At least one of the spirits wandering the halls at Hill View Manor in New Castle, Pennsylvania, will introduce himself if given the chance.

“I’m Jim,” is a common example of electronic voice phenomena often captured by paranormal investigators looking into the long, tragic history of the poor-farm-turned-nursing-home located about an hour north of Pittsburgh.

Hill View Manor was known as the Lawrence County Home for the Aged when its doors opened in October 1926. The facility was meant to care for the elderly and destitute, as well as those suffering from severe mental illness.

Immediately upon opening, the home was occupied by a husband and wife team who served as superintendents, their children, a dozen staff members, and the first 20 residents—who were called inmates at the time.

The facility was built to house 110 people with men in one wing and women in another. The two wings were joined by a three-story building in the center with common areas and living space for the superintendent’s family and live-in staff members. Like many asylums of the day, it was quickly overcrowded and understaffed.

In the 1960s, a remodeling and expansion project began, and the home eventually became a skilled nursing facility known as Hill View Manor. The home closed its doors in 2004 due to financial hardship.

Of the thousands of people who lived at the home during its 78-year history, it is believed that 10,000 people died on the property. Suicides were not uncommon, and a number of people jumped from the roof to their death. Many people who died at the facility were buried in the on-site cemetery, often in unmarked graves.

The Spirits Who Linger

The facility is now privately owned, and the spirits inside are eager to speak when paranormal investigators or amateur ghost hunters come to call.

The boiler room seems to be occupied by a man who died from a combination of alcohol poisoning and hypothermia after a night of drinking in the elements. Women who have worked at or toured the home have been grabbed by something unseen when they were in the room where the man died.

While the home was not equipped to care for children, a little boy was one of the initial 20 patients who moved onto the property in 1926. Paranormal investigators believe his name is Jeffrey, and his ghost has been seen playing in the halls.

People who worked at the home while it was open as well as paranormal investigators from more recent inquiries have reported hearing voices, footsteps, and music, as well as poltergeist activity around the sprawling manor.

Learn more about the darkly rich history of the facility on Portals to Hell on discovery+.