Rolling Hills Asylum
Long after this poor farm closed, some say ghostly paupers are still spending their afterlife here
Reported Hauntings of Rolling Hills Asylum
- Shadow figures are frequently encountered, with one reportedly being over 7 feet tall
- Many disembodied voices are reported throughout the building
- Objects in the morgue are said to move around without explanation
- Large handprints have been found throughout the building with no explanation
- One room is said to house a spirit who will repeatedly call 'hello'
- People have been shoved by unseen forces
Rolling Hills Asylum:
A History of Poverty
At a desolate, rural crossroad in western New York sits a building that looks as lonesome and forgotten as the farm fields that surround it. With rusted windowpanes, cracked and chipping wood framings, and signage so faded it is nearly unreadable, the Rolling Hills Asylum looks like no soul has stepped foot near it in decades.
But a beaming red placard on the corner of the property tells a much different, and much more eerie tale. What may look like a historical marker at first glance is actually a sign from a New York folklore society, and it tells of great supernatural presences within the brown brick walls of this former almshouse. And though it may look entirely abandoned, Rolling Hills Asylum is often busy with activity, be it from the owners sprucing it up, visitors taking tours, or from the spirits that supposedly haunt the halls.
Timeline of Rolling Hills Asylum's History
Swipe or use timeline points to see Rolling Hills Asylum through the years
Rolling Hills Asylum’s Many Apparitions
Along with Roy’s tall, thin shadow figure, numerous other moving shadows have been reported at Rolling HillsAsylum. The men’s dormitory area seems to be a hotspot for the apparitions, where they are noted to both appear as human figures and as amorphous, shadowy blobs.
Many of these apparitions are said to move towards those who see them, adding an additional startling layer to one of Rolling Hills’ most frequently reported supernatural occurrences.
Hauntings of Hattie at Rolling Hills Asylum
Beyond just shadows and apparitions, disembodied voices have become a fixture of the Rolling Hills Asylum experience. One of these voices is said to be heard so often that it’s been connected to a past inmate named Hattie. Hattie was once an elderly and blind woman housed at the almshouse when she could no longer care for herself, and took to calling ‘hello’ whenever she needed anything from staff members.
Now, visitors on tours and ghost hunters performing investigations often report hearing Hattie’s weary voice calling out ‘hello’ from her room on the East Wing’s first floor.
Does Rolling Hills Asylum harbor Angry Spirits?
Despite many of the spirits at Rolling Hills Asylum seeming benevolent, not every entity is known to be calm and level-headed. Down in the basement particularly, it is said some angry or vengeful spirits linger.
While there is no confirmation that basement rooms were used for solitary confinement, the old building’s infrastructure seems to point that way, with several small basement rooms sporting heavy metal chain loops built directly into the wall masonry.
It is around these spaces, and the nearby morgue, where visitors have reported being shoved by unseen forces. Some have even reported being knocked off their feet completely by these invisible entities.
The presence of these negative entities is sometimes said to be accompanied by an uneasy or unwelcomed feeling in people exploring down there.