Rob Conover Looks to Help Save the Bowen
Peoria, Illinois–The Bartonville Insane Asylum, also known as the Peoria Mental Hospital, near Peoria, Illinois, seemed doomed at the start. Originally demolished ten years after it was built due to design flaws and bad planning, it reopened in 1902 and looked to revolutionize the mental health field. By the time it was closed in 1972, it was already beginning to gain a reputation as the home of odd occurrences and as one of the most haunted sites in the area.
The question of whether it may be haunted remains today. There are several stories coming out, from the tales of a mute gravedigger to a mysteriously ghostly tree. One thing is for certain, history lives there. Now the race is on to preserve a part of that asylum known as the Bowden Building. It stands as a testament to a time gone by and a place where investigators might be able to touch the other side.
According to the Save the Bowen Team, “[we]…consist of people that care about the history of this great nation. It is not always better to build newer bigger more functional buildings, sometimes it is better to restore and have something to show our children.”
To help with the fundraising, the group is bring in renowned paranormal investigator and author Rob Conover on that most eerie of nights, Friday, February 13th. Conover, who has been in the field for well over a decade and has been featured on such television shows as Sighting and Scariest Places on Earth, was recently asked to speak about the hospital in a documentary entitled “Ghost Asylum.”
The night will feature tours of the asylum and a seminar by Conover where he will discuss his story as a paranormal investigator and tell his tales of nights in the haunted building. He will also be there to sign copies of his latest book, Haunted No More.
The proceeds will go directly to help restore the building and help it from being torn down. Tickets can be purchased for $35.00 for the entire event at www.preternaturalrealm.com/friday13th.html and Rob Conover can be contacted at www.robconover.net.
