In East Bethany, New York lies one of the most haunted historical locations in the world- Rolling Hills Asylum. Established in 1827, the building housed the mentally and physically disabled, destitute, orphans, alcoholics, widows, and others deemed to be "unworthy" of aide within their communities. In this episode, we discuss the foundation of New York's State's Poor Houses and Farms, as well as the paranormal occurrences said to happen in the walls of Rolling Hills Asylum. You may want to leave the lights on listeners, we're getting a little spooky!
Episode Transcript:
References:
1601 Poor Law. (n.d.). Retrieved from UK Government: https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/evolutionofparliament/2015-parliament-in-the-making/get-involved1/2015-banners-exhibition/rachel-gadsden/1601-poor-law-gallery/#:~:text=In%201601%2C%20Elizabeth%20I%27s%20Government,and%20different%20pattern
Before the Poorhouse. (n.d.). Retrieved from Ulster County New York: https://ulstercountyny.gov/poorhouse/background
Conklin, S. L. (n.d.). Genesee County Home/Poorhouse. Retrieved from Genesee County New York: https://www.co.genesee.ny.us/departments/history/county_home.php
Ghost_Encounters. (2015, October 25). Rolling Hills Asylum. Retrieved from Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/Paranormal/comments/3q6co1/rolling_hills_asylum/
Gigantism. (n.d.). Retrieved from Cleveland Clinic: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/22954-gigantism
History. (n.d.). Retrieved from Rolling Hills Asylum: https://www.rollinghillsasylum.com/about-rha/history
History Marker Rolling HIlls. (n.d.). Retrieved from William G. Pomeroy Foundation: https://www.wgpfoundation.org/historic-markers/rolling-hills/
Indentures and Removal Orders. (n.d.). Retrieved from Ulster County: https://ulstercountyny.gov/poorhouse/documents/indentures
Mark, M. &. (2013, October 23). The Haunting of Rolling Hills Asylum. Retrieved from Weird New Jersey: https://weirdnj.com/stories/rolling-hills-asylum/
NY Ghosts. (n.d.). Rolling Hills Asylum. Retrieved from NYC Ghosts: https://nyghosts.com/rolling-hills-asylum/
https://www.travelchannel.com/shows/ghost-adventures/episodes/rolling-hills-sanitarium-bethany-ny
Wagner, D. (2005). The poorhouse: America’s forgotten institution. Lanham, MD: Rowman-Littlefield Publishers. Retrieved October 20, 2023 from https://socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/issues/poor-relief-almshouse/
The intro theme for this podcast are sections of Nightmare Machine by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
