Exploring the (sort of) Abandoned Pennhurst Asylum | Philadelphia, PA

*NOTE: I had to mute about 2 minutes of audio near the beginning of the video. The rest of the video audio is fine though.
Join me as I explore the abandoned Pennhurst State School and Hospital in the suburbs of Philadelphia. The current owners offered an unguided photography tour, so I decided to take a chance and see what I could explore of the old abandoned buildings. I knew the place was used for paranormal investigations, but I didn't realize how much more extreme it was than that. Do you think it's ok what they're doing here?
1968 Documentary Suffer the Little Children: • Video
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[@JCT442]

For the past 27 years I've lived 15 miles from this place and have never heard of it before... thanks for telling me what's in my own county Ian.

[@paddy9449]

If those walls could talk......

[@tubbsthecat3080]

I grew up not far from Pennhurst and explored it often along with the abandoned industrial distillery complex across the river. A friend of mine knew every twist and turn of the tunnel system and where they led. He would bring me to spots I didnt know existed there like the piano room and the morgue. I once saw a large groups of teenagers wielding clubs and baseball bats run screaming out of there terrified at night. It truely was terrifying at night , much like Gettysburg battlefield.

[@nathanbrady8529]

Out of curiosity, how do you propose the property owners pay the taxes and associated costs without a stream of revenue? I guess the land could be bulldozed and have a Wal-Mart put in. At least they're preserving it and making it available to the people who do wish to learn, while being able to afford just that with the money made from the events that appeal to a wide audience. (P.s. I'd love to see you flip tf out over Eastern State Penitentiary, which would have been condemned and leveled by now if not for private owners, just like Pennhurst.)

[@mikaelascott283]

I think those pathways you were walking on outside are the tops of the tunnels they would use to transport patients underground so that they couldn’t be seen by the public

[@IanMartinExploration]

Ahhh, that makes sense! Thanks!

[@emilyouimette2668]

aww Penhurst covering up patient abuse

[@t41flyer]

That is correct about the tunnels.

[@mikaelascott283]

@@t41flyer thank you for the confirmation!!!☺️

[@Skyisnotalimit]

The emptiness and sadness over that place is massive. Imagine being a child and dumped off there, and your parents never came back. It’s like a giant dark hole.

[@RippyClippy]

You were able to go there legally?

[@IanMartinExploration]

Yep, I was pretty surprised to come across the option

[@gobbletegook]

Look at how fast that has grown over! Scary...and sad...all at the same time. Who knows...someday, when the land is redeveloped, they will find a few bodies burred there too.

[@stevenlakely431]

Suffer the little children was an old documentary where a man walked around showing the abuse and neglect that happened here kids were wrongfully tortured

[@calderian1609]

Those running the tours and attractions may have ties to the disabled and mental health communities who would have been affected by a place like this if it was running today. Preserving unusable buildings with a terrible history has taken on a strange form of entertainment. I can understand why it would appear disrespectful. But I understand why they would put up with being seen as disrespectful for the sake of not letting it be torn down and forget what was done to innocent people.

[@michaelradcliff3966]

I'm glad that people explore PENNHURST asylum for ghosts& spirit s so what it's better than the place sitting there going to hell.

[@RobertMillerJustme]

I made money restoring older buildings but truth be told some places just need to be torn down, as for the paranormal investigations they are a modern-day circus, I do believe darkness can overshadow places, and the worse I ever felt was Gettysburg PA This place should be condemned in honor of those who suffered from political persecution they suffered.

[@Dave30867]

I really wonder why they built this asylum when they could never afford staff or care for the people who needed help that is just evil itself .

[@mrfugazi6713]

The whole fucking system is evil buddy, I’m a spiritual person myself and have been since my childhood and I’m 60 years old now, but I’m not a medium or anything like that but, I’ve never once tried to channel the dead. I strictly believe that they should be left to rest really, I honestly don’t understand why people would even want to walk around a place like this, these institutions are run by bullies and nothing but, just like most prisons are, we have the same problem in Britain, we have one of many mental asylums called Broadmoor and it’s been said by ex-patients that the staff would be nasty horrible bastards who would ill treat them, I honestly think this place should be demolished and let the poor bastards free myself, cause has long at its standing the poor souls will remain there, wherever you find suffering, you will find spirits.

[@charlenestein6061]

It was never a asylum back in the day.They call it that now due to making it into a Hauntedhouse.

[@cabinvibeetsystore9094]

New sub! Liked 😀👍🙏😌😀😀

[@IanMartinExploration]

Awesome, thanks and welcome!

[@fernandoscrenci4874]

There' s No such things as ghost , but demons YES!!!

[@emilyouimette2668]

I think the whole goal of the people who currently own this place is to make money I doubt they give a fuck about the people who suffered there. The ghosts should have help to move on the after life and to be at peace.

[@emilyouimette2668]

I think it is exploiting people who were horrendously abused and lived in pure hell. I think it should be turned into a museum to honor the people tortured there. i think doing haunted houses is making a mockery and making fun of heinous abuse people expereinced

[@charlenestein6061]

Having the Haunted house there they don’t mock or make fun of the people that were abuse there.

[@mrfugazi6713]

The place should be demolished and set the poor souls free, wherever you find suffering you will find spirits, fact.

[@charlenestein6061]

Even if they did demolished it the souls will still be there cause it is the only place they know.

[@chrisburke4011]

These films make the employee's of Pennhurst out to be monsters. As a 14 year employee I am insulted at the commentary. Many of my fellow employees cared and did what they could with the staffing the way it was. These ghost and paranormal groups that took over is pure crap. Trust me.....100% crap. I guess crap doesn't make money though does it.

[@IanMartinExploration]

I’d love to hear more stories and experiences from someone who actually worked there! Everything makes it out to be a truly awful place.

[@theirmom4723]

So basically, the investigations and results were made up?

[@Blondie77128]

Hello, thank you to represent the former employees of Pennhurst who did the best they could for the residents and truly cared for them. My family and I visited Pennhurst State School yesterday for the history tour. It was an informative and respectful tour of the history and its people. We had the opportunity to finish the tour with a former employee who spoke about her experience working there and that there were positives and it wasn’t all tragedy and abuse. There are many lovely people in this world that truly do help others in need. Their contributions should never be overshadowed by those who did not.

[@tunatyme720]

I moved from there in 87 my aunt and uncle worked there but never would talk about conditions

[@annecounihan]

I was bothered by the constant!!!! whining about the facility now on display for visitors of all kinds. Although gruesome, it is a part of History. Tourist marketing of Penhurst to tourists and ghost 👻 hunters a like is somewhat common place as in.... Alcatraz, Auschwitz, Anne Frank's hideaway, RMS Queen Mary, Eastern State Penitentiary...the list is long 🎃

[@lemonbunny71]

It's kinda bold to compare the way Pennhurst is marketed as a haunted place to a location as Auschwitz. Auschwitz has been turned into a musuem and is supposed to remind society to never have such horrible things ever happen again. A visit to a KZ like Auschwitz is mandatory for almost every student in Germany and one way the country tries to deal with its horrible past. Whereas Pennhurst has been turned into a place that holds Halloween events and offers ghost tours.

[@tunatyme720]

He doesn't even know where he is filming Philly is app 40 miles from there he is in Black Rock area Phoenixville PA