Descrição
This one time self sustained mental hospital in Athens Ohio was considered as one of the best in the country for the care of the mentally ill. However it got to be known as a place to put "unwanted" family members when a person's family didn't want to care for them. Of the hundreds of residents that lived and were treated here, there was one most notable patient/resident. That being William Stanley (Billy) Milligan who resided there from the late 1970s into the 1980s and was charged with rape of two female students at Ohio St University in Columbus Ohio. Mr Milligan claimed he had no control over his actions and that "people" inside his head had control. Upon being committed by the court to Athens, it was discovered that Mr Milligan had TWENTY THREE separate personalities.
The property and all buildings closed and were eventually turned over to Ohio University in Athens in 1993. The most famous haunting there was that of Margaret Schilling who during the winter of 1978 was accidentally locked in the unused former TB unit building and froze to death. Her body wasn't found until the following spring. When her body was removed, there was a stain from her decomposing body left on the floor. No matter how many times that floor was scrubbed to remove the stain, it always came back. Some say it was Margaret's way of being remembered after death since no one had come to look for her after being locked in the abandoned building.
The hospital operated from 1875 to 1993. All buildings have since been remodeled and are in use as classrooms or dorms by the university. What had been the main admissions area is now a book store and library. At the time of this visit, the main residents rooms had not been changed and were exactly as when it was a hospital.
To this day, some of the buildings now used as dorms have experienced paranormal activity, however the university and the city of Athens have a zero tolerance toward investigating or even speaking of paranormal activity at The Ridges.