Rolling Hills Asylum

Rolling Hills Asylum in Bethany, which operates now as a ghost tour venue, has been awarded a $50,000 grant to fund roof repair and replacement of the east wing of the main building and the ice/dairy house’s roof.

The asylum was constructed in 1827 and was once a county-owned building.

According to an announcement from the NYS Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Department, "The site has been determined to be eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. The owner intends to rehabilitate the property and turn the buildings into an inn/restaurant while continuing to capitalize on its paranormal reputation."

The grant is part of $470,000 in federal grants and local matching funds in rural WNY announced this week by the agency.

From the press release:

Made under the Genesee Valley Rural Revitalization Grant Program (GVRR), this second round of funding will support such projects as structural repairs and restoration work of historic commercial buildings, ADA compliance upgrades to public spaces, and window improvements for a creative arts center. The first round of grants was announced in September 2021 and included over $300,000 to five awardees.

"These business owners, nonprofits, and local government units are deeply connected to the economic health of their rural communities, and all have historic assets that need support,” said Erik Kulleseid, Commissioner of the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. “We are thrilled that these projects aim to increase accessibility and sustainability through preservation efforts and welcome the opportunity to demonstrate that investments in local historic resources can have a powerful impact for New York’s rural communities.”

GVRR is supported by a $750,000 award made to the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) through the Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Fund as administered by the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. Another $43,250 in matching funds were provided by the Rochester Area Community Foundation, Letchworth Gateway Villages, and the Landmark Society of Western New York. 

“The Landmark Society is thrilled to be assisting OPRHP in administering this grant program. We are currently working with Round 1 awardees and seeing the impact this funding has on their ability to complete important preservation, restoration, and repair work and are looking forward to starting the projects awarded in Round 2,” said Wayne Goodman, Executive Director of the Landmark Society of Western New York, which is co-administering the GVRR program. “This grant program has shed light on the need for this type of funding in our rural communities around the Genesee Valley.”

The owners of Rolling Hills Asylum in East Bethany called dispatch to report that an unauthorized person or persons are inside the building and a flashlight can be seen probing the darkness. Sheriff's deputies are responding. The location is 11001 E. Bethany Road in East Bethany.

Law enforcement is heading to the Rolling Hills Asylum in Bethany for a report of a suspicious condition.

A car or cars stopped and several people got out and are now "running around" on the property.

UPDATE 7:49 p.m.: The car has apparently left the area, but it's been identified.

UPDATE 7:53 p.m.: The alleged trespassers, a male and female, reportedly went onto the roof, but did not enter the building.

UPDATE 7:58 p.m.: Vehicle located in the county park.

Six people -- three men and three women -- reportedly kicked in a door at Rolling Hills in Bethany, found there were actually people inside and took off.

Police are being dispatched to the area to look for them.

They fled in a silver sedan on Bethany Center Road. The suspects were carrying alcoholic beverages in their hands.

Some think the old county building on East Bethany Road is a dilapidated relic that invites mischief making. Certainly, it's got a sterling reputation for creepiness, which is exactly why a California couple sees gold.

Sharon and Jerry Coyle of Huntington Beach met with local officials two weeks ago to discuss buying the now-closed Rolling Hills Paranormal Research Center and turning it into a place that could attract tourists worldwide.

Bethany's town council talked about the broad outline of the ideas at Monday night's meeting.

"It's where ghosts go to square dance," said Clerk Debbie Douglas.

"It's paranormal all right," said Justice Tom McBride.

The 19th Century building was once Genesee County Poor Farm and an insane asylum. Its dank catacomb-like recesses have welcomed cable TV film crews scouting for ghosts. Purportedly some firefighters get creeped out by the place.

Lynn Freeman, president of the county Chamber of Commerce, said he knows folks who won't even drive by it.

But Freeman says the Coyle's plans are clever, elaborate and multifacted. He was briefed on them by the Coyles when they met here with the Bethany Town Supervisor and Economic Development Council members.

"Any new business that enhances Genesee County is good," Freeman said.

The Coyles' wish list includes:

• Renovating the building and bringing everything up to code;
• Getting it listed with the Governor's Office of Film and Television so it can be widely available for media exporsure;
• Lobbying for its placement on the National Registry of Historic Buildings;
• Opening the old poor house section as a museum;
• Working with historians, archeologists, college students and others to research the property, including doing high-tech ground probes in search of paupers' graves;
• Cross-promoting the supercenter with other local businesses such as Darien Lake Theme Park and Resort, Batavia Downs Casino and Racetrack and parks and forest authorities;
• Building audio and video bays to enable the study of paranormal activities;
• Having a 24/7 Web cam set up in some areas to capture paranormal activity for study and research;
• Offering tourism activities such as a wine-and-cheese festival, kite festival, harvest festival with "haunted hayrides," movie showings, picnics, concerts, art shows, seminars and tours for youth groups;
• Creating an English garden for weddings and the like and planting lavender, sage and rosemary to harvest for essential oils and other products;
• Having a hostel for men and one for women who are traveling the region, like on a trip to Niagara Falls;
• Offering tours and learning opportunities for youth groups;
• Selling a variety of things like food and beverages, coffee mugs, T-shirts, flashlights and audio/visual equipment.

The complicated project would be expensive, but no one has talked dollars and cents yet. The supercenter would be the Coyle's primary source of income. The couple is researching grants, low-interest financing, tax incentives, Empire zone benefits, etc.

"It has the potential to increase tourism to the area, thus generating revenue for regional and statewide businesses and additional tax revenues," writes Sharon Coyle in a letter distributed to key people.

But to make any of it reality would take local, county and state support.

"It's better than letting it deteriorate and have kids breaking into it," said Bethany Town Clerk Douglas.

Previously:

• Video: Rolling Hills (The Tour)
• Video: Halloween Countdown (Part Two): Rolling Hills Paranormal Research Center

This is the first of two videos on my recent visit to Rolling Hills Paranormal Research Center in East Bethany. Rolling Hills is the site of the old Genesee County Home, former "poor house," home for the "insane," and nursing home. In this video, Rolling Hills owner Lori Carlson gives us a brief overview of the facility, its past inhabitants and its current inhabitants... that latter would be the ghosts.

Tomorrow, we hope to get up the second video, which will consist entirely of footage from my tour of the facility between the hours of 11:00pm and 3:00am. While I wasn't fortunate enough to stumble into any ghosts, I got some great shots of an eerie, disquieting and utterly fascinating space.

In the meantime, let's learn a little about this place...

Be sure to check out part one of our Halloween countdown, posted yesterday: Cooking with the Dairy Princess: Halloween Special (Jell-O Eyeballs).