St. Albans Sanatorium - Radford, VA

St. Albans Sanatorium has been many things over the years, a boys school, a mental hospital, an ill-considered daycare facility, and, today, a site for those seeking an experience with the paranormal. Built on a hill overlooking the New River outside of Radford, VA at the site of a bloody battle from the American Civil War, the location’s violent history has led to many locals viewing it as a nexus for paranormal activity.

The structure now known as St. Albans Sanatorium began life as St. Albans Lutheran Boys School in 1892. The school operated first under headmaster George W. Miles and then Winslow H. Randolph. It was a prestigious preparatory school in the area, however, bullying was reportedly rampant, and there were rumors that several students lost their lives. St. Albans closed in 1904, and the building sat vacant until 1916, when Dr. J.C. King converted the property into St. Albans Sanatorium.

Dr. King was a forward-thinking psychologist for the time, emphasizing a home-like environment and attempting to treat his patients rather than simply locking them up away from society. St. Albans featured such amenities as a roof-top garden, a bowling alley, and a farm where the patients could work. Unfortunately, the treatments were still, by today’s standards, barbaric. Electroshock therapy, lobotomies, and insulin-shock therapies routinely left patients either brain-dead or just simply dead. Hydrotherapy was also employed, where patients were covered in towels soaked in cold water, or left in bathtubs for days on end. Given the violent nature of the treatments at the hospital, it is unsurprising that the location is home to numerous unquiet dead.

The spirits of St. Albans are many. A young boy named Jacob, an orderly named Donald, a grieving mother Rebecca, and the spirits Smokey and Red Eyes.

A big thank you to Julie from St. Albans, who was our tour guide on our visit, was kind enough to sit down with us for a livestream, and who provided many of the stories we’ve related today. If you are looking for a book on St. Albans Sanatorium, we highly recommend The Ghosts of St. Albans Sanatorium by Pat Bussard O’Keefe. If you live close to Radford, VA, be sure to check out St. Albans annual haunted house, which takes place in September and October every year, or one of their historical tours or ghost tours throughout the year. Maybe you will have more luck meeting Red Eyes than we did.

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