This was a great trip and our first investigation of Rolling Hills. We're very grateful to Stacey for allowing us to join her and her group on this evening. Rolling Hills is a large facility and was very overwhelming to say the least. With an east and west wing with 3 floors each there was a lot of ground to cover. Not to mention the outbuildings and the grounds around the facility. We didn't come back with a lot of data from this investigation, but we had a few personal experiences and it did prepare us for future trips.

After arriving we had a short meet and greet with the others then broke into small groups. Chris and Jenn teamed up with Don (our fearless leader (CNYGH member) and the most knowledgeable about the location), Lisa (CNYGH member), and Julie (WNYP member). From there the five of us headed to the first floor solarium. This was one of two where TB patients would be put for sunlight and fresh air. We settled in for about half an hour and Don filled us in on the history.

It started out as a tavern (about 1790) which was located where the parking lot is now. In 1826 it was purchased by the state and was converted into a poor house. As a poor house it also operated as an insane assylum, orphanage, TB clinic, and also a nursing home, which was it's last use before closing in the 1950s. The people who lived here, if able, farmed the land and raised livestock. Being several miles from the nearest city it was essential for them to be self-sufficient. It didn't take long for the facility to become overcrowded. Once people began to pass on they started using the surrounding fields as burial grounds. It is believed that more than 1,500 graves existed on the grounds. Some have been discovered, others have not. Rumor also has it that the tavern also operated as a whorehouse and that this carried on into the days of county ownership. Some nurses were also said to have practiced black magic on one of the upper floors.

We conducted a short EVP session here then continued on to the next location.We went to the kitchen on the floor below, complete with meat lockers. These doubled as storage for bodies when there were more than they could handle (most likely during the height of the TB epidemic). Again, we did a short EVP session here, took some pictures and video then headed to our next location.