A Cold Welcoming

A postcard featuring the administration building at the
Norristown Asylum for the Criminally Insane.

It seems that after Von Weren's wife died, no one saw or heard from him for months. With no one daring to go near the house, people may have very well believed that he had died of grief. His journal remained untouched, with the next entry jumping to March 27, 1895. Here, he reflects on a speaking engagement held at the Norristown Asylum for the Criminally Insane (now called the Norristown State Hospital). It is unclear why he was asked to speak at the hospital, since his research (as far as I know) did not include psychology and did not seem to have an practical relation to the field. Here is Van Were in his own words:

Wednesday, March 27, 1895 

I was requested to speak at the Norristown Asylum for the Criminally Insane. Leading up to the event, I received several letters from a Dr. Anastasia LeBoux, which at first I dismissed without reading. Then, a single letter became two, then three, until I was receiving five letters nearly every day from the woman. Finally, I relented and opened one of the envelopes, as to avoid clogging my chimney. Dr. LeBoux, as it turns out, has long followed my work and saw potential applications for it at the hospital, though I cannot imagine how. 

Skeptical, I agreed to speak at the hospital. In a small room, I spoke to a crowd of no more than a dozen disinterested psychologist (a profession of which, I believe, is of no profession at all). It was, indeed, quite the cold welcoming. Though I planned on immediately returning home, Dr. LeBoux cornered me before I left. We spoke at length about the work she was doing at the hospital and how she believed that even the most criminally insane patients could be "rehabilitated to further usage," given the correct treatment. It seems my research may have found a new, practical purpose, that may serve my own personal endeavors as well.

This all makes me wonder what the doctor had been doing in the intervening months. I'm sure dealing with grief, however to have such an abrupt change and a "new, practical purpose" seems very odd. Hopefully it will lead to something more. I'll share more history on the hospital itself for next time.

-MS

A Death in the Family

The diary labeled "Gustav Von Weren".

It's been a while since my last post, but I've been spending a great deal of time doing research. I was recently given a box of items from an area resident whose grandmother actually knew Von Weren. Among the items was a diary with Von Weren's name on the cover. As I mentioned before, Dr. Gustav Von Weren moved to Berwyn, PA with his new wife, Ulrike, in late 1894 to continue his research into prosthetics and tissue reanimation. According to the diary, living in the recently abandoned Otley mansion provided him with the quiet and privacy he preferred. Sadly, this would inadvertently lead him to tragedy.

The end of the 19th century saw some of the coldest winters recorded in U.S. history. The Great Freeze in 1894 saw temperatures plummet to 18 degrees, and that was in Florida. A number of people in the area were stricken with "consumption" or what is now known as tuberculosis. Only two months after their move, Ulrike quickly grew ill, which is ill-characteristic for tuberculosis. Despite being a doctor, Gustav did not have the medical knowledge or medication necessary to treat infectious disease. Gustav sent word to the surrounding towns pleading aid for his wife, but all requests were "respectfully" declined. The people in the area had believed for years that the Otley mansion had a sordid past and thought it to be cursed ground. As a result, no one ever ventured out there, even if a life was at risk. This directly lead to (or at least Von Weren believed it so) to Ulrike's untimely death and the premature ending of their marriage. It should be noted that in point of fact, the only known remedy at the time was actually ineffective. It is likely that even with help, she still would have died.

Here is a quote from Von Weren's journal:

"Before my own eyes, her body has gradually withered away, her life's energy slowly draining, as vapors into the air. Color-drained skin wraps what is left of her frail frame. It is called a romantic disease, but I have no love for it. All of her has been consumed by this foul illness as I am left consumed by the grief left in her absence. I, too, shall consume those who have abandoned her to this fate. And theirs will not be peaceful."

I have more from his journal that I will share next time.

-MS

First Reference to Gustav Von Weren In Easttown News Article

Here's an article from the Easttown Ledger that I found in the local archives and scanned for everyone to read. I've discovered a number of articles from the newspaper that fit the right time frame for the stories I've heard over the years. I'm still sorting through a lot of it, but this one seems like a good place to start. It talks about Gustav Von Weren (werewolf?) and his wife moving into the abandoned Otley Mansion. The mansion is still standing today (once again abandoned and in disarray) and has long been rumoured as a hotbed of paranormal activity.

A scanned copy of The Easttown Gazette from 1894.

The article describes Von Weren as "a scientist of moderate renown, best recognized for his studies into the creation of new mechanical appendages and rejuvenation of dead tissues." Pretty creepy stuff, if you ask me. It also seems that even back then, people were afraid of the mansion. It had only been abandoned for ten years and still there were "rumors of it being cursed." The article is accompanied by a photo of Von Weren and his wife. It wasn't uncommon for wealthy families to have their photos printed in the paper during certain announcements. A European doctor moving in to an abandoned house certainly would have been news.

Welcome to Noises in the Attic!

I’m starting up this blog to chronicle my investigation into the paranormal phenomenon that has been known to occur on the property of the long abandoned Otley Mansion. As an expert and experienced paranormal investigator, I will uncover the history surrounding the mansion and verify or disprove the terrible stories that have surrounded it. Growing up in nearby Malvern, I heard plenty of ghost stories about the old mansion. One of them takes place in the late 19th century and tells of a werewolf that would drag victims (both live and dead) back to its lair and turn them into monsters. The story has many forms, but I hope to find some historical account that may straighten things out. This is the first tale I shall work on finding truth in.