St. Albans Sanatorium
Fairlawn, near Radford, Virginia, United States
Hospital · established
The Story
A former boys’ school and hospital above the New River, St. Albans has become a destination in paranormal-investigation accounts. One recorded visit describes attic sounds and an unexpectedly playful session in the boiler room. Current visiting arrangements need confirmation from the operator.
The Hauntings
St. Albans carries more than one institutional past. Its buildings began as a school and later housed a hospital serving the surrounding area, including people seeking mental-health care. The paranormal reputation belongs to the building’s later life. One firsthand investigation account offers a surprisingly sociable introduction, following a group whose evening moved from laughter in the boiler room to strange sounds in the attic. Travel writer Jody Arneson visited with friends during an organized overnight investigation in 2022. In the boiler room, she describes meters responding while her group laughed and told jokes. The participants interpreted the repeated responses as an amused presence. It is a strikingly sociable episode in a place more often presented as threatening. Upstairs, her account describes wordless sighs noticed on a recording and rustling from the attic’s corners and hallway. She wondered whether some sounds represented a residual impression of earlier activity. That was her interpretation of the evening, rather than an identified former patient speaking on the record. Other participants reported different impressions, reinforcing how varied individual visits can be.
The History
George W. Miles founded St. Albans School for Boys in 1892. The school occupied two substantial buildings and prepared pupils for university or business. Radford University’s archive preserves issues of its yearbook, the Promus, which record school activities and athletics. The school closed in 1911, before the medical institution was established. In 1916, physician J. C. King opened the sanatorium after the buildings were joined by a corridor. His plans included gardens, a farm and outdoor recreation. St. Albans also supplied general and emergency medical care to the surrounding community; it was the area’s only hospital until 1943. The King family retained it until 1965, and a later owner added a rear extension in 1969. Virginia’s preservation record recognizes both its architecture and its medical history.
A sense of place.
Visitor Experiences
Have you experienced something here?
This future chapter will bring together stories from the PHASM community. An unexpected encounter, a lingering feeling, or a quiet visit—your experience will be welcome.
Submissions are not open yet.
Sources & further reading.
- Virginia Department of Historic Resources — St. Albans Hospital — 077-0046 (history)
- Radford University, McConnell Library Archives — St. Albans School and the Promus (history)
- MidAtlantic Daytrips — St Albans Sanitorium Has Ghosts! (reports)
- St. Albans Sanatorium — official site and historical tour page (visiting)
Plan Your Visit
Current admission, investigation availability and visitor rules could not be established from the readable official pages on October 8, 2026. Use the operator’s public website to obtain current arrangements before making plans. Earlier investigations and a historic-register listing do not authorize entry. Do not arrive expecting an open building, or enter the grounds without an approved visit.