural deaths and suicides that took place on the property over the years. A couple of people jumped to their deaths from the roof. At least one person killed themselves by hanging. The majority of those who died had no records, which accounts for the large number unmarked graves in Hill View’s cemetery. Reported activity includes voices, footsteps, touched, doors slam, things move on their own and various apparitions. There is a story of a little boy dubbed “Jeffrey” who appeared to be about 6 or 7 years of age. If you laid eyes on this boy, you would die soon after. Shadows are seen throughout the building, sometimes peeking out of rooms. Room 105 is believed to be the home of a former patient named Mary Virginia. The spirit of an old man supposedly haunts the boiler room. He’s known for slamming doors and demanding people to get out of his space. Mary, a resident in the 1990s, is one of the spirits who has her own room complete with a bed, bed stand and chair. Mary likes baby dolls and jewelry, Braniff said, so Mary’s bed is covered with these items and other things that people have left including nail polish and eye makeup. Jimmy, another resident spirit — who lived at Hill View for 46 years, from 1958 to when it closed in 2004 — also communicates regularly through EVP. Braniff said the building is just as haunted in the daytime. Next year, she plans to have a two-hour daytime historic tour. Her plans also include a gift shop and a museum.
Posted on: Thu, 23 Oct 2014 08:02:15 +0000
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