A Trip To This Haunted Asylum Near Buffalo Is Not For The Faint Of Heart
By Lea Monroe|Published September 16, 2018
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Lea Monroe
Author
Writer for Only In Your State. Scribbling about all things New York and Buffalo related while also keeping you updated on the latest travel news! Inquiries: Lmonroe@onlyinyourstate.com
In the past at Only In Your State, we’ve talked about how Buffalo is hands down New York’s most haunted city – with a whole laundry list of chilling places that are known for having eerie histories and are said to be filled with ghosts. However, when it really comes down to it, Western New York as a whole is quite the hair-raising region. Just outside of the Queen City in a town that’s almost perfectly parallel to us, head an hour east this fall to take the tour of a lifetime through this haunted, abandoned asylum of Genesee County.
An infamous landmark in the small town of East Bethany, Rolling Hills Asylum opened up back in 1827.
The 54,000-square-foot asylum originally served as the Genesee Poor House - a place where orphans, widows, the disabled, mentally ill, elderly, and anyone who couldn't take care of themselves were sent to live.
After long being the local poorhouse, the building was used as a nursing home until 1974 when it closed its doors for good and would be left abandoned.
But unlike other abandoned buildings in New York, the poorhouse has been given a second chance at life with its history continuing to be shared with visitors from all over the country.
Generally speaking, most of the spirits that you'll encounter at Rolling Hills are actually of good spirit (ha!) and mean no harm or to frighten anyone visiting the abandoned building.
The most famous ghost of all at Rolling Hills is a 7.5-foot-tall man named Roy Crouse who was dropped off at the poorhouse at the age of 12 and lived here until his death.
According to visitors who have communicated with Roy's spirit, it appears that he never had any negative experiences here at Rolling Hills and is almost always around to make his presence known.
But the same can't be said for all the spirits of Rolling Hills, one, in particular, has earned the nickname of "The Screaming Lady" who is definitely not known as the friendliest of ghosts.
Offering Ghost Hunts, Guided Tours, Movie Nights, and a whole variety of ways to experience the haunting halls of Rolling Hills Asylum - there's no excuse to not make the drive out to this spine-tingling destination this fall.
While it's always nice to hear from our friendly ghost Roy that all was well for him here at Rolling Hills Asylum, there's certainly no denying the chilling energy that's exuded from this property. During the years of its operation, at least 1,700 deaths were documented here. The number of deaths may be alarming on its own, but the fact that nobody knows where the bodies are buried is even more ghastly. With no gravestones or grave map ever found and the property overrun during its long abandonment, nobody has ever discovered where the people who died at the Genesee Poorhouse were ever laid to rest. Eek!
To find out more about Rolling Hills Asylum and to see the different tours that are available to book this year, click here.
Address: 11001 Bethany Center R., East Bethany, NY 14054
