The Haunting of Byberry

Ask anyone who lives in Philadelphia or in the county of Bucks, what is Byberry Hospital? You might just see them give a shiver. Why you ask? The name Byberry is a name that brings forth memories of a time not too long ago. Where a hospital sat that housed the mentally insane. Now we all know mental hospitals are not nice places to visit. This particular hospital could put the other haunted hospitals to shame. Talks of cruelty, abuse, and unlicensed practices happened to patients of this facility. Oh, did I mention Satanic worshipers? Oh yes, there have been many stories over the years told of such things going on at Byberry. Let us start at the beginning.

Philadelphia State Hospital was constructed in 1906. The location of the facility is at the corner of Southampton Road and Roosevelt Boulevard. As you travel down Route 1 south into Philadelphia, a black, iron, overgrown fence comes into view. Opening its doors in 1907, the hospital housed everything from the mentally challenged to the criminally insane. The sprawling 7 building complex encompasses the whole right side of Roosevelt Boulevard (US Rte. 1). The main building was opened 1907. Most of the other buildings were constructed between the 1920s-1950s. Due to overcrowding and unethical medical practices going on, the hospital was closed in 1987. Being from Bucks County, I have heard many rumors surround the old hospital. Anything from Satanic worship and hauntings to animal sacrifices. As a rite of passage most teens would break into the old hospital to explore the ruins. The buildings were becoming more unsafe as the years of vacancy passed by. In 2003 the city finally decided to take care of the facility. The demolition of the old hospital was completed in 2006.

Byberry never got the notoriety that Pennhurst did. Although the atrocities that happened at the hospital could put Pennhurst to shame, in my own opinion. The grounds that once held the old asylum are now a retirement village. Many Philadelphians and Bucks County people have stories of the old complex. The range of stories from a spirit boy that can be seen on the 3rd floor in a burnt-out room. To Satanic cult activity such as dogs still hanging in hallways and animal carcasses in rooms with Satanic messages sprawled about. I, myself, never stepped foot inside of Byberry. I also had ill feelings about Byberry. At one point a friend of mind drove a group of us to the complex. There was an apartment building that was across the street from the main entrance on Southampton Road. When we had left the car, I began to realize there was something odd about the area. It was a busy Friday night on Roosevelt Blvd. The traffic was heavy. Yet just a few yards from the main highway, there was no sound. When I say no sound, I mean no sound. No traffic. No animals. Nothing, just silence. No hum of human existence whatsoever. The building was just across the way. and I was stricken with the sense of foreboding. The area literally scream do not enter. Just as some of my friends had gotten the strength to go up to the gate. A security car pulled up to the gate. Whoever was in the car did not see us standing across the way. A friend of mine took down the name of the security company that was displayed on the side of the truck. We sat in the car for about 15 minutes or so. The security car never moved. It was beginning to get late, so we all decided to head home. Even as we pulled onto Roosevelt Blvd., the security officer's car never moved. A few days later a group gathered again to just hang out. We began to talk about the Byberry incident to some of our friends who weren't present that night. That is when my one friend spoke up. He said he took down the information that was displayed on the security car. Calling the number, he found that the number was not in service. Then he researched the company because they could have changed the phone number. The security company went belly up 5 years prior. Now I could say I was freaked out. Others have eerier stories than I do. My mother and father have told me of stories when the hospital was still in operation. You could see patients walking about the grounds. Some in hospital gowns. Others with nothing on at all. The stories of hauntings are endless in my neck of the woods. When the hospital closed, the patients were transferred to the appropriate facilities. Yet there were some that had no families and were not server enough to go to another hospital. Those people were released into the streets of Philadelphia to roam aimlessly. The next time you're in Philadelphia ask a local of the old Philadelphia State Hospital (Byberry). They may have a thing or two to tell you about that place.