Comments

You must log in or register to comment.

PurpleWhiteOut t1_j73jty1 wrote

It's not abandoned anymore. They do a Halloween thing (which is probably poor taste now that I think about it) so I'd be surprised if they didn't have functional surveillance

26

MonkeyPanls t1_j73rzws wrote

>It's not abandoned anymore. They do a Halloween thing (which is probably poor taste now that I think about it)...

I heard an interview with one of the caretakers: they know it's not a great look, but it provides a ton of funding for their preservation and education projects. I think it was an episode in this series.

12

PurpleWhiteOut t1_j73ss5y wrote

Yeah I figured it was basically a financial necessity since eastern state does the exact same thing

6

Little_Noodles t1_j73sbe4 wrote

It’s super easy to explore with a tour.

I’ve been there for both day and night tours. The day tours are pretty cool and give you access to locked parts of the campus.

I’d have to imagine that you wouldn’t be able to see shit at night without making yourself easy to spot, you’d be likely to hurt yourself on the grounds without a flashlight (there’s lots of constructiony areas and uneven ground), it would be hard to tell which buildings are safe to enter and which aren’t, and a lot of the spaces that are the most interesting to explore are the ones they’ve prioritized making accessible, so they’ll be locked up.

Plus, if you’re really looking to catch the wild stuff, a lot of the tours include former employees. Bunch of old ladies that got hired in their 20s, whose entire inventory of fucks to give and capacity to be grossed out was burned out of them by 30. There’s nothing you can see there in the dark that beats watching two old broads compare notes about how to get human shit out of your hair before your husband gets home.

15

xtimewitchx OP t1_j74z23e wrote

Aah there’s no option to book a regularass tour. Maybe they don’t have them this time of year?

2

Little_Noodles t1_j74zx80 wrote

Possibly? I definitely grabbed the first link that showed up on Google (on mobile, halfassing it on my way out of work), which may not be the only option.

I can tell you that it’s being managed by a dedicated but small team that maintains a reasonably active onsite presence, but is underfunded and would be justified in winding down public operations during months in which too few people were willing to be outside and in buildings with no temperature control for extended periods.

So it’s possible you’re out of luck this time around. But I would do a search beyond the first hit link I found to make sure. I’d even add that I’ve had good luck emailing organizations like this - I’ve scored many a private tour (not from here specifically, but from similarly sized and smaller organizations) at only a slightly higher than normal donation rate from someone that was going to be there anyway. You wouldn’t get the older ladies that reunion for the tours - but you would get a pretty custom, private tour of an unusual place.

3

xtimewitchx OP t1_j750fkv wrote

Good idea. I’ll be in that area on Monday so hopefully I can get a hold of someone this weekend

2

Little_Noodles t1_j75ey7y wrote

Best of luck to you! I've never tried to score a private tour from this group during an off-season, but it is something that often works with similarly sized and smaller organizations. Especially if you mention being willing to pay and having a flexible schedule in your email.

1

xtimewitchx OP t1_j78c3gv wrote

The main number is actually the curators cell phone. I called twice (bc I missed what the vm said) and didn’t even leave a message. She texted me back very shortly after.

Anyway, it’s $250 for a private tour for 4/5 people. Out of my budget at the moment but def interested in the future.

Gotta figure out some other stuff to do in the area

3

Little_Noodles t1_j78chup wrote

Yeah, that’s a little steep. The general public tours are much more affordable. Best of luck on the things to do hunt!

1

synthetikxangel t1_j73ihpo wrote

I did a car show there a few years back. Since part of the campus is actually available for tours (much like eastern state penitentiary in Philly) i imagine security is pretty tight

7

Rich_Librarian_7758 t1_j74rpib wrote

I tried to go drive close when the pandemic first started and the kids and I were bored. Security came and blocked the road we were driving on and threatened to call the cops on my three kids and I. Dude was super aggressive and we were just driving up. I wouldn’t try to go without a tour.

6

notbizmarkie t1_j76wc4q wrote

Definitely don’t try to navigate it on your own. Many buildings are in complete disrepair, with the floors and stairs caved in.

Also not to be dramatic, but I went a few times when I was younger for ghost hunting stuff thinking we would hear a few bumps in the night at most. That place is no joke. You don’t want to wander around there without someone who knows what they are doing.

4

Hayduk3Lives t1_j76j93z wrote

Be aware at night they have security guards driving around. We wandered onto their property while doing a night bike ride and they stopped us in like 5 minutes.

3

homiefive t1_j77jbs9 wrote

explored it years ago, in high school, when it was abandoned. we used to explore all of the ones around at the time. pennhurst, byberry, haverford, one in NJ. the “weird nj” days. i haven’t been to pennhurst since it’s been opened up as an actual attraction.

1

Vigorously_Swish t1_j7axw6p wrote

It has never been easy since back when me and my friends would sneak in 20 years ago. There was always security patrolling and you needed a crowbar to pry open an entrance since they constantly patched up previous entrances.

It’s not the same at all anymore though, been bought out and repurposed as a stupid Halloween thing. Though I hear it’s only one building they renovated for that, so in theory you could sneak into one of the other buildings for the classic urban exploring experience. Idk for sure though, haven’t lived around there for 2 decades, just going by word of mouth

1

Windstance t1_j73kk7d wrote

If you're going to go, I'd suggest going at night and keeping a low profile. I haven't been in the past five years or so, so it's possible security has tightened, but it was manageable the last time I went. There was a single floodlight and a truck parked near it, but it seemed to be part of a mulching project going on with some of the trees. I've heard stories of people getting arrested, but there wasn't (at least back then) any kind of outpost for security to set up in. It's also extremely easy to just bail into the woods if someone comes along. Just have an exit plan.

Also, be careful because two of the bigger, interconnected buildings have a lot of asbestos, so don't go in without a high quality respirator. Those buildings are marked though.

If you're willing to take the risk and go late at night, it's a fascinating campus to explore. Just be cautious. :)

−3

thereisnodevil666 t1_j73paox wrote

Pretty sure you can legally book an overnight sleepover in the museum preserved part for "ghost hunting" these days? At least that's what they mentioned when I was there in like 2019.

6