The Seven Gates of Hell in York County Pennsylvania
In York County Pennsylvania, there is an urban legend that entails the Seven Gates of Hell. These are physical gates that appear to the human eye as you pass through and discover each one. Legend has it, any one who reached the fifth gate was never seen again. It’s said to be in the wooded area off of Trout Run in the northwestern part of Hellam Township in York County, Pennsylvania. There’s many different rumors of the seven gates of hell, including one about an asylum where people were trapped and killed.
The Most Popular Version of the Seven Gates of Hell Urban Legend…
The urban legend of the seven gates of hell in York County takes many different forms and variations. One version, according to Roadtrippers, is about a mental institution that used to be located in Hellam Township, Pennsylvania. The mental asylum was isolated from the rest of the public because it housed “such insane” patients. Then one day, back in the 1800s, a fire started and consumed many of the patients. Some patients escaped but were beaten to death when found. Legend has it, the gates were put up by the local search party to trap any remaining patients of the mental asylum.
Another version, stated by DrivinVibin, of the story does not involve a mental asylum, yet instead, a doctor who lived on the property. He built the gates himself to keep any trespassers from entering his property.
What Both Stories Can Agree On…
Both versions of the Seven Gates of Hell stories agree that anyone who passes through the fifth gate will never be seen again. They also both say that only the first gate can be seen during the day, but the other six only become visible at night. If you pass all seven gates of hell, you go directly to hell.
Where Are The Seven Gates of Hell Located?
The Seven Gates of Hell are located in York County, Pennsylvania in Hellam Township. It’s said that the first gate, which is the only gate out of all seven that can be seen during the daytime, is located in a wooded area along Trout Run Road. The drive to York County Pennsylvania from Wilmington, Delaware is about 2 hours long. WJBR does not recommend or advise people to visit the seven gates of hell, not only because of the malicious urban legend, but because the grounds are marked as private and you would be trespassing by entering the area.
43 Reasons for Admission into a Lobotomy Mental Asylum in 1800s
According to the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum of 1864 to 1889, these 43 reasons and a few more would hospitalize you. Mental institutions in past history were known for inhumane treatment, experimentation on patients, and malpractice by doctors. The list displayed are all examples of why someone could either be admitted to a mental health institution in that time, or why they could admit themselves. For instance, some “old folks who had no one to take care of them could simply walk into the hospital, sign some papers and stay there until they died” according to grafwv.
Many patients in history passed away due to malpractice or negligence, including teenagers, children, and infants. Many times, families that would admit their children would often to just tell others that their children passed away. Once you were in a mental asylum, unfortunately there was a very rare chance you ever left.
Psychiatry has obviously evolved, but very scary to think that we were once using this list as evidence for mental illnesses in our past.
History of Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum
The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum was originally built in West Virginia, and was designed to house 250 patients. Looking back on U.S. history, this “insane asylum” became infamous for being so poorly run, as well as their lobotomies. The mental institution was always so overcrowded. In fact, “the hospital held 717 patients by 1880, 1,661 patients in 1938, over 1,800 in 1949, and at its peak, 2,600 in the 1950s in such overcrowded conditions” according to Wikipedia.
Unfortunately, due to the poor conditions, many patients died while under care at Trans-Allegheny. The number is estimated somewhere between 400 and 500. Trans-Allegheny later became known as Weston State Hospital, and was home for the West Virginia Lobotomy Project in the early 1950s. The reason why they started lobotomies, was to reduce the number of patients and to control severe overcrowding… There has also been evidence of patients being locked in cages if their attitude or temper could not be controlled.
Nowadays, community activists in West Virginia are actively trying to repurpose and revitalize the building for something much better than the asylum’s history.
Diagram of Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum which later became known as Weston State Hospital. (Photo Credit: Flickr/Mike Tewkesbury)
