Fractured Spirits

Hauntings at the Peoria State Hospital

By: Sylvia Shults

Narrated by: Lee Ann Howlett

Length: 6 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

During the first half of the 20th century, the Peoria State Hospital was the premiere mental health facility of its day. Dr. George Zeller instituted the eight-hour workday for his staff, removed patient restraints, and made the asylum into a model for the care of the mentally ill. Today, there are only a few buildings of the hospital left. Some of them are still in use, others are inhabited only by ghosts. Our guide to these ghosts - and the history they represent - is Sylvia Shults.

In Fractured Spirits: Hauntings at the Peoria State Hospital, she brings a passion for paranormal investigation to her adventures at this haunted hotspot. The spirits come to life once more as Shults explores their former home. Other voices help her tell the story: This is a collection of people's experiences at the Peoria State Hospital. Ghost hunting groups, sensitives, former nurses, and ordinary people share their stories with us, their voices resonating to create a panoramic view to rival the vista of the Illinois River.

To visit the remaining buildings of the Peoria State Hospital today is to visit a small piece of history. A ghost story over a hundred years in the making, Fractured Spirits is narrative nonfiction at its finest.

©2013 Sylvia Shults (P)2020 David N. Wilson

Fractured spirits

This is an interesting and engaging book. It not only gives listeners some of the history of the Peoria State Hospital but it also gives first and secondhand accounts of what people think of as hauntings. In a horrible time for patients being admitted to asylums Dr. George Zeller took treatment into a different direction. He changed many things including renaming the asylum. The good doctor helped many people and gave others much needed safety and help. This book gives a quick overview of what a gentle and meaningful place this hospital must have been to the patients and their families. Whether you believe in hauntings or not these accounts make for an intriguing listen. I enjoyed learning some history about a place and a person that made an impact in my home state. Narrator Lee Ann Howlett does a nice job of keeping the narration flowing.
I received a free review audiobook and voluntarily left this review.

Loved the history

I really enjoyed this book. Fascinating history & interesting facts & story. Highly recommend for real ghost stories & asylum historical facts. I received this book for free from the author for a honest review.

Loved it

As entertaining as it is informative
The author does a good job presenting firsthand encounters as well as folklore
Well narrated and highly recommended to anyone interested in old asylums or ghost hunting
I received a free review audiobook and voluntarily left this review

History and Ghosts

Before she gets into gritty ghost stories, Sylvia Shults separates rumors from truth, effectively setting a stage of credibility for the rest of the book. If you’re interested in condensed history of the Peoria State Hospital and humane treatment of its patients by its founder, Dr. George Zeller, you landed in a cushy spot. If it’s ghosts you seek, Shults gives satisfying accounts of paranormal activity in and around the hospital, as well as detection methods/tools hunters use to substantiate its existence. She leaves readers plenty of room to decide whether or not to believe— all without expensing entertainment value.

Narrator Lee Ann Howlett read with a professional perkiness that kept me inside the story.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this unbiased review.

interesting history of state hospital

I'm a skeptic when it comes to ghosts, so the reason why I listened to this audiobook was to learn about the history of the Peoria State Hospital and mental health treatment during the past century. This audiobook was satisfying in that respect. If you're interested in paranormal research, there are a lot of descriptions of investigation techniques and personal stories of people who have had strange experiences there. For me, those stories were entertaining but I still remain skeptical. If I were a believer, I'd be uncomfortable at some of the interactions between investigators and the spirits who roamed the hospital that were described in the book. Several times, the author described how the ghosts would tell them to leave but the investigators would often ignore those requests and stay and ask repetitive questions. I don't know, it seemed kind of disrespectful and intrusive to me (my two cents, because I'm not a paranormal investigator so maybe this is the way that investigations are done). The narrator was good - she made it sound like the author was telling the story herself, very authentic sounding.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Compassionate, humorous, genuine

Thank you, Sylvia, for great stories and detailed history. I feel sometimes I was with you . I felt like I witnessed what others saw. Your courage is outstanding re self- disclosure. I have no doubts you’ve helped hundreds because of this.

The narrator is a joy to listen to.