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| C-8 BUILDING; NOV 2003 |
The idea of an abandoned mental hospital attracted
many people. But it takes a certain type of person to take an interest in a place like Byberry. I think it attracts the
more creative and artistic people, but thats just my opinion. Unfortunately, the cavernous safety of Byberry
attracted the homeless too. Stories from early explorers as well as authorities suggest that a number
of these homeless were ex-patients with no where else to go. The first adventurers to Byberry were copper salvagers
and looters, followed closely by the explorer, ghost hunter, and kid playing hookie. During the time since Byberry's closure, events
of all natures have occured, adding to the legend. Byberry was at this time more than ever viewed as a horrible place
where tragic things had happened. Although many of the stories have proven to be fact-based, they are highly exaggerated.
There actually was someone who walked around with a machete- one of the early Byberrian explorers with a great sense
of humor. The truely scary part about Byberry is what had happened there for so many years before there ever was a "legend".
If those walls could talk.... Just being inside of the buildings was truly a creepy experience, even when you're enjoying
yourself, it gets to even the bravest of souls. Although it may look, smell, sound, or feel like a haunted house, there was
really nothing to fear at Byberry besides the police and the unsteady environment of condemned buildings.
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| C-9 BUILDING; JAN 2004 |
Byberry's "local legend" blew so far out of
proportion that it became one of the country's most famous haunted places! By 1993 the popular Philadelphia rock radio station
Eagle 106 held a Haunted House in the old nurses' residences on Halloween for three consecutive years. The original
building was abandoned at this point, leaving only the additions to be used by the self help movement. By
1993, the east group and surrounding land now consisted of a new industrial/business park, save for E-6 building, which had
been refurbished. In 1997, the warehouses were demolished, followed by C-6 and C-12 (the twin cathedrals) in 2000, leaving
the laundry building (S-8) the lone surviving building south of Southampton road fit for exploring. The early explorers used
the laundry building as an easy entrance to the rest of the property. It's steam tunnels provided an easy underground walkway
under southampton road to the rest of the remaining campus.
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| DRIVEWAY TO LAUNDRY AND GARAGES; MARCH 2004 |
It wasn't until about 2001 that Byberry reached the peak of
its celeberity status. Websites began emerging telling of the hospital's exaggerated stories. Maps were available with
hints on getting in, even the security company's shifts and driving routes were documented. It didn't take long for even the
painfully shy to show up with backpacks and flashlights. Before long, patterns of explorers began treking through Byberry's
dank hallways, and a sub-culture emerged. Many of the "regular" explorers used tag or graffitti names to identify themselves
to each other. Byberry was probably as puzzled by this new life within its walls as the people walking inside them were by
Byberry.
By 2003, Byberry was being stampeeded by a phenomenal
number of regular visitors, as well as "newbies" pouring in every day. Some remained loyal "Byberrians" and others couldn't
wait to get out. It was an environment unlike anything else in this world. People's lives connected through the experience
of going to "the berry" religously. Everything was concealed behind nicknames. People, places, buildings, and even rooms
hid behind false names, adding to the mystique of the whole saga from the curious person's outside perspective.
It was a place with no law, no church, no last call, and admittance fee. Unfortunately this gave way, as expected, to countless
cases of vandalism and destruction by thrill seekers and just plain idiots who took full advantage of the un-governed metropolis.
Byberry did however, provide years of joy for literally hundreds
of visitors. Summer (and winter) BBQ's, birthday party celebrations, paintball ballads, the infamous holy grail search game,
and large fireworks displays are just some of the tales of a different kind of fun. Who would have thought that a place which
brought such pain and suffering to so many, could also bring so much meaning and enjoyment to so many others. I guess
that's just Byberry for you...
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