Hill View Manor

New Castle, PA

Hill View Manor was known as The Lawrence County Home for the Aged, also known as the poor house or poor farm, and housed the county’s mentally ill, severely destitute, and elderly residents that didn’t have any known family.  The facility opened its doors on Tuesday, October 19, 1926.  On that day the first twenty “inmates” took up residence in The Lawrence County Home.  Amoung them was a young boy, although the home id not generally take children.

In June of 1944, county officials along with the director were accused of incompetency at the home.  By late August of that year a new director had taken over operations and the home continued to operate for many years.  In the latter half of the 1960s the home was remodeled and slowly changed into a skilled nursing center.

By 1970 the home was facing severe overcrowding issues.  In December of 1974 the county decided to remodel some of its existing floors and add a new section which is now known as the North Wing.  This would allow the home to accommodate another thirty or more residents.   The north wing opened in mid 1977 and after a contest to find a more suitable name for the home it was renamed Hill View manor on March 22, 1977.

Hill View Manor closed its doors in 2004 due to financial constraints.  Although it seems to sit quietly at the top of the grassy hill above Route 65, evidence of its history remains active.

October 29, 2010
Investigators: Beth Rosen, Matt Rosen & Lisa Shirkey with guest Bill Ortiz.

Location Photos: Click to enlarge

  • Opened in 1926, Hill View Manor began as The Lawrence County (Poor) Home and housed the mentally ill, elderly, and even widows and their children. At the time, women couldn’t own land and often became destitute upon a husband’s passing. In 1976, it became a nursing home and took on the name we know it by today.
  • Having been a nursing home, ‘Bingo’ was written up there again and again. Can anyone spare a dauber? How about pink? (It’s my lucky color.)
  • (Can I get a witness?)
  • Mary Virginia’s room – a well-known and often-seen entity at Hill View.
  • The Basement Area
  • Storage area in the basement, containing remnants from lives long passed.
  • Notice the obvious (and heart-breaking) details on a few of the suitcases above.

Findings:

Basement: During a solo investigation, we caught this EVP in an area where a door had been recorded on camera opening and closing on its own. After trying provocation, this eerie question suddenly appears.

July 5, 2014
Investigators: Beth Rosen, Matt Rosen & Heather Olsen with guests Eric Singleton & Jen Kozlof.

Location Photos: (click to enlarge)

  • Opened in 1926, Hill View Manor began as The Lawrence County (Poor) Home and housed the mentally ill, elderly, and even widows and their children. At the time, women couldn’t own land and often became destitute upon a husband’s passing. In 1976, it became a nursing home and took on the name we know it by today.
  • The crew setting up within, getting ready for a long night’s investigation.
  • Aerial view of the entire complex.
  • Right, front view of the building.
  • Photo of Mary Virginia’s room, an entity thought to haunt the location. (Notice the offerings sitting on the bed.)
  • The kitchen area. We waited for some time for the breakfast buffet to begin. Unfortunately, it never came.
  • This is Jeffrey’s room. A little boy around 7 years of age who is considered a harbinger of death. Sweet kid, huh?
  • Hallway on the third floor.
  • Meet Jimmy and Jules, a few pranksters who reportedly haunt the third floor. While alive, they were known for stealing golf balls from a nearby course and fanagling cigarettes. This is also where we caught those strange footsteps on the stairs. (See Audio Section for details.)

Findings:

Third Floor (Jimmy and Jules Area): While we sit quietly, we suddenly hear distinct footsteps, followed by more deliberate footsteps later in the clip. Of particular note, the building was locked and everyone was present and accounted for when this event occurred.
While certainly not paranormal, this event took place just after we arrived. Our hosts had our investigator, Heather, stand in the middle of room, awaiting a ‘reportedly strange’ occurrence. (Clean up on aisle five, please.)

Grave Concerns Paranormal does not view findings presented on this page as evidence of ghosts or the paranormal. These are merely experiences that we can not explain at this time.