November 21, 2021 • 40 mins
Insane asylums evoke images of straight jackets and padded cells. There, deranged and forgotten souls were doomed to a life of isolation and anguish. It’s no wonder that these structures are steeped in tales of ghostly sightings. Perhaps some tortured spirits were never discharged. Many of us claim to have encountered them.
The Athens Lunatic Asylum, known today as The Ridges, is a case in point.
Come hear the tales of two locals with unique insights and unusual experiences of their own. One, Mr. Steve “Tebes” Caul spent his childhood living there with his psychiatrist father and family. The other, Mr. Matt Box, recalled summers working the grounds around the looming structure. Their personal memories add depth to our understanding of this storied place.
Come learn of an effort to identify the names of those former patients who rest in graves adjacent to the property. Click here to connect with the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) and their worthy cause to restore and engrave broken headstones: https://namiathensohio.org/get-involved/the-ridges-cemeteries/
If you enjoy this episode, please rate, review and subscribe to Ohio Folklore on your chosen podcast platform. You can also find Ohio Folklore at:
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And as always, keep wondering…
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Unknown (00:03):
Hello and welcome to Ohio folklore. I'm your host
Melissa Davies. Today, we'reexploring a towering structure
which rises from the Appalachianhills. It's twinspires have
soared over manicured groundsfor a century and a half.
Originally designed as a placeof respite for overburden minds.
(00:25):
It has a reputation today ofdarkness, sickness, and despair.
This institution, the no longeran operation, is rumored to yet
house lonely spirits, yearningto get well and return to their
loved ones. Accounts of ghostlysightings in and around the
structure itself are toonumerous to count. They span
(00:48):
decades.
I'm talking about the Athenslunatic asylum, known today as
the ridgesfor as ominous a character as it
has today, when construction ofthe Athens lunatic asylum began
in 1868. It was consideredcutting edge in the world of
(01:11):
mental health treatment.
The design itself was promotedby psychiatrist Dr. Thomas
Kirkbride, whose theories ofmental health treatment
revolutionized past barbaricapproaches. Instead of sending
vulnerable patients to betortured in warehouses, away
from the rest of society, Dr.
Kirkbride believed providingpatients with access to nature,
(01:35):
sunlight, and fresh air werecrucial to the healing process.
Thus, asylums inspired by histheories were built in
picturesque settings, allowingeasy access to the restorative
power of the natural world.
It was for this reason that thisspot, just beyond the southern
(01:59):
edge of the burgeoning city ofAthens, was chosen for its
gorgeous VISTAs, and alldirections.
Using beauty as a healing force.
When it came time to find anarchitect for this facility.
Early planners chose none otherthan Levi Schofield. Many of you
Ohio folklore listeners mayrecall that name from a previous
(02:22):
episode. nearly 18 years afterdesigning the Athens lunatic
asylum, Schofield would come todesign the Ohio State
Reformatory in Mansfield. ThisCleveland native has certainly
left a lasting influence onstructures which have served
those most vulnerable of Ohioansprisoners and those suffering
(02:44):
mental illness.
The Asylum would officially openits doors to patients in 1874.
In true devotion to theKirkbride approach, patients
received a full dose of theoutdoors, including nature
hikes, gardening and the like.
They also maintain jobs on thesite, perhaps on the working
(03:07):
farm, the greenhouse or thecarriage shop. Labor itself was
viewed as a therapy, one thatmight help restore a burden mine
to health.
At the height of its operations,the sprawling campus included
some 78 buildings on more than1000 acres, this behemoth of an
(03:33):
institution would come torepresent something of the
change in attitudes toward thementally ill. It provided a
respite away from the stressorsof routine life, a chance to
reconnect with the natural worldto find one's footing through
hard work.
(03:53):
It's hard to imagine a way ofthinking that could differ more
from the reputation thesedecaying buildings have today.
Many who visit what remains atthe Athens lunatic asylum, come
away with the feeling offoreboding. This is despite the
fact that in its current use,part of the remaining structure
(04:14):
is used for Ohio University'sfacilities, including an art
museum and administrativeoffices.
The main central building, themost iconic of all the remaining
structures, leaves an imposingimpression for most newcomers.
To Gothic red brick towers pointskyward. framing a whitewash
(04:36):
portico four storeys high, itleads the eye upward to the
heavens, giving the viewer afeeling of rising above, perhaps
transcending our worldly limits.
What a fitting message for thosewho worked to free themselves of
their own hellish problems. Thisis the kind of architecture we
just don't see a newconstruction today.
(05:00):
It's old, and yet deeplyfamiliar, perhaps on a spiritual
level. No wonder Schofieldwanted these structures to
inspire such feelings, and themost marginalized among us.
Instead of me going on aboutthis historic location, I'd like
(05:22):
to offer you a personalintroduction to the place by one
man who knows it deeply. Mr.
Steve call spent his childhoodon the campus itself, the son of
a staff, psychiatrists, Dr.
David call, Steve got to knowthe place as simply his home.
And once he grew into adulthood,he made a career of working at
(05:46):
the facility. I can't think ofanother person to offer a better
overview of the place. Sowithout further ado, come hear
his story.
Well, I thought maybe we couldstart by question asked you to
tell me about your connection tothe place I understand it's been
(06:08):
a lifelong connection. Well, we,we moved there in June of 1965.
And I turned 10 years old thatsame month.
And we moved from MacArthur,Ohio. So you know, we thought
we'd hit the big time coming toAthens. They had department
stores a few other things thatMacArthur had one traffic light
(06:30):
and a gas station or two, andwe moved there in June. So I had
all summer to kind of getacclimated to the place before I
started school. And I, you know,met some other kids my age and
made some new friends and madefriends with patients do I was
friends with him as well. Allright, so at 10 years old, you
said, yeah, we'd play you know,they had back in those days,
(06:51):
they hadAP and State Hospital softball
team and they had a team andthey'd play Cambridge State
Hospital in Columbus StateHospital. And we'd always go
down there when they werepracticing and trying to, you
know, get in there and catch flyballs and maybe get a couple
swings. And we just had a greattime. It was it was like growing
(07:13):
up on a state park. I tellpeople it was just a little bit
everything I think it was theyalways said it was about 670
acres. And they're just a lotgoing on. They is pretty much
self sufficient. They had herown dairy barn and poultry and
swine. And there wasthese cattle were kept that they
(07:34):
had but still farm. You know,it's just a lot to do. And there
was probably guessing 1200patients there that it was
pretty big place. So it feltlike a pretty happy childhood.
Oh, yeah. Yeah. You couldn't askfor a better place to grow up.
And you know, like I said, Iwas, I was scared of the
patients and they weren't, youknow, they never did anything to
(07:57):
give me reason to fear room. Sowe were buddies with them.
shoot baskets with him. They hadan outdoor basketball court, and
Friday afternoon and Fridaynight, they had a chapel up
there and they'd show movie. Andwe'd go up there and watch
movies with him.
And that continued even intoyour teenage years. Yeah, we we
(08:20):
moved off of there in Decemberof 1971. The state kind of
decided that that was maybe toobig a perk, my dad was a doctor
there. That's how we ended upthere. So I left that out. But
that was like too big apart foran employee to have stay in
there. We you know, we lived ina little duplex at one very big,
(08:42):
but it was as far as I know, Ithink pretty darn cheap. Anyway,
my parents bought a house,everybody State Street and we
moved off the hill and nobodysay Street. Okay. And so then
you finished high school, highschool here in Athens. I'm an
app inside Bulldog in a year ofcollege over at Miami and then
(09:04):
came back to o u in the after myfreshman year, I decided that I
didn't really want to run up abig college debt. So I stay here
and it happens to live with momand dad and just go to school
here. Do you? Okay, can youspeak to the kind of reputation
that the place had in Athens didthe locals The locals are always
(09:27):
kind of leery of it kind ofthought it was spooky. And it
was, you know, it was a littleon the creepy side.
You know, we were there aroundthere all the time. So I didn't
think twice about riding mybicycle to the basement of the
place or anything else. Yeah.
Yeah, it was a dark, kind ofspooky places back in there. And
some of the, you know, had somepretty funky smells and
(09:49):
everything else. So it was kindof a strange, but I was used to
it.
I see. So it was astirYou're graduating from high
school that you started workingthere is that right? I started
working there in 1978.
And I was just I just turned 23.
And I was going to you and I waskind of Lincoln and my roommate
(10:12):
started working there, he wasmaking pretty good money. And I
thought, you know, I'm kindalike I'm pretty, a lot better at
work. And then I wasn't going toschool. So I kind of like having
changed in my pocket. So Istarted working there, full time
in nursing in 1978. And I workedon the lock men's Ward, which
was ward number five, it was apretty rough place.
(10:38):
breaking up fights a lot.
to It was you had some prettyrough days. The one good thing
was no two days, wherever thesame, it was always something
different. Yeah, you weren'tgoing to get bored? No, yeah.
Not at all. I know a lot of thereputation today. And of course,
it's been closed now since Ithink 93.
(11:02):
Right, yeah. But the reputationfor the structure itself today
is one where it has a spookyreputation, and claims of ghosts
sighting.
I've heard a lot of as well, butI do have a good one.
(11:22):
When I worked on word five, Iworked three to 11 shifts in
Ward five was on the secondfloor and we would go to the end
of the hall and everything youwent in these locker wards. So
with a deadbolt lock, and thenyou'd, you'd get off the door,
open the door key and then lockit back up the key on the other
side. And then we'd go down thefire escape to to leave work.
(11:46):
And I did do that one night.
Most of time will be three orfour hours, whatever the work
crew was there, but sometimeshad somebody leave early or stay
late or something. So I didthat. And I was by myself. And I
was coming down they the parkscape. And there was an area in
the hospital that had beenclosed for several years. And I
(12:09):
heard something and I kind oftilted my head over there. And
when I was hearing was like anold manual typewriter.
Somebody's typing on an oldtypewriter from this area that
was pitch black, and it was 11o'clock at night. So needless to
say, I got to my car prettyquick. got in there and kind of
(12:29):
caught my breath. And thenI didn't leave work at 11
o'clock by myself for a longtime.
I made sure there was somebodywith me just to make sure that
that there wasn't somethingworse that was going to come
grab me or something. Especiallybeing alone. That would be Mr.
undeserving. Yeah. So that thatkind of reputation is that would
(12:52):
have had among you and your coworkers at the time that you
were working? Well, you know,everybody always thought there
were spirits up there. And, youknow, I had co workers that
would, at the end of our shiftwould take laundry and trash
out. In the laundry rooms weredown in the basement, some
workers just wouldn't go downthere by themselves because
they'd seen something or heardsomething at one point or
(13:14):
another. And they I understoodthat, especially if they were if
they were younger people orolder ladies that you know,
would ask you to walk them downthere and you do that.
To be curious. Yeah, yeah. Andbelow peace of mind that
everything's okay. Yeah. So eventhough it has this creepy kind
(13:38):
of atmosphere, yeah. Yeah, itwas real creepy. You know, you
could and I've told storiesabout going down the laundry
room and opening up the laundrydoor and you turn the light on,
and it just be like 1000cockroaches all over the walls
and the ceiling and everywhereelse.
Yeah, so this is the big oldbuilding. It was, I think we
(14:01):
started in 1868. But it didn'topen up until 1874. So there was
a lot of hype, and I think mostof brick and stuff was fired
right here on the east side ofAthens and taking up their own
horse wagon. So it took a longtime to build the place. And you
know, there'sa lot of history that goes with
(14:22):
the building. Yeah, and I don'tknow if you can answer this
question or not, but do you knowwhat the name of Richie's names
or how they chose? I'm not sureabout that, Louis. I don't know
how they came up with that.
Okay, we always called up thehill. And we had T shirts that
had a picture of the mainbuilding and said I'm from the
(14:44):
hill, one of the local t shirtguys in town that had the t
shirt placed, cranked out the Tshirts. A lot of people bought
it we all we all wore them. Sothere's a lot of pride in it
from low. offer a lot of pride.
For sure.
Yeah, and as usually they callit the hill typically. Yeah,
that's what we called it. Okay.
You know, in the old days it wasAP and State Hospital.
(15:10):
Ah, and there was always thestory going around this patients
would leave the grounds go to 10and then that tell the tell
local people I live here inAthens, I tend to ash College.
They're a little joke aboutwhere they were living. Sure.
And nice little inside jokethere. Yeah. Yeah. And I have to
(15:33):
say, you've given me a reallynice in depth view from somebody
from the inside. As somebodywho's, you know, lived a good
portion of your life. You know,the day I left I was in I'm not
a real sentimental guy, but Icried because I was, you know,
to me, I spent when puttingliving there working there, it's
been over half my life there.
(15:54):
Yeah.
It seems this is the kind ofplace that borrows deep into the
souls of many who come to sharean attachment to it.
The perspectives you'll heartoday come from locals, those
who came to know the institutionin largely positive ways. While
(16:15):
the asylum was initiallydesigned with the aim to heal
and restore those who suffered,we should remember that many,
many of its patients, the mostvulnerable among us, anguished
within its walls in ways we maynever fully understand. And yet,
it's still worth trying.
(16:39):
Perhaps one of the most famouspatients from the asylum was
Margaret Schilling. When herobituary was published in the
January 13 1979 issue of theZanesville times recorder, this
Perry County native had beenmissing for a month.
Most had assumed the 53 year oldhad somehow escaped from the
(17:02):
sprawling campus and was on thelam enjoying her newfound
freedom. No one had guessed thatthis wife and mother had somehow
fled unsupervised, to one of thecordoned off an unheated wings.
After climbing a desolatestairway, she'd entered a bear
and icy room, removed all herclothing and folded it neatly
(17:26):
beside her. She'd laid herselfflat on her back in the center
of the room, while sunlightpoured through several oversized
windows, bathing her freezingbody and light.
Six weeks later, a maintenanceworker would discover what
remained of her corpse there onthe floor.
(17:50):
While the official cause ofdeath was heart failure, this
certainly resulted from thefreezing temperatures she
endured in that winter season.
Once her remains were takenaway, custodial staff set to the
grim task of removing a stain,which marked the outline of her
body against the floor.
(18:11):
It seems a chemical reactionbetween her decomposing body and
the floor resulted in thedistinct silhouette of her small
frame.
Despite multiple attempts withvarious cleaning agents, the
stain would not release.
And although this claim soundsmore like fiction than fact,
(18:34):
I've been able to confirm fromfolks who've seen it for
themselves. The stain doesindeed remain, marking the place
for Margaret Schilling breathedher last in the building meant
to inspire hope and healing tothe masses.
One bit of lore that hassurfaced around this genuine
(18:57):
history is a curse. Incomingfreshmen who arrive to owe us
campus every fall are informedthat the McCobb tail as the tail
goes, anyone who ventures intothe unused wing, following the
same path Margaret did all thoseyears ago, and touches the stain
that marks the spot where sheperished will soon die a
(19:20):
torturous deathjust what was Margaret Schilling
fleeing from? Or did she simplywander off exploring forbidden
spaces to break the monotony ofher days? Of course, we'll never
know for sure. What we do know,however, is that countless
(19:41):
patients like her sufferedtreatments, we would today
consider barbaricin decades long past, before the
advent of modern medications,which quell the most severe of
symptoms, staff were desperatefor some way
Overcoming the worst ravages ofmental illness.
(20:04):
For those who went before us,many suffered the trials and
errors of new and unknowntreatments. Usually, they had no
choice in the matter. Unable togive consent, we owe the
efficacy of our currenttreatments to their sacrifices.
The graves of many souls remainon the grounds there today,
(20:28):
amid inviting hiking trailsstands a cemetery of nearly 2000
registered plots. The vastmajority of gravestones bear
simply a number, no names nodates. Since as early as the
1870s, many patients lost tieswith their family members during
their tenure at the institution.
Quite sadly, the world went onwithout them. And when their
(20:53):
final days came to pass, no onewas left to collect their
remains. The state's solution tothis tragedy was to simply bury
them there, at the place wherethey had been forgotten by those
who wants new them, with only anumber to mark their existence.
Within these plots were oncepeople, including civil war
(21:16):
veterans who suffered acondition we would later come to
know as PTSD, and epileptics,once believed, possessed by the
devil, and women sufferingpostpartum depression.
Yet some of the most arcanereasons for being admitted to
(21:37):
the asylum included decadence,which is essentially too much
spending too much sexualactivity and too much boozing.
It seems the vast majority of ustoday would qualify for entrance
into such a place in an effortto preserve the legacy of those
(21:57):
poor souls who suffered sogreatly. The National Alliance
for the Mentally Ill also knownas Naomi has undertaken a
project to restore and demystifythe grave sites contained on
these grounds. Throughpainstaking efforts, they have
cut back the overgrown weeds,and reset leaning and overturn
(22:18):
tombstones to their rightfulpossessions. With the help of
many additional organizations,they are working to identify the
names of those buried there, oneby one, with the permission of
living descendants, they areerecting complete headstones
which document that a person nota number lies below.
(22:42):
You can find a link in the shownotes for gnamaize web page on
this very project. There you candiscover how you can connect and
support these valuable efforts.
For the second portion oftoday's episode, we'll get to
hear from another local a Mr.
mattebox.
(23:02):
Having been born and raised nearthe area that offers unique
insights. You'll hear him makereference to Billy Milligan, one
of the asylums most infamouspatients. Coincidentally, Steve
call. The man you heardinterviewed previously, is the
son of Dr. David call. Dr. Kaulwas one of Billy Milligan's
(23:27):
psychiatrist there at theasylum. Netflix recently
released a documentary onMilligan's multiple felonies,
including murder and rape, andthe alleged mental illness he
used as a defense monstersinside the 24 faces of Billy
Milligan outlines thecontroversial story of one man
(23:48):
who claimed multiplepersonalities living within his
mind committed his crimes.
Milligan spent considerable timein the Athens asylum, and was
often given permission to leavethe premises going into town for
lunch, mingling with the locals.
Matt recalls his own experiencesspotting Milligan downtown. Even
(24:09):
more than that, he sharespersonal memories working as a
groundskeeper at the locationfor a couple summers in the mid
1990s.
Come hear his story.
You know, when I moved Athens,at least into the area, I was
(24:32):
pretty young. I think I wasprobably six or seven years old.
And I grew up in the next countyover from Athens in a very rural
area of Vinton County, andAthens was sort of the biggest
town, you know, close by towhere we live. So my mother and
I would come to Athens to do ourgrocery shopping and, you know,
(24:53):
walk around the sort ofcivilizations that Athens had to
offer and driving intotown and sort of seeing the
ridges, you know, obviously itpiqued my curiosity. And so, you
know, I was always justintrigued by the place. And my
mom and I sometimes would gowalk around the grounds just for
something to do on a Saturday.
(25:14):
And, you know, there was alsothe, the Billy Milligan aspect,
you know, he was he actuallylived in town when we first
moved to the area. And being akid, I didn't fully understand
the whole background of hisstory. But yeah, sometimes we
would see him walking around onthe street or eating lunch at
the Woolworths department storelunch counter. Yeah. And so, as
(25:37):
I got older, and, you know,became more familiar with, with
his story, you know, lookingback on that, it's very
interesting to be exposed tothat. Yeah, you know, I mean,
visually, again, the buildingsjust look like a place that you
are intimidated by. That's, as Isaid, before, loons are
(25:58):
ominously on its hilltop. Andthat definitely colored my first
impressions of the place. Right.
And I had just recently watchedthe documentary on Billy
Mulligan, within sure manypeople have. So
very interesting to see how thattied into the location itself.
First, he has quite complicatedlife. But the fact that, you
(26:21):
know, you recall, him beingthere, and having seen him, and
now you probably understand itmore as an adult, in terms of
the implications.
Marissa? Most definitely, yeah,I mean, thinking about the fact
that wow, you know, I wasliterally like, walked by this
guy on the street,since a child to find something.
(26:42):
And I mean, that's kind of aninteresting thing, too, because
when the hospital closed, myunderstanding that they found
other hospitals and otherfacilities to absorb the vast
majority of patients that hadbeen in residence up there. But
also, they weren't able to findplaces for all of them. So a
(27:03):
good bit of people who had beenresidents up there, whereas
absorbed into the community,here in town, back in those
days, it was pretty common to,there are a lot more people with
mental illness, just part of thecommunity after the hospital
closed. What are some more ofyour memorable experiences on
(27:24):
the job, anything that standsout? I know, it's been quite a
while back now. Butone thing that I really remember
is, you know, my job was in thesummers, I think it was probably
the summer of 94. In the summerof 95. I worked up there for two
successes, years. And Iremember, you know, I've lived
in a house off campus, not farfrom where I live now, actually.
(27:48):
And I would have to be at theridges in the morning. And so
you know, I would ride my bikeon the bypass. And since it goes
along the river in the evenings,it would get, it would cool
down. And so in the mornings,there would be a lot of fog,
along the paths that I had toride. And I just I really
remember, you know, my first fewmornings riding my bike to this
(28:10):
place and seeing it up here outof the fog.
Yeah, very much. So yeah, I'mjust thinking, man, what am I
getting myself into here? It'sthe type of place that like I
said before, I mean, it's hardnot to imprint it with, you
know, all these cultural ideasthat we have have have an insane
(28:34):
asylum.
Do you recall having any strangeor unusual experiences? I do.
Actually, not many, you know,strangely enough, other than
just the general sense ofominous pneus. There's the main
building, which is a very, verylarge, multi storey building.
(28:54):
With the Victorian facade.
I was reading the perimeter,like, you know, basically around
the edge of the building, webasically had to we'd eat all
the way around this giganticbuilding, and it has places
where it turns in upon itselfand makes us like small
courtyards. Just remember,following my trail with the weed
(29:19):
eater, and I was about to enterinto this little courtyard area,
and I just immediately had thissense of my brain just told me
to stop. And I had this amazingsense of fear.
Which is interesting becauselike there was no outside
(29:41):
stimulus to cause that me justmore of just like, okay, don't
go into this courtyard for somereason. You know what I mean?
And I can't explain like, whatmade me feel that way. But yeah,
I just stopped, looked aroundand didn't see anything but I
definitely backed off andmy crewmates about it later. And
(30:02):
it was a while before I wentback into that space, and it
didn't happen to me again. Soyeah, I can't really explain
what that was all about. Butcertainly there was something
like a gut feeling. Yeah, forsure. Yep. And one that stuck
with you after all these years?
Absolutely. It's probably mymost vivid memory of being up
there just in terms of strangethings that are unexplained.
(30:26):
Yeah. You know, I mean, theinteresting thing is, when I
moved down here, Athens was alittle hippie enclave like a
backwater, it still had a decentsized population, but it was
also the type of town where ifyou were here for a year, you
would know everybody, you know,I mean,
(30:48):
and that is slowly but surelystarting to fade. And that is
most certainly one of thereasons that I've stayed around
here for so long. And now thatit's changing, and starting to
look a little bit more likeeverywhere else, you know what I
mean? I hate to see that. And,luckily, we do have University
(31:08):
and the Historical Society andother, you know, agencies that
are, are pushing back againstthe onrushing blandness that,
you know, a lot of towns tend toexperience this day and age. And
so it's important to sort ofkeep that keep that alive, in my
opinion. Yeah.
I agree. And that might reflectsome more of why parts of the
(31:30):
history, like the ridges, andI'm sure there are many others
holding on to that as part ofwhat makes you different.
So that's a unique perspective,I hadn't really thought about
before, I keep thinking aboutthe fact that when the place was
built,the ideas about mental illness,
people that were sociallymarginal, they were different
(31:53):
than they are today, obviously.
And so my understanding is thatthe ridges was built for the
purpose of, of being able togive those people a better
quality of life in terms of,yeah, we're going to remove you
from society. But we're alsogoing to put you in a place
where there's natural beauty.
And there is the ability to, todo work, and exert yourself and
(32:18):
try to find some humaneness forwhatever that means, definition
wise. But I think there'ssomething to be said about that
versus the more scientific andclinical approach. It's apples
and oranges, maybe. ButI like the idea behind creating
a place that gives the person achance to, to look inward and
(32:44):
connect with, with nature. And Ithink that that was a big reason
why the ridges was built whereit was and how it was. Yeah, I
just think that's aninteresting, you know, I mean,
obviously, I don't think a placelike that will be built in the
modern age today, you know, Imean,
(33:05):
right? Yes, I think that's aninteresting aspect of the place
that other people may overlooksometimes, you know, and that's
not to say that there weresuffering and electroshock
therapy and experimentalapproaches to quote unquote,
healing people's mentalproblems, but
I don't know. I'm so glad thatyou brought that up, because it
(33:28):
really does bring things fullcircle, because I think a lot of
times when people look at itnow, it has that looming ominous
reputation. But you'reabsolutely right, that it's a
time that was built under thecalled the Kirkbride plan.
Right. Yeah. Which was allabout, instead of putting folks
with mental illness andwarehouses until they die, let's
(33:52):
put them somewhere where theycan be in touch with the healing
aspects of nature, and you havesome kind of work to do. Right.
So really was a very humanebefore its time approach for a
century, right. Yep. And I mean,that definitely changed over
time. You know, the place did infact, you just get
(34:14):
on track with the more I don'tknow what the word is of putting
people in a locker roomand letting them figure out
their own problems, I guess,much more invasive.
than the bottom ease andExactly, yes. Right.
Right, pretty far away from thatinitial mindset. Yeah.
(34:38):
So I mean, you know, I mean, Iguess the the takeaway from the
ridges is that you don't want tonecessarily judge a book by its
cover. I mean, yes, there is avery creepy and dark and sort of
sinister aspect to the place.
But is that something that weare all bringing to the table
because ofThe thing is that the images of
(35:00):
insanity that we sort of grew upwith, or is it inherent in the
place itself? Because, you know,obviously, there's more to that
place than just that aspect ofit, if that makes any sense.
I think that's, that'sdefinitely an important takeaway
for people who have never seenthe kind of the campus. Right.
(35:25):
Yeah. I think for me, itunderscores that it's not so
much the location itself, eventhough it's so foreboding that
if the people who are in it andhow they're operating and how
they're treating each other,ultimately, that that's an
insight that just came to me inthe course of our interviews,
but I appreciate you sharingyour thoughts on that because I
(35:47):
hadn't been considering thatangle. Yeah, yeah.
The way we treat each other,it's a sentiment as old as the
Bible codified and the goldenrule. One of the three lines
I've discovered on researchingthis story was that very guiding
(36:08):
principle. The Athens lunaticasylum, as designed in the mid
19th century, was just oneexample of many similar
facilities across the countrythat approached mental health
treatment in a revolutionaryway.
asylums built under theKirkbride plan, emphasized time
spent in nature, the value ofwork, and the healing power of a
(36:33):
community built to supportsomeone in need of care.
This was the way of thinkingunder which plans for the asylum
began in 1868.
In previous centuries, webelieved mental illness sprang
forth from demonic spirits. Webelieve those who suffered
(36:54):
insanity, needed treatmentstantamount to torture today,
all to save their souls.
And when that way of thinkingfell by the wayside, we came to
view mental illness as aweakness, a sure sign of a
person who simply didn't havethe intelligence to figure out
(37:14):
their own problems. These folkswere marginalized, devalued, and
locked away out of sight. So therest of us could go on and joy
in our lives without having tosee them.
And as a further injustice, thelabel of mental illness became a
weapon, a way to punish thosefolks viewed as unsavory. For
(37:37):
example, women suspected ofunfaithfulness and sexual
promiscuity could be committedto such institutions by their
husbands, fathers or otherfamily members.
Among other actual committalreasons, listed in historical
admission records includelaziness, asthma, epilepsy, and
(37:59):
jealousy.
Those who are most susceptibleto involuntary admission
included members of society withthe least power women, the poor,
the disabled, and others amongthem.
Our view of mental health issueshas evolved thankfully, common
(38:23):
treatments today include use oftalk therapy and medications,
which are most often managed onan outpatient basis. The era of
sprawling asylum campuses,housing, hundreds of patients
are long gone. We've come a longway and our understanding of
what it means to suffer fromknown conditions like
depression, anxiety, and so manyothers. Arguably, we have a long
(38:48):
way to go in fighting thestigma, which remains.
I'd like to think that theguiding principles that drove
the Kirkbride plan more than acentury ago, can light our way
at today,when we view those who suffer
mental illness as people, whenwe realize that any one of us is
as vulnerable to developing thesame struggles than we all rise
(39:11):
together.
Perhaps the alleged spirits whoremained within the walls of
this still standing asylum,carry this message. Perhaps they
longed for connection,acceptance, and the path
forward, they were never givenin life.
(39:32):
My hope is that this structurestands as a monument to our
everlasting attempts to treatthose least among us, as fellow
humans, all facing uniquechallenges and longing for
unconditional love.
Many fellow Ohioans lived anddied at the storied location.
(39:53):
Many are buried with nothing buta number to mark their resting
places. This episodeis dedicated in their memories
and hopes that their lives werenot lost in vain.
May their stories guide ourthinking and our choices and the
way we treat the least among ustoday and in the years ahead
(40:20):
This concludes today's episodeon the Athens lunatic asylum. I
hope you've enjoyed it. If so,please rate review and subscribe
to Ohio folklore on your chosenpodcast platform. You can find
Ohio folklore at Ohiofolklore.com And on Facebook.
And as always, keep wondering
Hello and welcome to Ohio folklore. I'm your host
Melissa Davies. Today, we'reexploring a towering structure
which rises from the Appalachianhills. It's twinspires have
soared over manicured groundsfor a century and a half.
Originally designed as a placeof respite for overburden minds.
(00:25):
It has a reputation today ofdarkness, sickness, and despair.
This institution, the no longeran operation, is rumored to yet
house lonely spirits, yearningto get well and return to their
loved ones. Accounts of ghostlysightings in and around the
structure itself are toonumerous to count. They span
(00:48):
decades.
I'm talking about the Athenslunatic asylum, known today as
the ridgesfor as ominous a character as it
has today, when construction ofthe Athens lunatic asylum began
in 1868. It was consideredcutting edge in the world of
(01:11):
mental health treatment.
The design itself was promotedby psychiatrist Dr. Thomas
Kirkbride, whose theories ofmental health treatment
revolutionized past barbaricapproaches. Instead of sending
vulnerable patients to betortured in warehouses, away
from the rest of society, Dr.
Kirkbride believed providingpatients with access to nature,
(01:35):
sunlight, and fresh air werecrucial to the healing process.
Thus, asylums inspired by histheories were built in
picturesque settings, allowingeasy access to the restorative
power of the natural world.
It was for this reason that thisspot, just beyond the southern
(01:59):
edge of the burgeoning city ofAthens, was chosen for its
gorgeous VISTAs, and alldirections.
Using beauty as a healing force.
When it came time to find anarchitect for this facility.
Early planners chose none otherthan Levi Schofield. Many of you
Ohio folklore listeners mayrecall that name from a previous
(02:22):
episode. nearly 18 years afterdesigning the Athens lunatic
asylum, Schofield would come todesign the Ohio State
Reformatory in Mansfield. ThisCleveland native has certainly
left a lasting influence onstructures which have served
those most vulnerable of Ohioansprisoners and those suffering
(02:44):
mental illness.
The Asylum would officially openits doors to patients in 1874.
In true devotion to theKirkbride approach, patients
received a full dose of theoutdoors, including nature
hikes, gardening and the like.
They also maintain jobs on thesite, perhaps on the working
(03:07):
farm, the greenhouse or thecarriage shop. Labor itself was
viewed as a therapy, one thatmight help restore a burden mine
to health.
At the height of its operations,the sprawling campus included
some 78 buildings on more than1000 acres, this behemoth of an
(03:33):
institution would come torepresent something of the
change in attitudes toward thementally ill. It provided a
respite away from the stressorsof routine life, a chance to
reconnect with the natural worldto find one's footing through
hard work.
(03:53):
It's hard to imagine a way ofthinking that could differ more
from the reputation thesedecaying buildings have today.
Many who visit what remains atthe Athens lunatic asylum, come
away with the feeling offoreboding. This is despite the
fact that in its current use,part of the remaining structure
(04:14):
is used for Ohio University'sfacilities, including an art
museum and administrativeoffices.
The main central building, themost iconic of all the remaining
structures, leaves an imposingimpression for most newcomers.
To Gothic red brick towers pointskyward. framing a whitewash
(04:36):
portico four storeys high, itleads the eye upward to the
heavens, giving the viewer afeeling of rising above, perhaps
transcending our worldly limits.
What a fitting message for thosewho worked to free themselves of
their own hellish problems. Thisis the kind of architecture we
just don't see a newconstruction today.
(05:00):
It's old, and yet deeplyfamiliar, perhaps on a spiritual
level. No wonder Schofieldwanted these structures to
inspire such feelings, and themost marginalized among us.
Instead of me going on aboutthis historic location, I'd like
(05:22):
to offer you a personalintroduction to the place by one
man who knows it deeply. Mr.
Steve call spent his childhoodon the campus itself, the son of
a staff, psychiatrists, Dr.
David call, Steve got to knowthe place as simply his home.
And once he grew into adulthood,he made a career of working at
(05:46):
the facility. I can't think ofanother person to offer a better
overview of the place. Sowithout further ado, come hear
his story.
Well, I thought maybe we couldstart by question asked you to
tell me about your connection tothe place I understand it's been
(06:08):
a lifelong connection. Well, we,we moved there in June of 1965.
And I turned 10 years old thatsame month.
And we moved from MacArthur,Ohio. So you know, we thought
we'd hit the big time coming toAthens. They had department
stores a few other things thatMacArthur had one traffic light
(06:30):
and a gas station or two, andwe moved there in June. So I had
all summer to kind of getacclimated to the place before I
started school. And I, you know,met some other kids my age and
made some new friends and madefriends with patients do I was
friends with him as well. Allright, so at 10 years old, you
said, yeah, we'd play you know,they had back in those days,
(06:51):
they hadAP and State Hospital softball
team and they had a team andthey'd play Cambridge State
Hospital in Columbus StateHospital. And we'd always go
down there when they werepracticing and trying to, you
know, get in there and catch flyballs and maybe get a couple
swings. And we just had a greattime. It was it was like growing
(07:13):
up on a state park. I tellpeople it was just a little bit
everything I think it was theyalways said it was about 670
acres. And they're just a lotgoing on. They is pretty much
self sufficient. They had herown dairy barn and poultry and
swine. And there wasthese cattle were kept that they
(07:34):
had but still farm. You know,it's just a lot to do. And there
was probably guessing 1200patients there that it was
pretty big place. So it feltlike a pretty happy childhood.
Oh, yeah. Yeah. You couldn't askfor a better place to grow up.
And you know, like I said, Iwas, I was scared of the
patients and they weren't, youknow, they never did anything to
(07:57):
give me reason to fear room. Sowe were buddies with them.
shoot baskets with him. They hadan outdoor basketball court, and
Friday afternoon and Fridaynight, they had a chapel up
there and they'd show movie. Andwe'd go up there and watch
movies with him.
And that continued even intoyour teenage years. Yeah, we we
(08:20):
moved off of there in Decemberof 1971. The state kind of
decided that that was maybe toobig a perk, my dad was a doctor
there. That's how we ended upthere. So I left that out. But
that was like too big apart foran employee to have stay in
there. We you know, we lived ina little duplex at one very big,
(08:42):
but it was as far as I know, Ithink pretty darn cheap. Anyway,
my parents bought a house,everybody State Street and we
moved off the hill and nobodysay Street. Okay. And so then
you finished high school, highschool here in Athens. I'm an
app inside Bulldog in a year ofcollege over at Miami and then
(09:04):
came back to o u in the after myfreshman year, I decided that I
didn't really want to run up abig college debt. So I stay here
and it happens to live with momand dad and just go to school
here. Do you? Okay, can youspeak to the kind of reputation
that the place had in Athens didthe locals The locals are always
(09:27):
kind of leery of it kind ofthought it was spooky. And it
was, you know, it was a littleon the creepy side.
You know, we were there aroundthere all the time. So I didn't
think twice about riding mybicycle to the basement of the
place or anything else. Yeah.
Yeah, it was a dark, kind ofspooky places back in there. And
some of the, you know, had somepretty funky smells and
(09:49):
everything else. So it was kindof a strange, but I was used to
it.
I see. So it was astirYou're graduating from high
school that you started workingthere is that right? I started
working there in 1978.
And I was just I just turned 23.
And I was going to you and I waskind of Lincoln and my roommate
(10:12):
started working there, he wasmaking pretty good money. And I
thought, you know, I'm kindalike I'm pretty, a lot better at
work. And then I wasn't going toschool. So I kind of like having
changed in my pocket. So Istarted working there, full time
in nursing in 1978. And I workedon the lock men's Ward, which
was ward number five, it was apretty rough place.
(10:38):
breaking up fights a lot.
to It was you had some prettyrough days. The one good thing
was no two days, wherever thesame, it was always something
different. Yeah, you weren'tgoing to get bored? No, yeah.
Not at all. I know a lot of thereputation today. And of course,
it's been closed now since Ithink 93.
(11:02):
Right, yeah. But the reputationfor the structure itself today
is one where it has a spookyreputation, and claims of ghosts
sighting.
I've heard a lot of as well, butI do have a good one.
(11:22):
When I worked on word five, Iworked three to 11 shifts in
Ward five was on the secondfloor and we would go to the end
of the hall and everything youwent in these locker wards. So
with a deadbolt lock, and thenyou'd, you'd get off the door,
open the door key and then lockit back up the key on the other
side. And then we'd go down thefire escape to to leave work.
(11:46):
And I did do that one night.
Most of time will be three orfour hours, whatever the work
crew was there, but sometimeshad somebody leave early or stay
late or something. So I didthat. And I was by myself. And I
was coming down they the parkscape. And there was an area in
the hospital that had beenclosed for several years. And I
(12:09):
heard something and I kind oftilted my head over there. And
when I was hearing was like anold manual typewriter.
Somebody's typing on an oldtypewriter from this area that
was pitch black, and it was 11o'clock at night. So needless to
say, I got to my car prettyquick. got in there and kind of
(12:29):
caught my breath. And thenI didn't leave work at 11
o'clock by myself for a longtime.
I made sure there was somebodywith me just to make sure that
that there wasn't somethingworse that was going to come
grab me or something. Especiallybeing alone. That would be Mr.
undeserving. Yeah. So that thatkind of reputation is that would
(12:52):
have had among you and your coworkers at the time that you
were working? Well, you know,everybody always thought there
were spirits up there. And, youknow, I had co workers that
would, at the end of our shiftwould take laundry and trash
out. In the laundry rooms weredown in the basement, some
workers just wouldn't go downthere by themselves because
they'd seen something or heardsomething at one point or
(13:14):
another. And they I understoodthat, especially if they were if
they were younger people orolder ladies that you know,
would ask you to walk them downthere and you do that.
To be curious. Yeah, yeah. Andbelow peace of mind that
everything's okay. Yeah. So eventhough it has this creepy kind
(13:38):
of atmosphere, yeah. Yeah, itwas real creepy. You know, you
could and I've told storiesabout going down the laundry
room and opening up the laundrydoor and you turn the light on,
and it just be like 1000cockroaches all over the walls
and the ceiling and everywhereelse.
Yeah, so this is the big oldbuilding. It was, I think we
(14:01):
started in 1868. But it didn'topen up until 1874. So there was
a lot of hype, and I think mostof brick and stuff was fired
right here on the east side ofAthens and taking up their own
horse wagon. So it took a longtime to build the place. And you
know, there'sa lot of history that goes with
(14:22):
the building. Yeah, and I don'tknow if you can answer this
question or not, but do you knowwhat the name of Richie's names
or how they chose? I'm not sureabout that, Louis. I don't know
how they came up with that.
Okay, we always called up thehill. And we had T shirts that
had a picture of the mainbuilding and said I'm from the
(14:44):
hill, one of the local t shirtguys in town that had the t
shirt placed, cranked out the Tshirts. A lot of people bought
it we all we all wore them. Sothere's a lot of pride in it
from low. offer a lot of pride.
For sure.
Yeah, and as usually they callit the hill typically. Yeah,
that's what we called it. Okay.
You know, in the old days it wasAP and State Hospital.
(15:10):
Ah, and there was always thestory going around this patients
would leave the grounds go to 10and then that tell the tell
local people I live here inAthens, I tend to ash College.
They're a little joke aboutwhere they were living. Sure.
And nice little inside jokethere. Yeah. Yeah. And I have to
(15:33):
say, you've given me a reallynice in depth view from somebody
from the inside. As somebodywho's, you know, lived a good
portion of your life. You know,the day I left I was in I'm not
a real sentimental guy, but Icried because I was, you know,
to me, I spent when puttingliving there working there, it's
been over half my life there.
(15:54):
Yeah.
It seems this is the kind ofplace that borrows deep into the
souls of many who come to sharean attachment to it.
The perspectives you'll heartoday come from locals, those
who came to know the institutionin largely positive ways. While
(16:15):
the asylum was initiallydesigned with the aim to heal
and restore those who suffered,we should remember that many,
many of its patients, the mostvulnerable among us, anguished
within its walls in ways we maynever fully understand. And yet,
it's still worth trying.
(16:39):
Perhaps one of the most famouspatients from the asylum was
Margaret Schilling. When herobituary was published in the
January 13 1979 issue of theZanesville times recorder, this
Perry County native had beenmissing for a month.
Most had assumed the 53 year oldhad somehow escaped from the
(17:02):
sprawling campus and was on thelam enjoying her newfound
freedom. No one had guessed thatthis wife and mother had somehow
fled unsupervised, to one of thecordoned off an unheated wings.
After climbing a desolatestairway, she'd entered a bear
and icy room, removed all herclothing and folded it neatly
(17:26):
beside her. She'd laid herselfflat on her back in the center
of the room, while sunlightpoured through several oversized
windows, bathing her freezingbody and light.
Six weeks later, a maintenanceworker would discover what
remained of her corpse there onthe floor.
(17:50):
While the official cause ofdeath was heart failure, this
certainly resulted from thefreezing temperatures she
endured in that winter season.
Once her remains were takenaway, custodial staff set to the
grim task of removing a stain,which marked the outline of her
body against the floor.
(18:11):
It seems a chemical reactionbetween her decomposing body and
the floor resulted in thedistinct silhouette of her small
frame.
Despite multiple attempts withvarious cleaning agents, the
stain would not release.
And although this claim soundsmore like fiction than fact,
(18:34):
I've been able to confirm fromfolks who've seen it for
themselves. The stain doesindeed remain, marking the place
for Margaret Schilling breathedher last in the building meant
to inspire hope and healing tothe masses.
One bit of lore that hassurfaced around this genuine
(18:57):
history is a curse. Incomingfreshmen who arrive to owe us
campus every fall are informedthat the McCobb tail as the tail
goes, anyone who ventures intothe unused wing, following the
same path Margaret did all thoseyears ago, and touches the stain
that marks the spot where sheperished will soon die a
(19:20):
torturous deathjust what was Margaret Schilling
fleeing from? Or did she simplywander off exploring forbidden
spaces to break the monotony ofher days? Of course, we'll never
know for sure. What we do know,however, is that countless
(19:41):
patients like her sufferedtreatments, we would today
consider barbaricin decades long past, before the
advent of modern medications,which quell the most severe of
symptoms, staff were desperatefor some way
Overcoming the worst ravages ofmental illness.
(20:04):
For those who went before us,many suffered the trials and
errors of new and unknowntreatments. Usually, they had no
choice in the matter. Unable togive consent, we owe the
efficacy of our currenttreatments to their sacrifices.
The graves of many souls remainon the grounds there today,
(20:28):
amid inviting hiking trailsstands a cemetery of nearly 2000
registered plots. The vastmajority of gravestones bear
simply a number, no names nodates. Since as early as the
1870s, many patients lost tieswith their family members during
their tenure at the institution.
Quite sadly, the world went onwithout them. And when their
(20:53):
final days came to pass, no onewas left to collect their
remains. The state's solution tothis tragedy was to simply bury
them there, at the place wherethey had been forgotten by those
who wants new them, with only anumber to mark their existence.
Within these plots were oncepeople, including civil war
(21:16):
veterans who suffered acondition we would later come to
know as PTSD, and epileptics,once believed, possessed by the
devil, and women sufferingpostpartum depression.
Yet some of the most arcanereasons for being admitted to
(21:37):
the asylum included decadence,which is essentially too much
spending too much sexualactivity and too much boozing.
It seems the vast majority of ustoday would qualify for entrance
into such a place in an effortto preserve the legacy of those
(21:57):
poor souls who suffered sogreatly. The National Alliance
for the Mentally Ill also knownas Naomi has undertaken a
project to restore and demystifythe grave sites contained on
these grounds. Throughpainstaking efforts, they have
cut back the overgrown weeds,and reset leaning and overturn
(22:18):
tombstones to their rightfulpossessions. With the help of
many additional organizations,they are working to identify the
names of those buried there, oneby one, with the permission of
living descendants, they areerecting complete headstones
which document that a person nota number lies below.
(22:42):
You can find a link in the shownotes for gnamaize web page on
this very project. There you candiscover how you can connect and
support these valuable efforts.
For the second portion oftoday's episode, we'll get to
hear from another local a Mr.
mattebox.
(23:02):
Having been born and raised nearthe area that offers unique
insights. You'll hear him makereference to Billy Milligan, one
of the asylums most infamouspatients. Coincidentally, Steve
call. The man you heardinterviewed previously, is the
son of Dr. David call. Dr. Kaulwas one of Billy Milligan's
(23:27):
psychiatrist there at theasylum. Netflix recently
released a documentary onMilligan's multiple felonies,
including murder and rape, andthe alleged mental illness he
used as a defense monstersinside the 24 faces of Billy
Milligan outlines thecontroversial story of one man
(23:48):
who claimed multiplepersonalities living within his
mind committed his crimes.
Milligan spent considerable timein the Athens asylum, and was
often given permission to leavethe premises going into town for
lunch, mingling with the locals.
Matt recalls his own experiencesspotting Milligan downtown. Even
(24:09):
more than that, he sharespersonal memories working as a
groundskeeper at the locationfor a couple summers in the mid
1990s.
Come hear his story.
You know, when I moved Athens,at least into the area, I was
(24:32):
pretty young. I think I wasprobably six or seven years old.
And I grew up in the next countyover from Athens in a very rural
area of Vinton County, andAthens was sort of the biggest
town, you know, close by towhere we live. So my mother and
I would come to Athens to do ourgrocery shopping and, you know,
(24:53):
walk around the sort ofcivilizations that Athens had to
offer and driving intotown and sort of seeing the
ridges, you know, obviously itpiqued my curiosity. And so, you
know, I was always justintrigued by the place. And my
mom and I sometimes would gowalk around the grounds just for
something to do on a Saturday.
(25:14):
And, you know, there was alsothe, the Billy Milligan aspect,
you know, he was he actuallylived in town when we first
moved to the area. And being akid, I didn't fully understand
the whole background of hisstory. But yeah, sometimes we
would see him walking around onthe street or eating lunch at
the Woolworths department storelunch counter. Yeah. And so, as
(25:37):
I got older, and, you know,became more familiar with, with
his story, you know, lookingback on that, it's very
interesting to be exposed tothat. Yeah, you know, I mean,
visually, again, the buildingsjust look like a place that you
are intimidated by. That's, as Isaid, before, loons are
(25:58):
ominously on its hilltop. Andthat definitely colored my first
impressions of the place. Right.
And I had just recently watchedthe documentary on Billy
Mulligan, within sure manypeople have. So
very interesting to see how thattied into the location itself.
First, he has quite complicatedlife. But the fact that, you
(26:21):
know, you recall, him beingthere, and having seen him, and
now you probably understand itmore as an adult, in terms of
the implications.
Marissa? Most definitely, yeah,I mean, thinking about the fact
that wow, you know, I wasliterally like, walked by this
guy on the street,since a child to find something.
(26:42):
And I mean, that's kind of aninteresting thing, too, because
when the hospital closed, myunderstanding that they found
other hospitals and otherfacilities to absorb the vast
majority of patients that hadbeen in residence up there. But
also, they weren't able to findplaces for all of them. So a
(27:03):
good bit of people who had beenresidents up there, whereas
absorbed into the community,here in town, back in those
days, it was pretty common to,there are a lot more people with
mental illness, just part of thecommunity after the hospital
closed. What are some more ofyour memorable experiences on
(27:24):
the job, anything that standsout? I know, it's been quite a
while back now. Butone thing that I really remember
is, you know, my job was in thesummers, I think it was probably
the summer of 94. In the summerof 95. I worked up there for two
successes, years. And Iremember, you know, I've lived
in a house off campus, not farfrom where I live now, actually.
(27:48):
And I would have to be at theridges in the morning. And so
you know, I would ride my bikeon the bypass. And since it goes
along the river in the evenings,it would get, it would cool
down. And so in the mornings,there would be a lot of fog,
along the paths that I had toride. And I just I really
remember, you know, my first fewmornings riding my bike to this
(28:10):
place and seeing it up here outof the fog.
Yeah, very much. So yeah, I'mjust thinking, man, what am I
getting myself into here? It'sthe type of place that like I
said before, I mean, it's hardnot to imprint it with, you
know, all these cultural ideasthat we have have have an insane
(28:34):
asylum.
Do you recall having any strangeor unusual experiences? I do.
Actually, not many, you know,strangely enough, other than
just the general sense ofominous pneus. There's the main
building, which is a very, verylarge, multi storey building.
(28:54):
With the Victorian facade.
I was reading the perimeter,like, you know, basically around
the edge of the building, webasically had to we'd eat all
the way around this giganticbuilding, and it has places
where it turns in upon itselfand makes us like small
courtyards. Just remember,following my trail with the weed
(29:19):
eater, and I was about to enterinto this little courtyard area,
and I just immediately had thissense of my brain just told me
to stop. And I had this amazingsense of fear.
Which is interesting becauselike there was no outside
(29:41):
stimulus to cause that me justmore of just like, okay, don't
go into this courtyard for somereason. You know what I mean?
And I can't explain like, whatmade me feel that way. But yeah,
I just stopped, looked aroundand didn't see anything but I
definitely backed off andmy crewmates about it later. And
(30:02):
it was a while before I wentback into that space, and it
didn't happen to me again. Soyeah, I can't really explain
what that was all about. Butcertainly there was something
like a gut feeling. Yeah, forsure. Yep. And one that stuck
with you after all these years?
Absolutely. It's probably mymost vivid memory of being up
there just in terms of strangethings that are unexplained.
(30:26):
Yeah. You know, I mean, theinteresting thing is, when I
moved down here, Athens was alittle hippie enclave like a
backwater, it still had a decentsized population, but it was
also the type of town where ifyou were here for a year, you
would know everybody, you know,I mean,
(30:48):
and that is slowly but surelystarting to fade. And that is
most certainly one of thereasons that I've stayed around
here for so long. And now thatit's changing, and starting to
look a little bit more likeeverywhere else, you know what I
mean? I hate to see that. And,luckily, we do have University
(31:08):
and the Historical Society andother, you know, agencies that
are, are pushing back againstthe onrushing blandness that,
you know, a lot of towns tend toexperience this day and age. And
so it's important to sort ofkeep that keep that alive, in my
opinion. Yeah.
I agree. And that might reflectsome more of why parts of the
(31:30):
history, like the ridges, andI'm sure there are many others
holding on to that as part ofwhat makes you different.
So that's a unique perspective,I hadn't really thought about
before, I keep thinking aboutthe fact that when the place was
built,the ideas about mental illness,
people that were sociallymarginal, they were different
(31:53):
than they are today, obviously.
And so my understanding is thatthe ridges was built for the
purpose of, of being able togive those people a better
quality of life in terms of,yeah, we're going to remove you
from society. But we're alsogoing to put you in a place
where there's natural beauty.
And there is the ability to, todo work, and exert yourself and
(32:18):
try to find some humaneness forwhatever that means, definition
wise. But I think there'ssomething to be said about that
versus the more scientific andclinical approach. It's apples
and oranges, maybe. ButI like the idea behind creating
a place that gives the person achance to, to look inward and
(32:44):
connect with, with nature. And Ithink that that was a big reason
why the ridges was built whereit was and how it was. Yeah, I
just think that's aninteresting, you know, I mean,
obviously, I don't think a placelike that will be built in the
modern age today, you know, Imean,
(33:05):
right? Yes, I think that's aninteresting aspect of the place
that other people may overlooksometimes, you know, and that's
not to say that there weresuffering and electroshock
therapy and experimentalapproaches to quote unquote,
healing people's mentalproblems, but
I don't know. I'm so glad thatyou brought that up, because it
(33:28):
really does bring things fullcircle, because I think a lot of
times when people look at itnow, it has that looming ominous
reputation. But you'reabsolutely right, that it's a
time that was built under thecalled the Kirkbride plan.
Right. Yeah. Which was allabout, instead of putting folks
with mental illness andwarehouses until they die, let's
(33:52):
put them somewhere where theycan be in touch with the healing
aspects of nature, and you havesome kind of work to do. Right.
So really was a very humanebefore its time approach for a
century, right. Yep. And I mean,that definitely changed over
time. You know, the place did infact, you just get
(34:14):
on track with the more I don'tknow what the word is of putting
people in a locker roomand letting them figure out
their own problems, I guess,much more invasive.
than the bottom ease andExactly, yes. Right.
Right, pretty far away from thatinitial mindset. Yeah.
(34:38):
So I mean, you know, I mean, Iguess the the takeaway from the
ridges is that you don't want tonecessarily judge a book by its
cover. I mean, yes, there is avery creepy and dark and sort of
sinister aspect to the place.
But is that something that weare all bringing to the table
because ofThe thing is that the images of
(35:00):
insanity that we sort of grew upwith, or is it inherent in the
place itself? Because, you know,obviously, there's more to that
place than just that aspect ofit, if that makes any sense.
I think that's, that'sdefinitely an important takeaway
for people who have never seenthe kind of the campus. Right.
(35:25):
Yeah. I think for me, itunderscores that it's not so
much the location itself, eventhough it's so foreboding that
if the people who are in it andhow they're operating and how
they're treating each other,ultimately, that that's an
insight that just came to me inthe course of our interviews,
but I appreciate you sharingyour thoughts on that because I
(35:47):
hadn't been considering thatangle. Yeah, yeah.
The way we treat each other,it's a sentiment as old as the
Bible codified and the goldenrule. One of the three lines
I've discovered on researchingthis story was that very guiding
(36:08):
principle. The Athens lunaticasylum, as designed in the mid
19th century, was just oneexample of many similar
facilities across the countrythat approached mental health
treatment in a revolutionaryway.
asylums built under theKirkbride plan, emphasized time
spent in nature, the value ofwork, and the healing power of a
(36:33):
community built to supportsomeone in need of care.
This was the way of thinkingunder which plans for the asylum
began in 1868.
In previous centuries, webelieved mental illness sprang
forth from demonic spirits. Webelieve those who suffered
(36:54):
insanity, needed treatmentstantamount to torture today,
all to save their souls.
And when that way of thinkingfell by the wayside, we came to
view mental illness as aweakness, a sure sign of a
person who simply didn't havethe intelligence to figure out
(37:14):
their own problems. These folkswere marginalized, devalued, and
locked away out of sight. So therest of us could go on and joy
in our lives without having tosee them.
And as a further injustice, thelabel of mental illness became a
weapon, a way to punish thosefolks viewed as unsavory. For
(37:37):
example, women suspected ofunfaithfulness and sexual
promiscuity could be committedto such institutions by their
husbands, fathers or otherfamily members.
Among other actual committalreasons, listed in historical
admission records includelaziness, asthma, epilepsy, and
(37:59):
jealousy.
Those who are most susceptibleto involuntary admission
included members of society withthe least power women, the poor,
the disabled, and others amongthem.
Our view of mental health issueshas evolved thankfully, common
(38:23):
treatments today include use oftalk therapy and medications,
which are most often managed onan outpatient basis. The era of
sprawling asylum campuses,housing, hundreds of patients
are long gone. We've come a longway and our understanding of
what it means to suffer fromknown conditions like
depression, anxiety, and so manyothers. Arguably, we have a long
(38:48):
way to go in fighting thestigma, which remains.
I'd like to think that theguiding principles that drove
the Kirkbride plan more than acentury ago, can light our way
at today,when we view those who suffer
mental illness as people, whenwe realize that any one of us is
as vulnerable to developing thesame struggles than we all rise
(39:11):
together.
Perhaps the alleged spirits whoremained within the walls of
this still standing asylum,carry this message. Perhaps they
longed for connection,acceptance, and the path
forward, they were never givenin life.
(39:32):
My hope is that this structurestands as a monument to our
everlasting attempts to treatthose least among us, as fellow
humans, all facing uniquechallenges and longing for
unconditional love.
Many fellow Ohioans lived anddied at the storied location.
(39:53):
Many are buried with nothing buta number to mark their resting
places. This episodeis dedicated in their memories
and hopes that their lives werenot lost in vain.
May their stories guide ourthinking and our choices and the
way we treat the least among ustoday and in the years ahead
(40:20):
This concludes today's episodeon the Athens lunatic asylum. I
hope you've enjoyed it. If so,please rate review and subscribe
to Ohio folklore on your chosenpodcast platform. You can find
Ohio folklore at Ohiofolklore.com And on Facebook.
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