Saint Joseph Missouri

Glore Psychiatric Museum

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Unhappy former spectral mental patients are trapped in the basement area.

Other spirits attached to the other floors make themselves known.

DESCRIPTION

Looking at the area from the front, The Glore Psychiatric Museum is in the brick building on the southeast corner. The old part of the former hospital, which is quite big and sprawling, sits further back, and is surrounded by a prison fence topped with the customary barbed wire.

The Glore Psychiatric Museum can be found in a three story, 1968 brick building which once housed the clinic which serviced the patients who lived at the mental hospital. It also has a large basement.

The older buildings on the prison side of the fence show the various building styles of the era in which they were constructed. The admissions building is the oldest one, probably dating back to the 1872 time period.

HISTORY

The oldest buildings were there at the beginning, as part of The State Hospital for the Insane No. 2, with beds for 275 patients. It became home to 25 patients on November 9th, 1874, with great things in mind. The first superintendent described the goal of the hospital: To do “The noble work of reviving hope in the human heart and dispelling the portentous clouds that penetrate the intellects of minds diseased.”

There was plenty of land to expand the facilities. The hospital quickly filled its 275 beds. As more hopelessly mentally ill people needed to be there, more buildings were added, growing the patient population. In its early years, the hospital was nearly self-sufficient, using patients to become involved in working on a farm, raising crops and livestock, and providing food for all in the hospital.

In 1899, the name of the hospital was changed to St. Joseph State Hospital, which continued to grow in numbers throughout the years. By the early 1950’s, the hospital was home to almost 3,000 mentally ill people, ranging from the mildly depressed, to patients who could be rehabilitated, to the criminally insane.

Throughout the years of the hospital, a variety of experimental, cutting edge treatments were provided for its patients. Some were progressive and some were harmful, perhaps causing deeper mental illness.

With the use of new drugs, many of the patients were able to be released back into society by the early 1990’s. In 1994, the now sprawling asylum and hospital was turned into a correctional facility, known now as The Western Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center, which opened in 1999. A smaller mental hospital was built across the street.

In 1967, The Glore Psychiatric Museum was started in a building in the old hospital by George Glore, who had a 41 year career with The Missouri Department of Mental Health. George put on display “full-sized replicas of 16th, 17th and 18th century treatment devices.” The exhibits grew, showing the progress made in treating mental illness.

In 1997, the museum moved outside the prison, into its current brick building. The Glore Psychiatric Museum today offers three floors of exhibits, which tell the story of the treatment of mental illness through the years. The second floor has on display the art work of patients over the years.

HISTORY OF MANIFESTATIONS

Lonely, forgotten people in institutions or homes become restless, sad spirits, especially if they have no headstone, or wind up in a mass grave.

Cincinnati Music Hall, OH (Being built on top of mass graves in a pauper cemetery, caused trouble. Many restless, sometimes peeved spirits are not at peace. Past spectral Patrons continue to enjoy themselves here).

Easton Library, PA (The town committee chose the old German Cemetery to build their Carnegie-funded library. Graves that were not claimed were dug up and the remains were dumped in a mass grave that was paved over to be part of the parking lot. Many spirits moved into the new library).

Wood County Infirmary, OH (The Sunset Acres Cemetery was created to hold inmates’ remains. Not all the graves were marked, leading to unintended consequences. Not only did the living lose the list of names that went with the numbers on the grave markers, but they also didn’t mark all the graves at some point in time).

The Glore Psychiatric Museum, MO (Many of the patients never had visitors, and died alone and forgotten, their bodies dumped into unmarked graves).

Spirits of patients who die while seeking treatment, sometimes hang onto their hope of being cured, and refuse to accept their deaths. If they stay a little longer, they may be cured and sent home. Doctors and nurses who still wanted to help their patients have sometimes stayed as well.

Waverly Hills Sanitarium, KY (The spirits of TB patients are still here, hoping to get better. The spirits of health care professionals also stay to keep helping, trying to reach the goal of curing the disease).

Kalamazoo Sanitarium, MI (The spirits of TB patients who died at the hospital, still wander the grounds where the building once stood, looking for help with their condition, still wanting to be cured. They visit the homes that were built on the hospital’s old grounds).

The Glore Psychiatric Museum, MO (The three story, brick building which houses the museum, used to be the health clinic for the patients, perhaps a place of hope.The spirits who haunt this building perhaps are still hoping to be cured of their mental illness, so they can go home. Spirits of doctors, still involved with their patients, stay as well).

Some spirits are stuck in places in this world because of the emotions they feel in not accepting their deaths. They hold onto their disappointment, sadness or anger, sometimes trying to find ways to have peace and emotional release.

Hotel Kahler, MN (An heiress who was murdered brutally by a mafia goon squad, stays in the hotel she dearly loved, while waiting for justice, not dwelling on how she died and why).

Stone Lion Inn, OK (A spirit whose body was prepared in the basement morgue and put on display in the parlor, decided to move up the stairs, stay in the home and enjoy the place).

The Glore Psychiatric Museum, MO (The basement was the morgue, because it was close to the cemetery. Spirits who stay here are frustrated because they died without getting cured).

Items and pictures on display in museums can attract the original spirits who owned or created them.

The Clayton House Museum, AR (The spirit of brother Powell Clayton’s most treasured possessions are on display in a case in the office area, which explains why this spirit visits a lot).

The Pittock House Museum, OR (The personal mementos of Mr. and Mrs. Pittock have thrilled their spirits as much as having their forever home restored).

The Mary Washington House Museum, VA (The spirit of Mary is very grateful that some of her favorite possessions are on display).

Glore Psychiatric Museum, MO (The art work on display may have some spirits of former patients, attached to various items and drawings).

MANIFESTATIONS

Floors of the Glore Psychiatric Museum

A male entity in sharp dress clothes has been seen walking around the third floor. Perhaps he is a former doctor, on the way to his office to continue his work.

An entity of an old man has been seen meandering around the hallways. Perhaps he is a patient, looking for his doctor’s office, still trying to get cured).

The Basement Activity

Entities seemed to be trapped here by their initial emotions, disappointed that they died without being cured.

The motion detector is often triggered when no one alive is down in the basement.

Auditory Activity in Basement

A soft, woman’s voice asking for help has been reported by visiting tours.

Whimpering and crying have also been heard.

Personal Appearances in the Basement

Muttering coming from the shadow of a man has been reported.

The scary apparition of a man runs down the basement hallway, toward the elevators, screaming, “Why are you here? GET OUT!!!!!!!!!”

PARANORMAL FINDINGS

Staff and visitors have personally experienced many paranormal occurrences. Paranormal investigators have caught hard evidence of the spirits who stay here.

STILL HAUNTED?

Yes indeed.

According to reliable eyewitnesses, and the hard evidence caught by investigators, spirits who haven’t crossed over still reside.

The museum has come out of the paranormal closet and has put the spirits to work by renting out the facility for investigations. Perhaps being listened to and able to express themselves will release some of these trapped spirits.

LOCATION

3406 Frederick Avenue,
St. Joseph, Missouri

The Glore Psychiatric Museum, and its former campus, which has been turned into a “correctional facility,” can be found one mile west of I-29, on Frederick Blvd., which is exit 47. It is east of downtown St. Joseph, on the outskirts, near the Moila Golf Course.