MOUNT VERNON, Ala. (WKRG) — At the former Searcy Hospital in Mt. Vernon, some of the structures are nearly 200 years old.
The place has been home to soldiers, prisoners, and as they were called at one time, the “insane.” There’s been a lot of suffering there.
“It’s a spooky place, in a lot of ways,” said Tommy Stonecypher of the Mt. Vernon Historical Society. “I’m sure if there’s such a thing as paranormal activity, there’s a lot of it around here.”
The complex is full of abandoned towers, one-time barracks, and vacant medical facilities.
Buildings are in disarray. The complex was neglected for decades and was abandoned by the state when it closed the Searcy Hospital in 2012.
But are there still “residents” “living” there? Stonecypher has heard stories over the years of people seeing and photographing images.
“In one of the windows, there’s an apparition or image of someone in the window,” Stonecypher said. “Supposedly there’s nothing behind the window to cause a reflection. There’s nothing in the room causing it. Then, ten years later, someone else posted another photograph of that same building, and in that same window, that same image appeared.”
Stonecypher, though, says the rumors of Searcy possibly being haunted aren’t enough to scare off some people
“We’ve had people walk up before there and said they are ‘coming home,” Stonecypher said. “They were former mental patients here, just walking up.”
The Searcy property is off limits to the public.
All day on Halloween in every newscast, we’re sharing ghost stories on News 5, and a little history too!