THE STORY
Reported Haunting
The DeJarnette Building at Western State Hospital is associated with disturbing reports tied to its institutional history. Witnesses have described shadow figures, unexplained screams, phantom footsteps, and apparitions believed to be former patients. The abandoned building has long attracted paranormal investigators and urban legends.
Western State Hospital, a fancy resort-style asylum called Western State Lunatic Asylum in its early years, was originally built in the 1820s. In 1905 it was taken over by Dr. Joseph Dejarnette, under whose authority patients were tortured. When the hospital moved in the 1970s the building became the Staunton Correctional Center, and in the 2000s, The Villages at Staunton condominiums. Before the change to condos, the building stood vacant for several years. Witnesses reported footsteps, moans, whispers, screams, and doors opening and closing on their own.