Guys, I’ve been feeling chills all today and I was positive it was due to the cold weather. Well, now I’m not so sure. That’s because not only did I learn about a super creepy asylum today, but I also learned that it is still standing. I’m referring to the Illinois Asylum for the Incurable Insane.

For my friends in Peoria, this might be old news. But for the rest of us, it is super scary.

The idea of this asylum was launched in 1886, when a group called the Peoria Women’s Club lobbied for the construction of a state asylum for the mentally ill, who at that point were in prisons.

All of the things that you know about asylums (or that show on TV, anyway) happened here–bizarre therapies, restraints, and lots of deaths. Some were from illness, others were from being murdered by other patients.

One of the creepiest tidbits about this place was that there was actually a zoo on the grounds at one point, which housed deer, wolves, and bears. Why someone gave this the green light is absolutely unclear.

The hospital ended up being closed in December of 1973. Yet, it still stands. For those of you not near Peoria (or not going within 10 miles of this place), there is a YouTube video (complete with haunting music) so you can see what this place was like.

Have any scary stories about this asylum? Let us know in the comments.

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