Video summary
The old hospital located on College Hill in Williamson is officially opening its doors for the spooky season with a new haunted attraction event. This historic building, which has stood since 1928 under the name Williamson Memorial Hospital, served as an active medical facility until 1988 before being transformed into a clinic and eventually closing around 2014 to be used for storage. Despite its long history of serving the community through various eras, including the Great Depression, the structure was preserved rather than demolished, allowing it to remain a significant local landmark that is now nearly 99 years old.
For this year's event, visitors will navigate three floors of the building where they encounter both professional actors portraying hospital staff and genuine paranormal spirits. The attraction aims to make the experience difficult for guests by utilizing these characters alongside the existing supernatural presence believed to inhabit the site. Beyond scaring the public, the organizers emphasize their commitment to the community by hosting events that are also suitable for families and children, ensuring there is something enjoyable for everyone during this festive season.
The hospital's reputation as a haunted location is well-founded, with reports of shadow figures, disembodied voices, doors closing on their own, and lights flickering without power coming from both former patients and staff. Even Tonya Webb, the co-owner who has worked there for years, shares personal experiences with the paranormal, such as hearing a male voice in the basement at 8:00 AM when she was alone and unable to locate the source. She describes the basement as one of the creepiest yet most historic floors, noting that the building has witnessed countless medical cases and tragedies over its nearly century-long existence.
Ultimately, the event serves as an opportunity to preserve the building's rich history while entertaining visitors with a mix of theatrical scares and genuine ghost stories. The hospital continues to attract people from far and wide who come not only for the thrill of paranormal investigations but also to learn about the significant historical events that took place within its walls. By keeping the attraction open, the owners hope to continue telling the unique stories of this nearly 100-year-old institution and maintain its legacy as a preserved piece of local heritage.
Read the full video transcript
Friday the 18th marks the start of the
spooky season for the old hospital on
College Hill in Williamson. This year
they're hosting a haunted hospital
attraction for the public with spirits
and actors alike to scare everyone. Here
we have Tonya Webb, the co-owner of the
hospital, to tell us more about the
hospital and the event.
>> The old hospital on College Hill has
been here since 1928.
Uh it was formerly known as Williamson
Memorial Hospital.
Um it served as a regular hospital from
1928 till around 1988 and then I they
built a newer one up on the hill just a
little bit up from us and then
thankfully they saved the building and
transformed it into a clinic and it
served as a clinic from 1988 until
around 2014 and then primarily it was
shut down after that for storage. Yes,
we are officially kicking off the spooky
season um this weekend with our haunted
house and um what you'll basically do is
navigate three floors of the hospital
with some hospital characters kind of
making it a little bit difficult for
you.
Um but you know, you're entering an
almost a 99-year-old hospital. So um
with that comes uh you got the regular
spirits that are here and the ghosts
that are already here but then we throw
in some hot actors with it. So we love
doing things for the community and
putting on events for children and
families and just having something to
do.
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>> Even without the haunted attraction, the
hospital is believed to be haunted by
former patients and staff alike with
reported sightings from people far and
wide. The evidence is hard to deny. Even
Webb herself has had some experience
with the paranormal in the hospital over
the years.
>> We are actually in the basement of all
places. Um the basement's one of my
favorite floors. Um it's probably one of
the most historic floors as well as um
one of the creepiest floors. Um we get
visitors from all over that come not
only for spooky stories and paranormal
investigations and paranormal stories,
but also for history as well. Um this
hospital, as you can imagine, it's 98
years old. So, it's got It'll be 99 in
March. So, it's got a lot of history to
it and it went through a lot of things,
the Great Depression, a lot of the
diseases. So, the hospital saw a lot of
things in its life. So, we're just happy
to be able to preserve it and keep it
going and hopefully tell more stories as
we go along.
We've had things from shadow figures to
hearing footsteps on floors above us if
there's nobody else in the building or
below us. Um doors shutting when they
shouldn't be shutting, lights turning on
and off when there's no power in the
room.
Um disembodied voices.
Um that's what really happened to me the
first time. I could hear a male's voice,
but I couldn't find the person. And um
searched the whole hospital. Long story
short, I didn't find him. Um and this
was like at 8:00 in the morning, so I
wasn't expecting it, but you know, you
got to think about it. Hospitals were
active all the time. Um especially
morning time, you know, you had doctors
making rounds, nurses doing shift
changes, people coming to see their
loved ones. So, it was really a uh
eye-opener for me.
>> Reporting from Mountain Top News, I'm
Connor Guild.