Pennhurst Asylum haunted attraction is located in Spring, City, PA and consists of:

Pennhurst Asylum: A hospital themed walk thru attraction featuring many items and artifacts that were part of the original State School. Many changes were made to this attraction this year.

The Dungeon of Lost Souls: A “human experiments gone wrong” themed walk thru attraction.

The Tunnel Terror: A 900 foot long gauntlet underneath the grounds of the old State School which has been upgraded with catacombs and many new sets.

Ghost Hunt: A self guided tour of the Mayflower Building, reportedly the most active of all the locations on the campus. You are are allowed to wander through the dormitory with just a flashlight.

My review of Pennhurst will start at the end and progress to the party time boogity boogity for reasons that I will now break down for you.

For 2014 the Pennhurst Museum is located in the Ghost Hunt building. It might be tempting to jet past the Pennhurst Museum straight to the Ghost Hunt. Don’t skip it. Skipping the museum is not the best idea that anyone ever had.

This museum features artifacts, pictures, and information about the actual Pennhurst State School and should not be missed. It’s staffed by Ruth and Donna who worked at Pennhurst in the 80s before it closed. They are here to answer any of your questions about Pennhurst and to help tell the story of it’s history.

Ruth had built a replica of one of her favorite patient’s rooms with a photo of her to honor her. It was obvious that she felt very close to her. She showed us pictures of when she escorted her home for her birthday:

Both Ruth and Donna clearly have a very deep respect and love for the patients they worked with. They and a volunteer staff of about 20 had gone through the buildings to find many artifacts to put on display for those coming for the haunted attraction.

These are the eating utensils that the patients would have used:

Many of these things were not still in use in the 80s. This particular item they were not sure exactly what it was. It said something like “electo-surgical” on it. Yikes:

Here is just a small sample of what you will find in the museum:

After you have finished with the haunted attraction and before you embark on Ghost Hunt I highly urge you to stop in here. Look at the artifacts and speak to Ruth and Donna about their time working at the Pennhurst of the 1980s. If you are curious about the real Pennhurst – the history and the legend – you won’t regret it. It’s a phenomenal place staffed by friendly people who love their job and do it with the utmost respect.

In Pt. 2 I will talk about the Pennhurst Haunted Attractions themselves.