Est. 1913 · Carnegie Land Donation · Tuberculosis Sanatorium · State Psychiatric Hospital · Closed State Prison
Andrew Carnegie donated the land for the Cresson Sanatorium in 1911, and the State of Pennsylvania opened the tuberculosis sanatorium in 1913 atop a ridge in the Allegheny Mountains at Cresson in Cambria County. The high elevation and pine-forested surroundings reflected the prevailing early-twentieth-century treatment philosophy for TB: extended bed rest in cold, clean mountain air. The sanatorium operated for over four decades, treating tens of thousands of patients during the era when tuberculosis was one of the leading causes of death in the United States.
In 1956, with effective antibiotic treatment available for TB, the facility was incorporated into the Lawrence F. Flick State Hospital, also known as the Allegheny State Hospital, repurposed to care for patients with mental-health diagnoses. This second phase ran until December 1982, when the state announced the closure of the hospital and the conversion of the site to correctional use.
The first inmates arrived at the renamed State Correctional Institution Cresson, or SCI Cresson, in 1987. The prison operated for 26 years and was closed on June 30, 2013. The Department of Corrections cited the antiquity of the facility and rising maintenance costs in the closure decision.
The site has since been acquired by a private operator who maintains it under a legal-exploration model. Self-guided tours, paranormal investigations, and overnight access are offered on scheduled dates. The Atlas Obscura listing describes the property as one of the largest accessible abandoned institutional sites in Pennsylvania.
Sources
- https://www.cressonsanatorium.com/
- https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/cresson-sanatorium-and-prison
- https://pabucketlist.com/exploring-the-abandoned-cresson-state-prison-in-cambria-county/
- https://uncoveringpa.com/abandoned-sci-cresson-prison
Phantom footstepsDoors opening/closingPhantom voicesEVPShadow figuresCold spots
Cresson's three-phase institutional history — TB sanatorium, state psychiatric hospital, state prison — has produced one of the densest accumulations of paranormal accounts in western Pennsylvania. The operator's tour materials and visiting paranormal-investigation teams describe footsteps in empty corridors, doors closing on their own in the medical wing, disembodied voices captured on EVP recordings throughout the prison cellblocks, and figures glimpsed in cell windows from the central yard.
The older sanatorium portions of the campus carry distinct lore from the prison sections. The Tuberculosis-era wings are associated with the sounds of coughing, occasional footsteps in the rooms once used for hydrotherapy and surgery, and a more diffuse heaviness. The prison sections are associated with more direct and assertive reports: doors slamming, voices clearly audible, and shadow figures.
The property does not promote itself as a confirmed haunting and presents access primarily as a photography and history opportunity. Paranormal-investigation programming is structured around small-group access rather than theatrical effects, and the venue says its tours and investigations use no actors or staged scares.
Travel Channel's Destination Fear opened its fourth season in November 2022 with a two-part investigation here. The network's announcement describes the crew's encounter with an entity said to mimic the voices and sounds of people exploring the building.
Media Appearances
- Destination Fear (Travel Channel), season 4 premiere: two-part investigation "Cresson Sanatorium and Prison", first aired November 25, 2022
Where this legend is told
