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Peoria State Hospital - Bartonville Asylum - Real Bartonville Haunt

   
  • 4100 W Pfeiffer Rd
  • Bartonville, IL
  • 309-202-1035
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  (9 reviews)
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From 1902-1973 this was the place of a mental hospital, which now continues to stand vacant. There are plans to restore the property.

Many say the property is haunted by Manuel A. Bookbinder, or Old Book. He was a patient who worked with the burial crew until his own death. He would mourn the passing of each person he helped inter in the cemetery. When it came time for Old Books' own funeral, Dr. George A. Zeller who was the physician who led the hospital attested that 400 staff and patients saw Old Book's ghost mourning at his own funeral. They even opened his coffin to confirm his body was still there and it was.
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  • Old Book’s Ghost

    My daughter and son in law run a paranormal group in Peoria called Parallax Paranormal. I’ve been on many investigations with them and this former skeptic is now a full fledged believer in ghosts. They have captured so many spirits via their ghost boxes and SLS Cameras that I now believe that we in the mortal realm are surrounded by ghosts everywhere. I have never had such chills go through me or literally seen the hairs on both arms stand up at the same time as when I am on an investigation with them. On one such visit at the Bartonville state hospital cemetery we were told repeatedly thru the ghost box to leave. We happened to find Immanuel Bookbinders grave and proceeded to ask questions hoping his spirit would respond. We didn’t get any audio responses and we realized that in life he had been deaf and mute. What we did get ,on the SLS camera, was the image of a tall man resting, on the ground, cross legged , againist his grave stone obviously relaxing. It was simply amazing and bone chilling. ?????? When you visit you will certainly get responses from the dead. This is a ten rating spot for paranormal proof. David Jendrycki Chicago

    Posted 10/22/24

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  • Demolished

    I had gone there while I was living in Peoria I was very disappointed about the main building being down but I did get an overwhelming feeling of sadness when I had gone by those main buildings in the front usually they have a haunted house through there during Halloween. I wasn’t allowed to go in at the time because the worker had said that THEY wouldn’t like that as in the spirits that actually do live there. The physical cemetery would give you the creeps as well the feeling of uneasiness when as you walk through especially when you go to Karl Kramers grave and as you walk toward the end of the cemetery where the trees are. You really get this uneasy feeling as if something is being hidden with those trees I had looked a bit farther back and seen a small shed in the trees. To anybody who’s not afraid of spiders and happens to go in those trees please make a video about it. There was also an incident to where me and my boyfriend at the time had been playing with the filters that help you see a different energy around you and had noticed something that was moving and sad in the main buildings

    Posted 8/28/24

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    1 out of 1 found this review helpful

  • Bartonville raised

    I grew up on Hatterman in Bartonville. Which is literally a small hike through the woods to get there or just a bike ride couple streets down. As a kid growing up in the 80s and 90s we didn't have the technology we have now to distract us from the outside world. And as you know 80 and early 90s were very heavily populated with horror movies. So naturally my friends and I watch them. Well well also played alot in the woods and explored the Bartonville Stat Hospital during the day and night. The things we heard and saw gave us chills all the time. But our fear didn't hold us back. We wanted to know more and see more. So we would go back 2-3 times a week. Just to see if we would see or hear something new. There are so many urban legends surrounding those grounds. Specially since this was a coal mining town. Bartonville was known as a rowdy town. Full of drunk miners. There were 11 saloons there. There are just so many urban legends there I heard growing up. I even experienced stuff multiple times at my best friends house and my own house. That town is full of potential but people there won't talk about them. And most of the original family's through out there years are gone leaving no one to pass on the stories. But I was very devastated that they tore down the Bowen Building the main building. Wish someone could or restored it. Could of brought alot of money to Bartonville. But the village board didn't see it that way. They saw it as a eye sore.

    Posted 6/10/24

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  • Most of it is home but the cemetery is still there

    Unfortunately they did demolish the main hospital. But some outlying buildings still remain, including some of the buildings from the infirmary. I’ve looked in the windows and they are very creepy. I also walked through the cemetery. That felt less creepy but it was cool to see. There are many grave stones there with no names on them. Overall pretty cool place to see. Just wish the main building was still there though.

    Posted 10/14/23

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    1 out of 1 found this review helpful

  • Mostly gone now

    City has torn most of the buildings down. A couple of buildings that were administrative buildings only remain. The wards and doctor treatment rooms are all gone. Many of the admin buildings now house other open businesses.

    Posted 8/6/23

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  • abuse from dr. zeller

    it is said that there was abuse at the old hospital from dr. zeller when it was still running. several people had testified that dr. zeller would run railroad nails through people's feet as a form of cure. there is said to be a lady wondering the grounds in a white night dress, she was one of the victims of dr. zeller. i remember driving past the asylum as a passenger, i looked up at one of the windows and saw a woman who looked to be in her mid 20's with brown hair that reached her shoulders looking out the window out to the cemetery. i have been by there several times, just driving by but never stopping. something has always tried to pull me in towards the cemetery across the way.

    Posted 10/12/20

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    4 out of 9 found this review helpful

  • creepy but cool

    I went here with my dad and we got some good picture and when we looked back at them, we seen what looked like a person (nobody else was there) and I thought it was lowkey really creepy but also cool at the same time.

    Posted 9/11/20

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    1 out of 1 found this review helpful

  • DEMOLISHED

    Sadly, the building has been demolished.

    Posted 10/16/17

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    10 out of 14 found this review helpful

  • Very interesting

    There is definitely something paranormal going on here. I did the guided tour and a few of the spots we went too definitely had a feeling of some sort of activity was going on. We captured voices and video using the "ghost box" recorder and other investigation tools. I highly recommend this place.

    Posted 3/16/17

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    2 out of 2 found this review helpful

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Contact Phone #: 309-202-1035

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Last edit to this listing: 8/17/2015 (3395 days ago)

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