Central Illinois Insane Asylum - Haunted or Not?

For many, just mentioning Bartonville Insane Asylum sends chills down the spine. Surrounding by tales of unsettled spirits and ghost sightings, the asylum is well known in Central Illinois and a favorite stopping point for many who are interested in the paranormal.

Bartonville, with a population of about 7,000, is located in Peoria County, Illinois. Situated on Route 24, this small town is also the home of the 182nd Airlift Wing of the United States Air Force. It further touts itself as being the hometown of major-league baseball player Jim Thome. In 1885, however, the buzz in town was all about construction beginning on a new hospital facility - the insane asylum. The buzz wouldn't last for long. Not this time, at least.

According to the website prairieghosts.com (http://www.prairieghosts.com/barton.html), construction on the insane asylum was completed in 1887, and the structure resembled a medieval castle. Just 10 short years later, the structure would be demolished when huge cracks began to appear in the structure. It was discovered that the asylum had been built on an abandoned mine, and the settling of the building, with nothing much to support its underbelly, was literally falling apart. However, five years later, the asylum would once again be up and running.