There are many haunted locations in Asheville, North Carolina, which The Lantern has covered. Some of these places carry a dark past. One of these areas is a four-story building located at 75 Zillicoa Street, which used to be a psychiatric facility for the elite class. The name of it was Highland Hospital, which burned down on March 10, 1948, taking the lives of nine women, including Zelda Fitzgerald – The wife of F. Scott Fitzgerald, the author of The Great Gatsby.
Psychiatrist Robert Sproul Carroll had one word in mind when establishing the hospital in 1904: Recovery. Also known as Dr. Carroll’s Sanatorium, the goal was to treat patients suffering from addictions, as well as both mental and nervous disorders. The doctor was ahead of his time, considering sanatoriums were not known to be the best place for suffering patients. Old images of the facility show patients outside and exercising. In 1939, Robert’s facility was handed over to the Neuropsychiatric Department of Duke University.
But who lit the match that set fire to Highland Hospital? Many believe it was a night shift supervisor named Willie Mae Hall. The reason? It turns out she handed herself over to the police, claiming she felt the urge to commit arson and could have been the reason behind the fire. Why would she do this? What drove her to do this? Nobody knows. Allegedly, spirits continue to walk the grounds of the hospital. Some witnesses claim to have seen Zelda at night.
The historic building sold for $1.25 million in 2015 and was turned into a substance abuse treatment program for boys aged 13-17. If the spirits are still wandering around the location, hopefully, no new patients have experienced whatever it was that entered Willie Hall’s mind on that fateful night.
Disclaimer: The Lantern does not profit from tourism or any businesses mentioned in our articles.
Written By: Izzy
Photo By: History Collection
Sources:
https://www.hdcarolina.com/blog/the-haunting-of-zillicoa-street/
https://mcarchives.duke.edu/blog/closer-look-highland-hospital-brochure
