The Ridges

As the years progress there has been a great amount of history accumulated throughout the Athens area. Among this history is the well-known insane asylum known as the Ridges, which is now a part of the Ohio University campus.

The Ridges, originally known as the Athens Asylum for the Insane, opened on January 9, 1874 as a hospital for the mentally ill. It was known for being a beautiful and peaceful place for the patients to relax and overcome their diseases.

However, this reputation changed in the 1900s when the asylum became overpopulated and the patients were treated horribly due to a lack of caregivers. Treatments that were performed include electroshock therapy, ice baths and even lobotomies.

When you have a good background of the Ridges, there comes a time when you have to look at all of the facts and determine for yourself whether or not you believe in the hauntings associated with it. It has been said that ghosts of various patients of the asylum wander the halls to this day.

One of the most prominent is the dreadful story of Margaret Schilling, which occurred in the year of 1978. The way the story goes is that she disappeared one day after wandering into an abandoned part of the hospital. She was trapped and could not call for help because she was deaf and mute.

Margaret’s body was found one month later. She was laying on the floor in front of a window with her clothes folded beside her. It has been said that the cold temperature and the sunlight that reflected through the window caused an imprint of her body to be left on the floor. Even to this day, the stain still exists no matter how hard people try to remove it.

By 1981, the number of patients within the asylum was dwindling due to improved federal regulations of the mental health care system enforced by President Reagan. In 1993, the last of the patients in the asylum were released. This marked the end of an era where mental patients were harshly mistreated. The hauntings of the Ridges have had a strong impact on the city of Athens and will for many years to come.