Rolling Hills Asylum

The Rolling Hills Asylum is a research center for the paranormal in East Bethany, New York. It has a differing points in time been a mall, and a museum. It opened its doors in 1827 in response to a New York state legislation requiring all counties to assume duties of taking care of individuals unable to care for themselves.

History

Originally, a carriage house and tavern servicing stage coaches stood there from 1790 until December 1826, when it was sold to Genesee County. The carriage house still stands on the property today. The tavern serviced travelers from Batavia, NY to Warsaw, NY traveling along what is now known as US Route 20. At that point, the facility took in paupers, unwed mothers, the insane, and orphans.

By the early 1950s, the facility served only as a nursing home, where it was then closed by 1972; stepping aside for a new facility in Batavia, NY.

After which, the building stood empty until 1992, when it was re-opened as Carriage Village, a mall of unique shops. Since then it has transformed into a paranormal investigation hot spot and has been operating public and private ghost hunting tours, paranormal investigations, historical tours and even special events.

Current use

The building served as a research center into the paranormal, and hosts ghost hunts, and was, at one time, home to the Rolling Hills Paranormal Research Society. Lori Carlson used to own Rolling Hills. It has been the subject of a number of events sponsoring it that have been run by The Atlantic Paranormal Society. The property was purchased by a couple interested in the paranormal in late 2009 (Sharon and Jerry Coyle) and has since reopened for ghost/historical tours and special events for the entire community such as art fairs, festivals and car shows. It was also featured on Ghost Adventures on September 24, 2010. There have been sightings of a 7-foot-tall man named Roy who has been captured in many photographs.