In the early 1850’s, the hospital was authorized by the Virginia General Assembly under its original name, the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum. The building architecture is Gothic Revival and Tudor Revival style and is the largest hand-cut stone masonry building in North America.

The building is constructed of primarily blue sandstone and has several carved animal and human faces detailed in the stonework.

The hospital has a clocktower rising from the roof of the main building and was designed by Richard Andrews following the Kirkbride Plan which maximized sunlight and fresh air therapy. Construction did not begin until late 1858.

Prison laborers were originally used to begin construction of the hospital but skilled stonemasons took over shortly after construction began.

In 1861, the hospital construction was halted by the beginning of the Civil War. After West Virginia became a state, the hospital’s name was changed to “The West Virginia Hospital for the Insane.” The hospital was not completed until 1881 but the first patients were admitted in 1864. It was originally designed to accommodate 250 patients but reached an over crowded capacity of 2,400 patients in the 1950’s. The buildings are surrounded by a park with large trees and enclosed within a black wrought iron fence.

The hospital underwent many changes over the years and struggled with issues of over-crowding and maltreatment of patients. In 1986, the state announced plans to convert the Weston State Hospital into a prison while building a new psychiatric facility elsewhere within the state. However, those plans fell through and the William R. Sharpe Jr. Hospital was established in 1994. Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum (Weston State Hospital) was closed. In 2007, a demolition contractor by the name of Joe Jordan purchased the property for 1.5 million dollars. The property is currently open as a site for historical tours, community events and paranormal enthusiasts.

By: Cindie Harper