Pennsylvania Hospital: historic medical site with haunting lore

Founded in 1751 by Benjamin Franklin and Dr. Thomas Bond, Pennsylvania Hospital is widely cited as the first hospital in the United States and continues to operate as a medical facility. Because of its long history treating the sick and its 18th- and 19th-century buildings, the hospital is frequently mentioned in local ghost tours and paranormal accounts that recount unexplained sounds and sightings. These reports are anecdotal and part of local folklore rather than scientifically established phenomena.